DAMDEEP tool gets the nod from Victorian farmers

AS THE driest year on record tests farmers resilience with feed shortages, water issues are now also having an impact on farms.

Although no one wants to run out of water, the extended dry period provides an opportunity to clean out receding dams and look to secure future water supplies.

To assist with this, a simple device for measuring the depth of a farm dam was introduced to landholders at a series of workshops in South West Victoria recently.

Agriculture Victoria land management extension officer, and creator of the measuring tool, Greg Bekker said the DAMDEEP device consists of a hand reel, float, beads and a sinker and is easy to make by following the instructions on the Agriculture Victoria website.

“The device can measure the depth of most farm dams, it gives quite an accurate reading and can provide critical information for decision-making, such as telling you that your dam is 0.9m deep and not the 2.0m you initially thought it was.

“Measuring a dam involves casting the float and sinker into the dam, retrieving the line and measuring the distance from the sinker to a sliding bead lifted to the surface by a large float.

“Each dam should be measured four to five times to ensure an accurate result.”

One farmer attending a recent workshop was so impressed he suggested the device should be entered into a coming farm inventions competition.

Mr Bekker said he created the device to help meet an urgent need for farmers, to calculate the volume of water in their dams given the dry seasonal conditions across much of the state.

“Farmers can step out and measure the length and width of dams reasonably accurately, but the depth is usually guessed.

“The depth of a dam is important when levels are low, particularly in south-west Victoria.

“By using these dimensions, the volume of a farm dam can then be calculated – key information needed to develop an accurate farm water budget.

“Developing a water budget early will help with making decisions about how long your water could last and how to respond to shortages.”

Online calculators such as the Farm Water Calculator or Summer Water Calculator can be found at agriculture.vic.gov.au