This story reminds me of the central WA state where I grew up. They had a similar network of canals. It's the largest irrigation network in the US (according to the internet). Unlike the one in the article, most farmers in central WA aren't flooding their fields directly from the canals. Many of the farmers running at any sort of scale opt for a center-pivot (circle) to water their field. These machines end up being the most water (and labor) efficient way to water a field of 100+ acres.
I worked at for an irrigation supplier for a few years and got to see all the ins-and-outs of how these machines work. The supporting infrastructure is pretty impressive too. The pumps, pipes, valves, and electrical panels that drive these machines is an engineering marvel.