It's really challenging to pin down a number. I've reviewed several studies that have estimated costs. Since COVID, we've seen a substantial increase in costs. Obviously, the cost of pipe has experienced significant inflation.
For a producer without pipe, if they have water right up to the edge of their yard, it's upwards of $2,000 per acre to invest on the farm. Every mile of pipe that's in the ground can cost thousands and thousands of dollars per acre for irrigation. It can be astronomical. With some of the numbers, it would just not be feasible. It would be really challenging to try to pin that down. Obviously, the cost would increase with every mile you are away from the water.
We're seeing a lot of development in Saskatchewan through private and individual irrigators who are doing smaller projects closer to a water source, but without that cohesive and co-operative larger project development, there is greater environmental impact. Having 17 different farmers putting pipe in the lake, versus having one coordinated project that's working to develop and optimize the number of acres, ultimately just means additional inefficiencies.