The Importance Of Water When Purchasing Farmland
Have you been dreaming of starting a farm? Or perhaps you have a farm, but you want to expand or switch to better land?
One thing to make sure you consider when looking for land is water availability on the property.
This includes the amount, the quality, and the source of the water.
Water is needed for nearly every aspect of farming, so it is essential to find land that has the right amount of good quality water.
Today, San Benito Realty wants to give you some information on why water is so important for farming, as well as what to look for when searching for farmland with a good water source.
Farmland Must Have A Good Source Of Water For Proper Irrigation
To supply crops the needed amount of water each day, farmers need to have a well functioning and well planned irrigation system.
Irrigation systems are how crops receive water, regardless of the weather. When there’s a lack or abundance of rain, the farmer must know to know how to efficiently regulate the irrigation system.
There are several different irrigation system options, but most require that the farmland has a sufficient water supply.
When looking to purchase farmland, it is essential to find land that has a good water supply that can be a source for your irrigation system.
Water Is Needed For The Wellbeing Of Livestock
In addition to crops, many farms also have livestock that they cultivate. Whether it be cattle, dairy cows, horses, chicken, goats, or a plethora of other animals, they all require a large amount of water to be healthy and produce the desired product.
The primary reason you need a great deal of water when farming animals is to water them. However, you also need it to clean up after them, and to produce their food.
If you are hoping to have a farm or ranch that raises livestock, then make sure you pick farmland with a sufficient amount of water to take care of all of their needs.
Plenty Of Access Water Is Essential In case Of Droughts
Droughts can be disastrous for farms that are not prepared with a large excess of water available. Thankfully, droughts only happen occasionally, but it is essential to be well prepared, as droughts can devastate farms.
You want to make sure you have enough water that it won’t all dry up and leave you, your crops, and your animals at risk.
When there are times with plenty of extra water, it is important to store water in reserves. You can also have a backup plan put in place, in case of an extreme drought that drains your reserves.
Purchasing farmland with a sizable amount of water available is important to help during times of droughts.
Overall Water Quality Is Important To Be Aware Of
Before purchasing farmland you should have the water quality, and the quality of the well tested. The quality of your water is a big factor in how well your farm succeeds.
The Center For Agriculture, Food And The Environment says,
“Irrigation water quality is a critical aspect of greenhouse crop production. There are many factors which determine water quality. Among the most important are alkalinity, pH and soluble salts. But there are several other factors to consider, such as whether hard water salts such as calcium and magnesium or heavy metals that can clog irrigation systems or individual toxic ions are present. In order to determine this, water must be tested at a laboratory that is equipped to test water for agricultural irrigation purposes.
Poor quality water can be responsible for slow growth, poor aesthetic quality of the crop and, in some cases, can result in the gradual death of the plants. High soluble salts can directly injure roots, interfering with water and nutrient uptake. Salts can accumulate in plant leaf margins, causing burning of the edges. Water with high alkalinity can adversely affect the pH of the growing medium, interfering with nutrient uptake and causing nutrient deficiencies which compromise plant health.
Reclaimed water, runoff water, or recycled water may require reconditioning before use for irrigation since disease organisms, soluble salts and traces of organic chemicals may be present.”
Make sure that you take the time to find farmland with quality water!
It Is Essential To Know The Number Of Gallons Per Minutes Available On The Farmland
To have the right amount of irrigation, and a surplus in case of droughts, you should learn the gallons available per minute at the land you desire to purchase.
The gallons per minute – or GPM – refers to the amount of water that comes out of your water source every minute.
Knowing this information is essential to planning out your irrigation system, your surplus system, the watering of your livestock, as well as any other water needs on your farm.
Do your best to find out the GPM before you buy your farmland, so you can be well prepared!