Britney's Business Tips

Running a turf farm can be a very lucrative business, whether you sell your turf to residential homeowners or commercial interests. However, there's one thing a well-run turf farm needs more than anything else, and in the baking summer months, it can often be in short supply -- water.

Even a small turf farm needs thousands upon thousands of gallons of water to keep its 'crops' growing properly, and drawing all that water from municipal sources can be expensive and unreliable, especially during the dry summer months. Having a water bore drilled on your land to supplement your water supplies is almost always a smart thing to do and will benefit your turf farm in a number of ways.

How can an on-site water bore benefit your turf farm?

Resist droughts

Even hardy turf varieties will start to yellow and die if they go without water for too long, and having your own supply of clean water drawn from deep underground can be a tremendous boon during Australia's frequent summer droughts. Since you are taking groundwater directly from a natural aquifer, you will be able to use bore water regardless of local water usage restrictions. Bores are particularly useful for resisting droughts in isolated inland areas, which can have their municipal water supplies slowed to a dribble during the worst droughts.

Reduce your farm's environmental impact

Potable water taken from municipal sources has to be filtered multiple times to make it potable, a process that takes a great deal of energy and infrastructure. When you're just spraying it onto a field of grass, using purified water in this way can significantly inflate your farm's environmental impact and carbon footprint. 

Water taken from water bores is far more energy-efficient; you only need a single, compact pump to get it to ground level, and since your water is used purely for irrigation, it only requires basic tests to rule out heavy metals and other dangerous contaminants. 

Save money

It's true that the initial cost of drilling a water bore can be quite high, especially if your turf farm is located on rocky soil or you need to dig particularly deep to reach a suitable aquifer. However, the amount of money your farm will save on water bills means even the most expensive water bore will pay for itself, often within just a few years. Running a water bore with an energy-efficient or solar-powered water pump can save you even more cash.

Increase your property's value

Water bores can also benefit you financially by significantly increasing your turf farm's overall value. Even if you don't intend to sell your turf farm any time soon, the increased equity of your property will help you obtain loans and other financial help if and when you need it. While the taxes on your farm may increase as its value increases, you may be entitled to a number of tax benefits for using your own water supplies and relying less on centralised sources.