LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A Little Rock-based company that makes plastic pipe announced Thursday it is launching a free software program to help farmers in the Mississippi Delta save money by pumping less water.

Delta Plastics owner Dhu Thompson said the Web-based software is based on an earlier piece of software that was difficult to use. The user-friendly version, called Pipe Planner, took four years of work and “millions” of dollars to develop, Thompson said.