Precision and efficiency – how Struan Research Centre is using SWAN Systems to manage irrigation on restricted water
John Cooper, Farm Manager at PIRSA’s Struan Research Centre in South Australia, oversees a property focused on beef cattle, prime lamb production, and crop agronomy research. Like many farms in the region, Struan operates on a strict annual water allocation. The challenge is clear: to achieve the maximum benefit from a limited and valuable resource.
For John and his team, efficient irrigation scheduling is crucial. They need to make the best use of every allocation, ensuring water goes where and when it is needed most.
By adopting SWAN Systems, Struan has been able to improve accuracy, timeliness, and responsiveness to changing conditions in the soil and environment.
“Our greatest challenge here at Struan Research Centre is to get the maximum benefit from a restricted and limited water resource… So scheduling and making best use of our water is really the crucial thing for us.”
This focus on allocation has been supported by SWAN’s ability to bring data together and provide timely guidance, helping the team act with greater confidence and precision.
“Using SWAN Systems has allowed us to be far more reactive to changes in the soil moisture levels. With evaporation, temperatures, any rainfall events, it’s made us far more accurate than what we’ve been able to do with our watering, and timely. So it’s improved our efficiency a tremendous amount.”
After several seasons, John says the adoption of SWAN has made a clear difference at Struan.
