Turn On The PHAUCET: Computer Program That Saves Farmers Money, Time, Water
LITTLE ROCK, ARK.
Farmers are encouraged to try out the PHAUCET calculation program if they want to save water and money, said a water quality expert. Users report water savings of up to 40 percent.
“It’s a very good technique,” said Mike Daniels, a professor and extension water quality specialist with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. He said the program requires time and labor, but the money saved is worth it.
Pipe Hole and Universal Crown Evaluation Tool, or PHAUCET, is a computer program that helps farmers determine the sizes of the holes in the polypipe that they need to distribute the water efficiently.
U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Resources Conservation Service developed the software. PHAUCET uses engineering equations to calculate pipe pressure and flow rates for each watered furrow. By determining appropriate size holes for irrigation pipe, each side of the fields will be evenly watered.
“It allows us to put the right amount of water for each part,” Daniels said.
The program also helps farmers improve timeliness of watering fields that have different row lengths.
“We as farmers have became more efficient, sustainable and productive with everything,” said Jim Carroll, a farmer and United Soybean Board Director from Monroe County.
He intends to try the PHAUCET program for his farm that grows rice, corn, soybeans and wheat. “It will be more beneficial as water becomes less plentiful and costly,” he said.
“Everything we do on our farm is done to improve our productivity with less inputs,” he added. This program will save time and let producers use their employees more efficiently, he said.
Daniels said that before farmers can use the program, there is certain data they need to have on hand before running the software. This includes field size and dimensions, row spacing, and the maximum number of hours that can pump in one set.
To download the PHAUCET program’s user manual in the pdf form, go to www.uaex.edu/environment-nature/water/media/PHAUCET-manual-UAEX.pdf . ∆