Saturday, July 4, 2009

Udall drips with praise for San Antonio farm

Sichlers utilize subsurface drip irrigation technology

Pilar Armstrong El Defensor Chieftain Reporter

Veteran San Antonio, N.M., farmers gave U.S. Sen. Tom Udall a crash course in a revolutionary way of farming.

Udall applauded Paula and Chris Sichler's newly installed subsurface drip irrigation system during a personal visit to Sichler Farms on Wednesday, July 1. The new environment friendly system is credited with being more water.

The Sichlers recently gave up their old way of irrigating and implemented the new system on approximately 65 acres of vegetable crops. The United States Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service reimbursed the Sichlers for two-thirds of the expense. The reimbursement program is part of the 2006 Environmental Quality Incentives Program.

"Once a farmer uses this system they'll never go back to the old one," said Sichler.

The farm's new irrigation system boasts a main pump station in which river water is pumped through a system of drip tape. The drip tape is installed underneath the root system of the crops. Each strip of tape is approximately 2 inches in diameter and has a series of pinpoint-sized holes along the center of the tape, which allows the water to seep through to irrigate the crops.

Sichler keeps track of his crops' water usage by sight.

NRCS District Conservationist Michael Shivers said farmers using this system could also utilize consumptive use charts, which illustrate how much water is needed for specific crops. The Sichlers water their crops in 10-day sessions when the plants are relatively small. Once the plants start bearing fruit they cut back water usage to every two days, said Sichler.

"The drip system also allows us to utilize rainfall so we can turn the system off when it rains," Sichler explained. "With a traditional irrigation system, it's a big mess."

Sichler further explained that in the past heavy rainfall flooded his fields when he used a traditional irrigation system. The excess water delayed the harvest of his chile crops by several days. The new system even allows his family to harvest crops the day after a rain. Fertilizer and pesticides used to kill insects are used more sparingly because of the system's efficiency,

"You use less water and plants get what they need. It's more efficient, cost effective and it uses less water," Udall said. "This is a great system."

The senator spent some time admiring the Sichler's crops. The usage of pesticides to kill insects was a concern of the senator. Sichler assured Udall that the pesticides did not seep into the water table. The Sichlers only spray enough pesticides to kill the most destructive insects, explained Sichler. The senator also noted that the Sichler's hadn't worked out all of the bugs.

"There's a bug right here," Udall said while examining the Sichlers' crops.

Sichler explained that he didn't want to kill certain types of bugs, such as ladybugs, which are helpful. Ladybugs eat a lot of destructive bugs, he said.

"Oh, so they're carnivores," exclaimed the senator as he gave the thumbs-up sign.

The Sichlers plan to install the new system on an additional 50 acres by this winter. The NRCS will reimburse the family at approximately $1,000 per acre for this project.

Sichler hopes to have 200 acres of his farm utilizing the new system within the next couple of years.

Sichler Farms currently sells their produce at two vegetable stands — one in Los Lunas and the other in San Antonio, N.M.

parmstrong@dchieftain.com

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