Flood Irrgation question

[bverellen]

I'm new to this flood irrigation business. We irrigate about 53 acres of mixed grass hay.

We still have senior call on our creek and ditch, and can still put water on our feilds.

Soon the grass will go dormant, is there still any benefit to irrigating this late in the season, if for no other reason to put moister in the ground, or am I just shorting people further down the line from us?

Thanks...

bart. †

 

[Triangle Bar]

You know as dry as it has been here along the Sangres and not knowing what next year will bring and since you have the water it would be great to build your soil profile going into the winter. I don't know of any detriment there would be to fall irrigating. If it were alfalfa, too wet a soil could cause frost heaving that would break the crown off from the roots. I'm at the end of the creek and have the senior rights so the creek just keeps flooding the meadows year round. It builds up some serious ice most years and have never had problems.

It's great to be a nice neighbor but it's a judgement call. You have the senior right and it's yours to use. If your fields are still good on moisture and if the water can actually get to the next ditch in priority and not be lost in conveyance and be used beneficially, then that's up to you.

 

[Anonymous]

For the last several years we have always tried to put water on the irrigated hay fields in the fall... Not only to get a little more regrowth for grazing- but even after its gone dormant it just seems to give the fields a little added kickstart in the spring- especially if we have a winter with little snowcover...

 

[Larrry]

If it is your water use it. It will show up next year and if you are short next year you will be glad you did. I watered some alfala late one year and the next year you could see right to the line where I quit. Yep you will be using it where someone down the line could but if it is yours take it. Besides if you don't you just might give it to Kansas.

 

[jodywy]

just pulled my head gates, I've had water on since I got the hay stacked. we started frezzing every night now and that makes for a mess . We feed back on the meadow and the cows have to bed on the packed snow on the feed ground.

 

[jigs]

water as long as it is soaking in....
sub soil moisture is more important than surface