'We don't give up,' says farmer who spent $3M on irrigation technology to overcome drought

Four months of hauling tonnes of rocks.

Pulling out the traditional sprinkler-based irrigation pivots.

Installing new water lines underground throughout the field.

It cost Robert Wolbert $3 million and months of hard work for a new irrigation system for his ranch, about 180 kilometres south of Calgary. But he says it's worth it.

It's a technology he believes will cut his water use in half. And despite the current drought, that leaves him bullish on Alberta agriculture.

"I really believe … someday in the future there won't be any sprinkle irrigation because water is one of our most prized resources in southern Alberta," said Wolbert, looking out over a field ready to be planted for the first time above new water lines.

"We went through a pretty dry period.… And is there a worse one coming? I don't know. Probably," he said.

"We're gonna have to change some of the things we do. Subsurface irrigation is one of those changes. But, you know, we don't give up. We keep changing. We keep trying and experimenting."

Alberta's traditional pivots irrigate by sprinkling water from above. Unfortunately, the water can easily evaporate or blow off in the wind.

Wolbert's new subsurface drip irrigation will instead run pressurized water through flexible plastic tubes underground. 

That puts water right where the plants need it, at the roots.

Parts of Alberta have been facing a severe drought for years. This year, the St. Mary River Irrigation District had to cut farmers' water allocation in half, and despite welcome rain this month, farmers and ranchers are still watching the sky with a cautious eye. 

The provincial government announced emergency plans and $19 million in funding to reduce water loss in the irrigation system — the pumps, reservoirs and canals that get the water to the farm gate. 

It hasn't talked as much about funding to reduce water use on the farms and ranches themselves. But that's where some landowners are focused.