Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture

New resources for rainwater catchment system for high tunnel irrigation

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April 16, 2012

AMES, Iowa -- A potential problem for Iowa fruit and vegetable growers can be turned into a liquid asset, thanks to a one-year research project conducted by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and funded by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture.

High tunnels are inexpensive, simple, passive-solar greenhouses in which crops are grown directly in the soil. They allow growers to extend the season and produce high yields of quality produce earlier and later than field-grown crops, thus getting to market earlier and commanding a higher price.

However, soil around a high tunnel can erode or become saturated after rainfall. Approximately 900 gallons of water will flow from the roof of a 30-ft. by 96-ft. high tunnel during a half-inch rain event. The Leopold Center grant was used to develop a system to catch, store and reuse rainwater for irrigation inside a high tunnel. A prototype was built and tested during the 2011 cropping season at the ISU Armstrong Research and Demonstration Farm near Lewis.

The system is described in a new publication and 10-minute video produced by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, “Rainwater Catchment from a High Tunnel for Irrigation Use.” The resources show growers how to add gutters and storage tanks with a pump to their own high tunnel.

Shawn Shouse, agricultural engineer for ISU Extension and Outreach, estimates the cost to build the rainwater catchment system at about $1,200. It could provide up to half of water needs inside the tunnel, depending on weather and crops, but it should not be a grower’s only source of water.

Linda Naeve, program coordinator for ISU Extension’s Value Added Agriculture program, said she is aware of several growers who are adding a rainwater catchment system to their high tunnels this season.

The publication (PM 3017) is available to download at the Extension Online Store, https://store.extension.iastate.edu/, or from the Leopold Center website, http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/marketing/resources#tunnels

The Leopold Center has awarded several grants that focus on management and profitability of using high tunnels for fruit and vegetable production, as well as workshops for growers throughout the state. Some of the funds have been used to develop a workbook for growers, now available in Spanish, the Iowa High Tunnel Fruit and Vegetable Production Manual (extension publication PM 2098).
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For more info contact:

Shawn Shouse, Agricultural engineer, ISU Extension and Outreach, 712-769-2600, sshouse@iastate.edu

Linda Naeve, Value Added Agriculture Extension, 515-294-8946, lnaeve@iastate.edu

Laura Miller, Leopold Center communications, 515-294-5272, lwmiller@iastate.edu

Willy Klein, ISU Extension and Outreach communications, 515-294-0662, wklein@iastate.edu

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