Darling Irrigation, as part of the AGnVET group, is involved in all areas of design, supply and construction of pressurised irrigation systems in eastern Australia.
With several dedicated ‘retail water stores’ and four dedicated ‘project hubs’, water business manager for the group, Sam Maroulis, says the water industry is front of mind for the entire ag sector.
“We have seen record sales in what has been a very wet year. That is unprecedented in my experience. It demonstrates water issues are no longer only relevant in drought years – water conservation and water management techniques are big issues no matter the season.
“Progressive farmers are preparing now for the next tight water year, which in Australia is a seasonal inevitability,” Mr Maroulis said.
“Australian producers have a strong track record of innovating and embracing technology in the water industry. For example, Australian cotton growers are the most water efficient in the world, at three times the water use efficiency of the world average.
“We are seeing, in the most part, positive government policy and advances in digital technologies, that really encourage greater advances in water efficiencies in Australian agriculture. At AGnVET we have seen water products grow to be a major business segment within our traditional product and service offering.”
A centre pivot irrigator supplied by Darling Irrigation.
The Darling Irrigation teams are involved in the design and construction of around 6000ha of pressurised systems each year. This adds up to enormous water savings over less efficient forms of irrigation technology, leading to thousands of ML’s of savings annually.
“This is important and drives our staff to continue providing industry best solutions for our clients. We really strive to make every drop count, that is our WHY,” Mr Maroulis said.
He said Darling Irrigation and AGnVET are so passionate about promoting water use efficiency, it is supporting and sponsoring the Zimmatic Trailblazer Sustainable Irrigation Awards.
The awards are designed to reward farmers, irrigating over 25ha, who can demonstrate they are passionate and driven by sustainable water use. Three top entrants are shortlisted, evaluated over several categories of on farm water use efficiencies and visited on farm by a selected panel of expert judges.
The finalist with the highest overall score across all categories will win the supreme award. Growers, industry professionals and the community are encouraged to nominate farmers and farming operations for the award via the online nomination form found on the official website www.irrigationtrailblazer.com or through your local AGnVET branch.
“We are very pleased to be involved in this year’s Trailblazer program with Zimmatic,” Mr Maroulis said. “It fits neatly with our values, and it is an opportunity to highlight some of the fantastic initiative’s farmers are taking with their own operations to improve sustainability.
“It’s a real ‘win win’ in our eyes. There is a myriad of new technology entering the market, in areas of automation, sensors, drone technology, advanced and high-resolution imaging, and low energy systems.
“These all have the impact to not only reduce water use but have a positive impact in our carbon footprint too. However, it’s not the science lab that proves these concepts, it is on farm where these new products need to prove their worth, and that’s where Australian farmers are amongst the best in the world in my view.”
Darling Irrigation is a leading Australian irrigation business, servicing clients in the eastern states of Australia, with retail products, centre pivots, drip systems, pipelines, automated pumping stations, and water broking services.
In Mr Maroulis’s words, “We are looking forward to continuing the growth of the business under the AGnVET banner as our footprint continues to expand into major irrigation areas of Australia.”
The AGnVET Services Group is an Australian owned independent agribusiness that provides rural supplies and specialist services across Eastern Australia through local iconic brands including AGnVET Services, AGnVET Rural I K Caldwell, The Wheelhouse Group, Polycon Engineering, and the group’s specialist water and irrigation business Darling Irrigation.
