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About Capital press. (Salem, OR) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 3, 2017)
2 CapitalPress.com February 3, 2017 Grower turns to tank technology for irrigation By GAIL OBERST For the Capital Press DALLAS, Ore. — Bogdan Caceu searched the world to solve an irrigation problem on his farm. It makes sense that Ca- ceu would look for solutions abroad. His father’s family had once owned large or- chards in Transylvania, a re- gion of Romania, that were confiscated by the commu- nists in the 1940s, before Ca- ceu was born. “You hear that story as a kid, how we lost these beauti- ful orchards to this violent re- gime. Farming has been in the back of my mind for a long time,” Caceu said. His father was an engineer, On the cover On the cover is a photo of the cover used on the water storage tank Bogdan Caceu built on his Dallas, Ore., farm. Courtesy of Michelle Davis Construction of the water storage tank on a small farm near Dallas, Ore., took one day, a few friends and common tools. and Caceu was trained to be a lawyer. But with a dream to farm, in 2009 he purchased a plot of land southwest of Dallas, on the north fork of Ash Creek, which eventually flows into the Willamette Riv- er at Independence. Despite inexperience, he connected with experts in the area who have helped him turn 45 acres of scotch broom and blackber- ries into La Creole Orchards. The work in progress includes olives and truffle-inoculated oak trees, among other crops. From the beginning, Ca- ceu was faced with irrigation woes common to the North- west. Even after drilling three wells, he was only able to draw 3 to 4 gallons per minute — far too little to keep thirsty young plants hydrated. De- voted to inexpensive and en- vironmentally safe methods, he looked for tanks in which to save his well water during the rainy season, so he could apply it in the dry summer. Unfortunately, many storage tanks, geared for larger farms and industries, were unwieldy and expensive. Caceu was undeterred. He searched the world’s water conservation companies and eventually put together a pilot project to build a simple, in- expensive water storage sys- tem that holds 35,000 gallons. “It doesn’t get us through the entire season, but I wanted to see how inexpensive and easy to build it could be,” Ca- ceu said. The system includes Netherlands-based BuWa- Tec pre-fabricated tanks that can be built in place in a day. Concentric circles of corru- gated steel are quickly bolt- ed together and a liner is in- stalled. A cover keeps water cool, algae-free, and reduces evaporation to a minimum — anywhere between 15 and 30 percent can be lost from an uncovered tank due to evap- oration, so covers are import- ant. But the mesh-fabric cov- er the tank came with must be removed occasional- ly to avoid collapse due to snow and ice. Instead of that work-intensive option, Ca- ceu settled on 7-inch-wide floating plastic hexagons that cover the surface, made by Denmark-based Hexa-Cover. Caceu estimated the entire system cost less than $16,000 and could be put together by a few people using simple tools. To round out the water storage project, Caceu in- stalled a solar-powered pump- ing system from the Danish company Grundfos. The solar panels run the pumps in the wells using less power than a light bulb and operate even on cloudy days. “We get to start the first day of irrigation season with a full tank,” said Caceu. Caceu’s other efforts to conserve water on his land in- clude a drip and micro-spray system that delivers precise water and nutrients without any runoff. Also in the offing are projects related to the Con- servation Reserve Program, a voluntary incentive program for farmers, managed by fed- eral and state agencies. A nod to his innovation, Caceu is the winner of Polk Soil and Water Conservation District’s 2015 Conservation Award. He serves as executive director of the Olive Growers of Oregon, the nonprofit that represents the pioneering ol- ive growers in the state. LEE’S DIESEL & MOBILE REPAIR Rickreall, OR • 866-390-9146 Pierce Pivot & Linear Irrigation Systems High Quality Parts & Service - Valley, Reinke & Zimmatic Linear, Corners, Pivots Underground Guidance is our Specialty Submersible, Line-Shaft Turbine & Diesel Pumps, Variable Speed Drives for Pumps & Motors, Trenching for PVC Mainline, Drainage & Electric, Direct Bury Power Cable Sales & Installation PVC Mainline Pipe & Fittings (all types), Generator Sets, Deutz & Isuzu Diesel Engines & Parts, Diesel Power conversions for Turbine Pumps Cell/Text 541-936-9146 www.leesdiesel.com W17-2/#8 W17-2/#7
