irrigation on the Croft

This is my darling Tom doing a very important job.  He's watering the pasture our steers hang out in.

In this part of Idaho, you need three things to irrigate properly:  a ditch, water and siphon tubes---lots of siphon tubes.  Tom is holding one in the picture.  

Here Tom is demonstrating the technique for 'setting tubes'.  The tricky part is creating the vacuum that will pull the water through the tube and on to the pasture. First you submerge the tube in the water. Then you place the palm of your hand over one end of the tube and then'throw' the tube.  Hopefully, you were able to make a good suction to get the siphon going. If not, try again.  It takes some practice to get good.  Tom is good. 

Land that is watered using siphon tubes must be plowed a special way to create the furrows that channel the water.  The term is 'corrigation'.  Your field is 'corrigated'. Like corrigated cardboard.  Only dirt, not paper.  Tom uses the hoe to help the water find the corrigated places in the field.

If you look right above Lady, you can see part of the main ditch from whence cometh our water. If you look right above Tom's watch, you can just make out the irrigation ditch that waters our property.  The irrigation system in this part of Idaho is a true engineering/agricultural marvel.  The water originates in the mountains surrounding Treasure Valley (the valley where we live), flows into a reservoir from whence it feeds hundreds of irrigation ditches like ours. No electricity, no pumps, just water flowing under the gentle influence of gravity.  Low tech and lovely.