New-Style Springlers Pop Up To Irrigate

New-Style Springlers Pop Up To Irrigate IRRIGATION Irrigation Systems 4-2-24 You'll be hearing a lot in the months ahead about Agri-Pop Irrigation - a totally new irrigation system that pops sprinklers out of the ground to irrigate and then retracts them 2 ft. or more below the surface so you can plow, plant, cultivate, fertilize, and farm as if it weren't there. "It's the first system that gives you 100% access to fields between irrigation cycles," explains the system's designer Paul Unruh, of Minden, Nev., who adds that different crops require different systems. "Crops like corn need taller sprinklers, for instance, while others, like sod, need less. We'll build sprinklers to rise to any height from 1 to 8 ft. or more off the ground." Each Agri-Pop sprinkler rests between cycles in a vertically buried housing equal to the length the sprinkler will have to travel through dirt to the surface and up to its desired sprinkling height. For instance, if you want the sprinkler to rise 4 ft. above the ground, and be buried 2 ft., each sprinkler pipe and underground housing will be 6 ft. long. Two water lines run to every AgriPop housing and sprinkler. The intake line, which also supplies the water to irrigate, forces the sprinkler up out of its casing, through the dirt above it, and into sprinkling position. The second line forces water into the casing just above a pressure washer fixed on the sprinkler shaft, forcing it to retract back underground. "We've found the system will pop up through all soil types after any tillage operation," says Unruh. "Although we recommend they be buried about 2 ft. deep, they can go as deep as 4 or 5 ft. All parts are PVC plastic that won't deteriorate or corrode. No on-going maintenance is required." "Most Agri-Pop installations use 18 to 20 sprinklers per acre with triangular spacing. After selecting nozzle size, riser length and desired spacing, you open a ditch 2 ft. deep for installation of the cross lateral water lines," Unruh explains. "The main line varies in size from 1 to 3 in., depending on distance water is carried. The secondary retracting line is generally 1 in. in dia." Costs run anywhere from $1,000 to $1,400 per acre, compared to $300 to $600 per acre for a center pivot system. To justify the higher price, Unruh says value of the irrigated crop should equal at least half the cost of system installation. For instance, if installation was $1,000, the harvested crop should gross $500 or more per acre. For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Agri-Pop Inc., P.O. Box 70, Minden, Nev 89423 (ph 702 782-3146).

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