Producer from RS increases production using irrigation

Many producers already know that the pivot is a solution to guarantee high productivity and eliminate concerns about unpredictable weather. What few know is the impact of this technology on income. When expanding the cultivated area is impossible, irrigation appears as the answer that allows good productivity growth and the alternative to increase profit from the same piece of land. 

This is what happened at Fazenda Boa Esperança, owned by producer Lorinei Baiotto Pieniz, located in São Lourenço das Missões, district of the municipality of São Luiz Gonzaga, in Rio Grande do Sul. Irrigating for three years, Lorinei invested in two central Valley pivots in in order to obtain the guarantee of productivity that only irrigation offers.

"The climate in our region is very unstable. Many producers choose to invest in irrigation systems to ensure good harvests without having to depend on rain", comments Lorinei. The equipment acquired by the producer covers an area of ​​140 hectares. Lorinei is not limited to just one type of farming - on the property, soybeans, corn, wheat, oats, canola and sunflower are grown.

And, so far, the pivot has been delivering on its productivity promises. Under the pivot, the corn harvest can reach up to 240 bags per hectare. In the rainfed area, the quantity harvested is no more than 135. "We also had good results with off-season soybeans in the last harvest. With the pivot, we reached 52 bags per hectare, compared to 30 bags in areas without irrigation", highlights the producer.

However, for Lorinei, the best results are yet to come. In addition to the productivity that already operates at higher levels, the producer found in precision irrigation the answer to a permanent problem on the farm. "We have always wanted to expand the cultivated area, but our region no longer has space for expansion. Instead, we plan to invest in expanding the irrigation system, bringing more pivots to the farm and thus increasing productivity", reveals Lorinei .

With the producer's ingenious plan, made possible through Valley's technologies, profitability can also be multiplied beyond the already positive numbers recorded on Lorinei's property, continuing the value added by irrigation. "With the competitive state of the market and taking into account the expenses involved in the activity of any farm, the producer is pressured to produce more and more in smaller areas. For us, irrigation is a way of achieving this objective", he assesses.