[jazz]

I signed an easement with Saskwater to allow water line on my land to serve a potash plant in my RM. During the negotiation, I asked for a connection to the water and they said sure. I thought it would increase the value of my land someday.

So now I have a 50 m3/day (12,000 gal/day) permanent water source on my property. Its fresh, untreated lake water from Buffalo Pound. I have an assay of the water and it looks like it can be improved by treatment fairly easy, not to drinking water quality though.

Now the question is, what do I do with it in the mean time? I had considered putting up a little greenhouse operation but I have no experience in that.

 

[SouthernSK]

What is the water going to cost to use it? Are they charging so muh per cubic meter or 1000 gallons? The cost will determine a lot on how it can be used.

 

[jazz]

The charge is 63 cents per m3, so about $30 bucks a day for the full volume.

I had also considered a small tree farm/nursery but thats a multi-year committment and you probably wouldn't have your first trees for a few years.

If you did a greenhouse or tree nursery, how would you sell this stuff? I sell grain and oilseed crops. I don't have marketing skills in any other area so it seems a little daunting.

 

[kenworth man]

If you were in Southern Alberta you'd be looking at a feedlot.

 

[jazz]

Well the property is only about 3 miles from Regina so I think there would be trouble with any intensive operation like that. Not that I want to be a feedlot operator.

 

[caroncrest]

is that enough to run a pivot? I have no idea what it would be in acre/feet or whatever they measure irrigation in... or does your arrangement only work per day, not lots in the summer and less in the winter?

 

[wmoebis]

Not sure you have operate and run a greenhouse to own it.

Maybe a rental with someone wanting to operate but doesn't have the means to build? Maybe a established green house business wanting to expand, could be one from father away or even another prov. Hutterite colony that has access to farmers market etc.
Just ideas!!

 

[jazz]

is that enough to run a pivot? I have no idea what it would be in acre/feet or whatever they measure irrigation in... or does your arrangement only work per day, not lots in the summer and less in the winter?

Its not enough to run a pivot over a quarter section or something. You might be able to irrigate 40-80 acres that way but considering the amount of rain fall we have had in the past few years, irrigation isn't needed for our field crops.

There is a sod farm a few miles south of us that irrigates a few hundred acres. Not sure who their customers are or if sod is better money than grains.

 

[Dan Vanderwell]

By my math that's 8.3 gal/minute. That's the same as an average to poor well in my part of the world. Would have limited value here. Or is water hard to come by in your part of the world?

 

[jazz]

Well the farm sits on 50-100 mile radius of heavy clay strata and I don't of anyone who has hit water by drilling a well yet.

The area is by no means water short, but locally on the heavy clay there are no sources like that except for sloughs and dugouts I guess.

 

[hondaman]

I have no idea what irrigation guys pay for water, but at $.63/m3 it would add up fairly quickly. Every 10mm of moisture/hectare=100m3 or $63.00. 1 hectare=2.47 acres.