Tools & Thinking

Insights

Run the numbers on your own project before you speak to anyone, then read what we have learned designing systems that have to last twenty years.

Latest
The big picture 27 June 2026

Irrigation ROI Calculator: Why Most Irrigation Upgrades Are Judged on the Wrong Number

An irrigation system is one of the longest-term investments a farm can make. This guide explains the financial model behind our Irrigation ROI Calculator, so you can understand what drives return on investment before comparing different system options.

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More from the blog

26 May 2026
Why There Is No Universal Best Irrigation System: A Guide to Fit-for-Purpose Irrigation Design

Learn how fit-for-purpose irrigation engineering design reduces cost, improves reliability, and prevents expensive mistakes before construction.

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21 May 2026
Farm and irrigation assessment before you buy: due diligence like a venture capital investor

Buying a farm without a pre-purchase status quo assessment, feasibility study, and irrigation masterplan is guessing. Use venture capital-style due diligence to quantify water risk, capex, and ROI before you sign.

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19 May 2026
Irrigation Design: Why Use a Registered Professional Engineer?

Irrigation design has real cost and risk. Learn how a registered professional engineer improves optimisation, professionalism, and risk mitigation for farm irrigation projects.

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19 May 2026
Irrigation Design: the 4 Dimensions that Decide Yield and Lifetime cost

A good irrigation or water supply system has 4 dimensions: uniformity, scheduling, depth, and lifetime cost. Learn why designing for minimum OPEX beats minimum CAPEX, and how pipe and pump choices drive lifecycle cost.

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28 April 2026
Efficient Irrigation?

Irrigation Efficiency. Water Use Efficiency. Energy Efficiency. What does it all mean?

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19 March 2026
Irrigation Design: Why Separating Design and Supply Reduces Risk

Turnkey irrigation projects hide risk: biased design, unclear scope, expensive variations. Learn when to separate irrigation design and supply for clearer specs, comparable quotes, and better ROI.

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5 February 2026
Irrigation Upgrade: When to Fix Management Before Replacing Hardware

Before you rip out working irrigation, audit performance. Learn the management checks: targets, scheduling, pressure/flow and maintenance that prevent expensive upgrade mistakes.

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20 October 2025
Typical Irrigation Systems

Intensive. Extensive. Pumpstations. Drip. Pivots. Micros. What on earth is going on?

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20 October 2025
The Ant Service Packages

We offer three level of service packages for irrigation design: Essential, Professional and Enterprise.

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20 October 2025
The Ant Implementation Method (AIM)

The Ant Implementation Method (AIM - who doesn't love a sexy acronym) delivers world class, professionally designed irrigation systems that are easy to manage and minimize lifecycle cost. Here is how we make things happen.

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9 May 2025
Data: More is NOT Better

What am I supposed to do with a 10 cm grid point cloud of 10 000 ha?

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29 January 2025
What is Lifecycle Cost Analysis?

As the capital cost of the system increases, the operating cost decreases. However, eventually the benefit of the reduced operating cost is outweighed by the increased capital cost. Lifecycle cost analysis is finding the sweet spot for each unique system.

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29 December 2024
Why I Started Ant Consult (and What I Kept Seeing That I Couldn't Unsee)

My long-term vision for Ant Consult is a future where we work alongside you as a valued partner, providing technical assistance in building your operation into a legacy that you will be proud of.

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