The large 4WD tractor and tandem set of dirt scrapers pictured above is used to precision-grade fields. Each of the scrapers has a capacity of about 17 cubic yards and is controlled by a thin laser beam light that guides the cutting and operating depth of the blades on each scraper. The tractor above has about 450 hp and probably weighs over 25 tons with added ballast.
The equipment used on Amerigui Plantation will resemble what is pictured here. The primary difference is that the control system to be used on Amerigui Plantation will be a GPS interface. This technology has just been offered to the marketplace in the past two years and is made possible by the installation of a land-based RTK base station transmitter that works in concert with the GPS signals emitted by several satellites orbiting overhead at any given moment. 
The landgrading machinery above is building an irrigation reservoir on Gunter Farms in September 2005. The laser signal is being used to create a flat, slightly sloped floor to the reservoir, in addition to making the top of the perimeter levee consistently level.
Irrigation water at Amerigui Plantation will be pumped from the existing canal network illustrated in Section F. Irrigation pumps and diesel-powered engines will draw water into steel pipe intakes installed in the center of the canal, lifted a few feet in the pump chamber, then pushed into horizontal steel pipes buried under the roads and fields. Once clear of road and traffic lanes, the buried steel pipelines will be connected to 400mm PVC pipelines that will have risers at chosen high points for delivery to each field.
While the two pumps servicing the irrigation reservoir on Gunter Farms are powered by electric motors, the pumps at Amerigui Plantation will be powered by 4-cylinder diesel engines.
Much of the irrigation system is buried and out of sight, but you can see that each pump consists of an electric motor, vertical pump, intake pipe, and discharge pipe. The discharge pipe feeds a vertical surge chamber, which in turn feeds the water into underground irrigation pipelines servicing risers in each field.
A simple float apparatus connects to a switch, which automatically shuts off the electrically-powered pumps when the water falls to a pre-set level.
The steel pipe spanning the supply ditch is connected to a 15" PVC irrigation pipe. Buried in-line valves are controlled by the wheels positioned adjacent to the black-painted surge chamber.
These pumps are installed on the edge of the water source ditch, but some pumps to be installed on Amerigui Plantation may be installed on a steel span across the canals. This will assure that the diesel engines, fuel tanks, and all other equipment pictured above are less accessible to passing children, do not interfere with movement of farm machinery along canal roads, and generally create a cleaner look with straight roads and field borders.
Water being pumped from the ditch into the reservoir for the first time. Valves can be adjusted to pump water from:
- Supply ditch into the reservoir
- Supply ditch into the underground irrigation canal network
- Reservoir into the underground irrigation canal network
- Gravity feed water from the reservoir into the underground irrigation canal network
- Deep water turbine wells into the reservoir
The water flow rate pictured here approximates the flow rate for pumps to be installed on Amerigui Plantation. About 12-14 separate pumping stations will be required to properly irrigate the developed fields at Amerigui Plantation. Probably ten miles of 400mm irrigation pipe will eventually be buried, as well. The entire irrigation pumps, valves, and electrical works were custom-designed and installed by Dennis Manufacturing, of Waldenburg, Arkansas. Dennis Manufacturing has designed and built a wide array of specialized farm machinery over the past 40 years, but the huge interest in using surface water for irrigation has created demand for custom-built irrigation pumps.
Dennis Manufacturing is widely recognized as a leading authority on water pump design and will be assisting Amerigui Plantation with its surface irrigation equipment requirements.
The surface water pumping stations will be connected to several miles of underground PVC pipelines that will deliver irrigation water in with pinpoint accuracy to each field. These pipelines will need to be buried about 3-4 feet deep in order to avoid damage from farm equipment conducting tillage operations, as well as to avoid collapsing of pipelines due to heavy equipment traffic.
The following photos illustrate the laying of a new 12" PVC pipeline on the Joey Scott farm that lies adjacent to Gunter Farms, near Fisher, Arkansas. A trenching machine is being used to cut the trench into which the PVC irrigation pipeline will be laid.
The use of a trenching machine rather than a backhoe has several advantages, a primary one being that the trench floor is curved to generally form to the shape of the pipe. If you look closely at the trencher's buckets, you can see that they have a curved digging face. A curved floor will better support the PVC pipeline and provide some insurance against premature collapsing of the PVC pipeline. If the trench floor is dug flat, it is very difficult to properly place soil under the pipeline.
The machine operator assures that the machine advances at the desired rate, the trench is dug to the proper depth, and that the trench is dug in as straight a line as possible.
The trenching machine above was excavating a trench at least four feet deep. A 20' length of PVC pipe was being laid about every three minutes on a continuous basis.
This worker is applying a lubricant to the female joint surface so that the next pipe section will slide in easily and not damage the joint. Care needs to be taken not to damage joints when mating the pipes together. Leaks in the irrigation pipelines will create a wide range of problems for crops and equipment and must be repaired at great expense.
A small mark is printed on the male end of each pipe section so that the installers are assured the new section is completely inserted into the laid pipeline.
The laying of the pipeline is not complicated, but real skills and experience are necessary when installing irrigation risers, valves, connecting to existing water sources, etc. The mating of steel and PVC irrigation components requires a good deal of custom work performed on-site, often in rather poor conditions.
The backhoe operator is covering the pipeline as other workers continue laying new sections. Settlement of the soil will take place during the first year following installation, so extra soil is placed over the trench to allow for this settlement. A well-designed irrigation system will assure that water is available where it is needed and in quantities sufficient to satisfy the needs of growing crops. This requires careful choosing of pumps, engines, pipeline diameter and length, number of risers, etc. While expensive to install, a proper irrigation system will reduce costs of crop production for decades to come.
This pipeline is being installed by Cart Well Company of Weiner, Arkansas. Cart Well has been installing irrigation wells for almost 100 years and played an instrumental role in the very creation of Arkansas' rice production industry.
The interdependence between rice farmers and their irrigation services company cannot be over-estimated. Northeast Arkansas rice farmers appreciate the competent, courteous, and professional service provided by Cart Well Company.
