Water Capture from High Tunnel Diversion into Irrigation System using Renewable Energy

Project Overview

FNC13-909
Project Type: Farmer/Rancher
Funds awarded in 2013: $7,499.00
Projected End Date: 12/31/2015
Region: North Central
State: Minnesota
Project Coordinator:
Cherry Flowers
Email
Page & Flowers

Annual Reports

Information Products

Commodities

  • Vegetables: greens (leafy), peppers, tomatoes
  • Additional Plants: herbs

Practices

  • Crop Production: irrigation
  • Education and Training: demonstration, extension, youth education
  • Energy: solar energy
  • Soil Management: soil quality/health
  • Sustainable Communities: partnerships, urban agriculture, sustainability measures

    Proposal summary:

    [Editor's note: Attached are two newspaper articles describing the practices of the Page and Flowers operation.]
    This project will address water conservation, soil erosion, efficient land use, and nutrient retention and profitability issues in an urban farm environment by demonstrating the capture of water flow from a high tunnel and redirecting it into the drip irrigation system inside using a renewable energy source to increase water pressure.

    Project objectives from proposal:

    Water conservation is one of the benefits of our plan to capture and redirect water flow from the hoop house into the drip irrigation system for use inside.  Drip irrigation puts the water directly at the root of the plant and minimizes water loss through evaporation in the air while also reducing the potential for diseases associated with wet leaves inside the moist enclosed environment.

    Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or SARE.