Valley Growers in the Farm Pubs | by Shannon Peterson

It seems like every time I pick up a farm publication lately, I find an article about one of our customers and his successful operation. There are great ideas and tips in these stories, so I thought I would share a few of the most recent features.


Using Tech to Maximize Inputs, Agriculture.com

There isn’t much waste on the 1,500 acres of corn, soybeans, and wheat that Joel Armistead produces with the help of his son, Zach, near Adairville, Kentucky. In fact, with the exception of 150 acres that host a 122-acre center pivot unit, Armistead typically harvests three crops in two years. On the other hand, Armistead isn’t afraid to make an investment when it has the potential to increase yields.

One example of that occurred in 2008, when Armistead installed a 1,200-foot center pivot on a bottomland field and started irrigating out of a creek that runs around part of the farm. It turned out to be one of the best investments he ever made. Read the full story ...  

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Tech Tools that Save Water, Agriculture.com

Until recently, Richard Wacker thought his 16-row strip-till machine was one of the best tools for reducing irrigation on his 4,000-acre, center-pivot irrigated farm near Yuma, Colorado.

After all, he eliminated the need for 1 to 1.5 inches of water almost immediately when he began strip-tilling nearly eight years ago.

…While strip-till and cover crops have done their share to conserve water, Wacker insists his best water-conservation tool these days is his iPad. Read the full story ...

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Water Management Tips for 2015, Nebraska Farmer Irrigation Extra 

Aaron Zimmerman

The severe drought of 2012 proved how crucial water quantity is to irrigators. So, innovative growers have adopted ways to maintain yields and save water at the same time. Aaron Zimmerman of Pierce, Neb., who farms sandier soils

with his brother Ryan, has been working over the past two years on strategies to save water, cut expenses and improve the bottom line. With commodity grain prices dipping far below 2013 levels, Aaron is trying to get the most yield pop per pivot drop. Read the full story ...


With a sidebar on AgSense^® technology, Monitor maker looks at the future of the technology

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Energy Trust Lends a Hand with Irrigation Efficiency, Capital Press – The West’s Ag Website

… Seus Family Farms owner Scott Seus, said he has installed in several on-farm VFD pumps on his wells in Oregon and California. “That’s where you save because you can fine tune the settings,” he said.

“Instead of the old way, which was just go turn on a switch and what you get is what you get, you can change the setpoint to how many gallons per minute you are pulling,” Seus said. “You only draw out of the ground what you are actually using.” Read the full story ...

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Have you read any great features on farmers lately? Or has a publication written about you? Share links to the stories in the comments section below.

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Shannon Peterson Marketing Content Editor Shannon joined Valley Irrigation in 2013. She writes and edits materials about irrigation equipment. Shannon enjoys traveling with her family, particularly to national parks, and she occasionally writes about her travels for tourism magazines. She also likes trying new restaurants, seeing movies, and watching Husker football and Creighton basketball.