No. 158, October 1996
This is the final issue of Water Spouts for 1996. If you have an Internet access account and a net browser such as Netscape or Microsoft Explorer, this year's issues of Water Spouts can be obtained at:
<www.ext.nodak.edu/extnews/snouts/>.
Delivery of Water Spouts will resume in April of 1997. However, our educational efforts will continue with four irrigation workshops:
December 2 . . . Bismarck . . . Raddison Inn
December 11 . . . Grand Forks . . . Westward Ho Motel
December 13 . . . Carrington . . . Carrington Researchand Extension Center
December 18 . . . Jamestown . . . Gladstone Inn
A mail announcement with more details will be sent to you in November. Mark your calendars and plan to attend one of these workshops.
A date hasn't been picked yet, but an irrigation workshop will be held in Williston, some time in February.
Tom Scherer, (701) 231-7239
Extension Agricultural Engineer
How does a person with an idea for a processed food get the final product to market? How does one take grandmother's recipe and commercialize it? In North Dakota we do not have an easy answer for all aspects of these questions. Minnesota does have a program that will work with an individual. There are four Agricultural Utilization Research Institute centers in the state with a management office located within the center Crookston.
AURI will help set up a feasibility study and a business plan much like our North Dakota Agricultural Products Utilization Commission. They will help to finance the study or plan in much the same way. However, after the study is done and the project is looking good, Minnesota takes the aspiring processor through a facility which is second to none except for one we are aware of in Nebraska.
AURI will work through a chemistry lab and test kitchen on site to help you turn grandma's favorite recipe into one that will process commercially, have preservation to add shelf life and provide a product that will be appropriate for the palate as well as the market. You may use their chemists to work in the modern chemistry lab. You probably would follow through the incubator or test kitchen with commercial hardware to produce the product in small quantity. The small quantity can be used for test marketing or just to refine the end product. After the test kitchen, you move into commercial processing. AURI has two large bays within the building which can be set up with a small scale industrial processing line.
A potato line was in place when we toured the Crookston facility, which included steam peeler, handling, cutting, quick freeze and packaging. The bays also had commercial dehydrators, flour mills, baking equipment, modified atmosphere packaging, extrusion equipment and mixers. AURI sometimes purchases special equipment for handling one client and then sells it to the client or disposes of it on the market once the individual project is complete. For more information on AURI or what steps to follow in North Dakota to move toward a processing market, call me or write to Room 204, 230 4th Street N.W., Valley City, N.D. 58072 or contact me with email at <barnes@ndsuext.nodak.edu>.
Rudy Radke, (701) 845-8528
NDSU Extension Agricultural Diversification Specialist
We all know that proper maintenance will extend the useful life of equipment. Fixing small problems is less expensive than repairing a major breakdown. To winterize your irrigation system, consult the service manuals and the following checklist or, if you don't feel confident doing the maintenance or you don't have the time, contract with an irrigation dealer to do the service.
If your water source is a well, fall is the proper time to chlorinate it. Chorine will control iron bacteria which, if left unchecked, will plug the screen and reduce the production capability of the well. The chlorination procedure is outlined in NDSU Extension circular AE-97, "Operation and Maintenance of Irrigation Wells." You can obtain a copy from your county extension office or by contacting me.
Pipes, valves, tanks, centrifugal pumps, etc., should be drained or pumped out to prevent damage from freezing over winter. Underground pipelines need to be pumped or drained. If possible, underground pipelines may be drained into a sump filled with gravel but NOT into the well. Draining into the well provides a source of pollution for the aquifer. Drains or pump-out risers should be sealed following draining or pumping to keep water from seeping back into the line. The underground line should be checked several days later to see that water has not drained into the low point and accumulated to a depth that could cause damage due to freezing. Protect pump-out risers and other equipment from livestock. Close or cover any openings that might invite rodent entry.
Pipes should be stored on racks so that one end is above the ground to permit drainage and air circulation. Protect from livestock. Remove gaskets, inspect and obtain replacements for any that are damaged or leaked during use. Store the gaskets in clean water in a place that will not freeze. This prevents them from cracking and drying out. Do not store gaskets on a nail or hook. If they cannot be stored in water, place them over a tube the same size as the gasket and keep out of direct sunlight. Covering the gaskets to restrict air movement will also help to prevent drying out and cracking. Loosen connectors of pipe remaining in the field.
Internal combustion engines need special attention to lubrication, cooling system, ignition, engine openings and fuel system. Winterizing and housing would be ideal. Where it is impossible to provide housing, proper winterizing is especially important.
