Waterwise Will joins the big guns of irrigation

Bothwell farmer Will Bignell is one of three irrigation farmers from eastern Australia announced as finalists in the 2026 Zimmatic Trailblazer Sustainable Irrigation Awards. 

The awards recognise and celebrate farmers who are at the forefront of responsible irrigation, innovative water management and environmental stewardship. 

Entries were received from across the country, spanning a range of farm and irrigation types and all entries were assessed by a panel of irrigation and industry professionals who reviewed submissions against four categories. 

Other finalists were Ross and Ingrid Uebergang of Tinobah, Nangram, Queensland who operate both irrigated and dryland cropping and cattle grazing across 1200ha of their property and Sam and Carla Armytage of Billyanco Pty Ltd, Hartwood, NSW, a family-owned broadacre irrigated business using 2250ha of irrigated land to produce a rotation of winter and summer crops. 

Will manages Thorpe Farm, a mixed farming operation growing an extensive range of crops and producing both deer and sheep in one of the driest districts in Tasmania (about 450-550mm a year). 

His family started irrigating there 200 years ago, and cousins and extended family still irrigate across the district today. 

That shared history drives a responsible, long-term outlook on water.

Thorpe runs prime lambs and irrigated cropping (barley, wheat, poppies, ryecorn, seed potatoes, carrot seed) across more than 300ha of pivot, linear and flood irrigation. 

Water comes from a 615ML Clyde River right and 510ML of Southern Highlands Irrigation Scheme water. 

Will holds a PhD from the University of Tasmania, founded DroneAg, and sits on a range of industry and community boards, from SALRAC (Southern Australian Livestock Research Council) to the Lake Crescent and Sorell review and Southern Highlands irrigation committees. He was a member of the Sheep Sustainability Steering Group that designed Australia's national Sheep Sustainability Framework and volunteers in the local community.

“The history of improving irrigation on the farm continues, even after 200 years,” Will said.

“Even since I’ve been managing the farm there’s been innovation, changing from flat irrigation to overhead pivots and linear irrigators.

“Automation is what is driving efficiencies in water use and what, where and why we apply it.”

Added technology has required the farm to beef up its wifi connectivity for remote sending and receiving of information and modification of systems - an investment that has brought $8000 in savings annually on the power bill - simply by data logging and farming smarter.

“There has been a fair bit of crop variability in the past due to poor irrigation application so we’ve made a lot of changes,” Will said.

“Irrigation is food security - people forget that we grow food, fibre and medicine and that’s not a luxury, it’s essential to our local, national and global community and irrigation is an essential tool in our environment that we need to use sustainably.”

The next phase in the awards process is an on-farm visit in two weeks’ time by four irrigation and farming experts.

“The scrutiny and feedback from that alone is invaluable,” Will said.

“I’m very humbled to be following the path of previous past winners Robbie and Eliza Tole, from Cressy and Simon Burgess who managed Vaucluse Estate at Conara.

“Tassie irrigators punch above their weight and it’s a really good community.”

Awards coordinator Sarah Elliot said many of the growers who participate are quite humble people who are simply focused on doing their job as well as they can. 

“The awards provide an important opportunity to recognise their achievements and celebrate the positive contribution they make to Australian agriculture and the environment,” she said. 

“All nominees and entrants should be incredibly proud of their hard work. And we commend the three finalists for their commitment to responsible irrigation, stewardship and continuous improvement.”

Finalists and winners will share an impressive prize pool worth more than $20,000, designed to support continued innovation on-farm, including weather stations from Metos. 

They will also receive travel vouchers to support attendance on the Trailblazer Irrigation Study Tour to which will run from April 4-9th next year in the South Island of New Zealand.