Irrigation 2007-09

Micro irrigatiing Mesa Winds Farm After the storage pond was completed in the fall of 07, we began trenching throughout the farm. The trench supplies the backbone and a smooth, rock-free support for 6" transmission pipe. Manifolds and water lines then extend to the head each row. Each block has it's own mainline, pipes 36" below ground, then backfilled — minus the rocks that peppers our soil — no small feat. We dug a half mile trench in November and kept working until the weather shut us down in December. In the spring of 08, Wink, Aaron, Max and Rob resumed laying pipe in the trenches, gluing pipe, valves, manifolds and risers. 2009 the above ground work of poly tubes, sprinklers, and electric began. Scroll down for photographs and descriptions.	November 07 Michael backhoeing trenches. Several times he had to work around volkswagon sized boulders that were too big to remove.
In the trenches
November 07 View of transmission pipe heading to the peach orchard.	November 07 The underground trickiness of two pipes crossing. We laid pipe in existing field roads when possible so getting around the farm became a job in itself!
November 07 Eric and Sara leveled and smoothed the trench heading past the apples towards the canal.	November 07 This transmission pipe is from the canal south to the vineyard.
Water crossing water
November 07 We had to cross the Fire Mountain Canal withheavy steel. Our irrigation water doesn't come from this ditch company.	November 07 Backhoe does double duty as lifter.
Winter stops below the ground work
December 07 The ground became too hard to work. Forunately we were able to complete laying some of the pipe and "button it up."	December 07 Wink surveys Meadowlark vineyard. Many winter days were spent removing piles of rocks stashed between the rows when digging trenches.
Work resumes in the spring
April 08 Aaron returned to help once again. From the headgate to the property and pond (07) then to pipe to all the fields.	April 08 Rob fills in the trenches. We will need to get across these deep gouges to start farming soon.
We borrowed this grizzly screen to sort rocks from fill.	Risers from transmission pipes to each apple row.
At last we'll be able to travel across the farm with equipment to start farming. Much of the work now centers on the pumphouse and filters and will take a backseat to crops.	June 08 We have a successful pond, we know because a handsome mallard moved in with his mate. Laura named them Scarlett and Rhett. Scarlett hatched her babies later in Fire Mountain Canal near our farm bridge.
Spring 2009
Scott and Wink working on the pump, smartbox, filters, control boxes: electric with potential leaks.	The guys from DMEA, Delta-Montrose Electric Association, replace the transformer from the road to our farm.
Polytubing in the peaches prior to connecting sprinklers.