When veteran dairy farmer, Rob Hornby, spoke to us in 2023 he was quick remind us that modernisation was a long time coming on his farm in Newry. Talking with him today, he’s brimming with enthusiasm to tell us about the difference the new pipeline has made.
Rob and his wife Merren, along with their son Brendan and his wife Amy, currently run around 300 cows on 103 hectares and he said that life is now just so much easier.
“In the old days, we got inconsistent flows, and it used to take us between five to six days to irrigate the whole property.”
“Now with the pipeline and new pipe and risers installed, we can irrigate the whole farm in three days at a flow rate of 15 megalitres per day that doesn’t change from the first hour to the last hour,” he said.
The Newry pipeline provided the impetus for Rob to invest in on-farm improvements that are increasing efficiencies.
“We’ve spent around $500,000 on pipe and risers with about 50 outlets for automation and have laser graded some land. We’ll be investing in more grading and more pipe and riser outlets too,” he said.
Rob said they reduced their water use since the pipeline has been installed and he’s really happy with the benefits modernisation is delivering.
“We were using 60 megalitres to water, which equates to about 0.7 of a megalitre per hectare. Now we're down to 45 megalitres, which is about 0.5 of a megalitre,” he said.
Better water efficiency means Rob can grow more grass with less water and produce more milk which in turn increases the productivity and profitability of his operation.
“I always believed the new pipeline was going to be good and it’s good to now know the reality met my expectations,” he said.
The automated water outlets installed as part of the pipeline mean farmers will spend less time irrigating and allow them to focus on other personal and business growth opportunities.
“My son Brendan manages the irrigation and means he can turn the water on and check it every 12 hours, rather than every three.”
“Brendan doesn’t have to get up at 2am to shift water anymore that is a real benefit when you’ve got a young family to look after,” he said.
Rob says he’s very optimistic about the future and hopes modernisation continues across the region.
“Agriculture is such a vital part of Gippsland’s community and economy which is why investments like the pipeline are essential for future proofing the sector,” Rob said.
“Modernising water and irrigation infrastructure is no-brainer if we want to support farmers in the Macalister Irrigation District to keep producing high-quality food. We’re delighted with the results, and speaking with other irrigators in the area I know they are too.”