We had no idea when we sold one of our wheel lines that several half gallons of Reed’s Dairy ice cream would be thrown in as part of the deal, not to mention the jalapeno cheese curds and creamy chocolate milk. This shouldn’t have surprised me, as I’ve noticed even the suggestion of moving wheel lines evokes varying emotions in people.

Even small improvements in how water is applied and managed can make a noticeable difference in irrigation efficiency and crop performance. Utah State University (USU) is currently studying four types of wheel‑line sprinklers (traditional impact sprinklers and newer rotator styles) to see how they affect irrigation efficiency and yields in common forage crops.

This article provides a quick guide to five strategies for managing ruts and recent research results of how a few strategies performed in field trials in Idaho and Utah.