Tom Scherer, (701) 237-7239
Extension Agricultural Engineer
This a brief summary of comments from Bill Patrie's (North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives) presentation at the NDSU Extension Service annual conference.
Why do some ideas move forward and others do not? You cannot download a project to people. Even if you have a great idea for economic development, people may not move forward on it. They need to be involved in the discovery of the opportunity. They also need a local champion to carry the project forward. Someone who is respected and a capable leader in the community.
What kind of people do you need to make a project successful? Diversity in a steering committee is important to discover all of the potential pitfalls and benefits of the project. Once an idea has been selected, an interim board or steering committee should be formed to continue investigating the project. These members should be carefully selected and not all have the same thinking about the project.
How do you drum up support for the project? Farmers sell ideas to farmers; people in suits do not. It is important to remember that it must be their project, and sold by them to other farmers. You must be truthful and honest in presenting the project to people, explaining all the potential pitfalls and benefits.
How do producers decide if they should participate in the project? Farmers need to know the process and mechanics of the proposed project, especially if it involves processing of an agriculture product. They will not buy into a project unless they understand how it works and can judge if they think it is feasible.
What is needed to pull a project through the tough times? Farmers need ownership and commitment to the project. There will be tough times and they need to believe in the project and have the character to stick it out. This may include selling their commodity to the cooperative at less than market value to insure the co-op's profitability. They should plan on capturing their profit on the processed end of the venture and stick with it. How can a project fail if the market study shows growth and potential? You must know how to get shelf space for your product. It is not enough to know that the markets are available; you must also know how to get into the market. You must do something better than the existing suppliers to get people to buy your product (higher quality, lower price, etc.). You will not get into the market if you are only duplicating existing services.
What makes a project successful? Learn from past cooperatives ventures and know why they failed or succeeded. Was it management, greed, panic, did they understand the market?
For more information on pursuing an economic development idea or forming a cooperative contact Rudy Radke, NDSU Extension Diversification Crop Specialist (845-8528); Bill Patrie, ND Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives (663-6501); or your local economic development specialist.
Jim Weigel, (701) 652-3194
NDSU Area Specialist/Irrigation
If your pressure gauge reading does not vary significantly from season to season, the well, pump and motor should be operating the same as in previous years. It should be checked throughout the year to allow for annual fluctuations in the aquifer and compared to previous year's readings during the same period. Use a quality, accurate, liquid filled, large display gauge.
A pressure gauge installed near the pump discharge, upstream of any chemigation or check valves, will tell you how much head (pressure) the pump is developing and takes into account all of the friction losses associated with the piping. This will allow you to accurately measure pump performance and is necessary if any changes are to be made to the pump (low pressure conversion, adjust impeller clearance, determine if impellers need to be rebuilt or replaced).
A small valve will allow you to use the same pressure gauge for many pivots and allow it to be shut off during startup and shutdown to minimize wear. The gauge can also be removed over winter to protect it.
This information along with annual static and pumping water level readings will allow you to troubleshoot and pinpoint potential problems before they become catastrophic and expensive to repair or require replacement.
Check the sand trap at the end of your pivot. If you have never pumped any sand my experience tells me that the sprinkler nozzles should have minimal wear, even after years of pumping. Check the sprinkler nozzles with the shank of a drill bit stamp the same size. It should be snug. Even a little play will have a major impact on sprinkler performance.
If you have noticed that your pivot or pump pressure is less than designed, you might be able to adjust the clearance between the pump impeller and bowl (on deep well turbine pumps) and regain some of the pressure and flow. For many pumps this setting is critical for peak performance.
To perform the procedure you need to know what the pump was designed to produce for pressure and flow, the pump model number and how many stages it has, the impeller diameter, how deep the pump is set in the well, the pumping water level in the well and the pump shaft diameter.
A few simple calculations tells you how much stretch the shaft will have and how far the impellers should be adjusted up from the bottom of the bowl. The adjustment nut is located on top of the pump gear head or hollow shaft motor. The procedure is outlined in a Nebraska Extension Service Publication and is available from your NDSU Irrigation Specialists in Fargo (Tom Scherer 701-231-7239) or myself.
James Weigel, 701-652-3194
Extension Area Irrigation Specialist
No. 158, October 1996
NDSU Extension Service, North Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Science,
and U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating. Sharon D. Anderson, Director, Fargo, North
Dakota. Distributed in furtherance of the Acts of Congress of May 8 and June 30, 1914. We offer our
programs and facilities to all persons regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sex,
disability, age, Vietnam era veterans status, or sexual orientation; and are an equal opportunity employer.
This publication will be made available in alternative formats for people with disabilities
upon request, 701/231-7881.
North Dakota State University
NDSU Extension Service