The Impact of Micro Irrigation

Mark McIntyreBorn: June 12, 1945Hometown: Sacramento, CAOccupation: Irrigation Designer

The Impact ofMicro Irrigation on theYakima Valley

This is a picture of the actual size of the hole that is typically made into the pipe. There will be many of these throught the pipe. Farmers can use these holes for a variety of things.

This is a picture of what happens to the pipe if the water is not filtered properly. The pipe becomes filled with materials such as mud, rocks, sticks, leaves, and other materials.

Before micro irrigation was introduced to the Yakima Valley, it was common for farmers to use ditches to irrigate their crops. Then sprinklers were introduced. It seemed effective at the time because farmers could get a considerable amount of water onto their crops very quickily. Unfortunately, it wasn't very effective. There was a huge change when micro irrigation was introduced. Micro irrigation allowed farmers to cut their water and fertilizer usage by more than half.