Then a decision is made on what crop to grow and an appropriate irrigation system developed. The water for irrigation is usually supplied from a bore, dam or creek. Pumping of the water is necessary to provide sufficient pressure to operate a sprinkler system.
Sprinklers are the most common form of irrigation for small farms.
There are many sprinkler types. Impulse sprinklers Impulse sprinklers are available for full circle or part circle operation. A swinging arm bouncing off a jet of water propels the sprinkler in a circle via a series of impulses to cover sections of the circle in sequence. To ensure uniform precipitation it is preferable to use 100 per cent coverage or sprinkler to sprinkler overlap. However, an overlap of at least 85 per cent is permissible when designing a system - thus sprinklers with a radius throw of 12 metres must be placed no more than 13.8 metres apart.