Weather Stole the Spotlight at Fall Farm Shows | by Shannon Peterson

The fall farm shows are a big deal for manufacturers and growers alike. Shows like Farm Progress and Husker Harvest Days give the Valley team a chance to connect with growers, see what other ag companies are developing and reconnect with peers from other companies.

Growers who attend can talk to Valley representatives and dealers about new and existing products, and peruse other booths to gather information and ideas.

Plus, the shows include great food, such as homemade ice cream, steak sandwiches and turkey legs, free stuff from bags to hats; livestock; concerts; and drawings for iPads, end guns and cars. Whew!

But this year, all that was overshadowed by the weather. Everyone was glued to their smartphones, watching the radar as storms swirled around and over Boone, Iowa, and Wood River, Neb. There was rain and wind. Lightning shut down Farm Progress on its final day.

And then there was mud. Lots and lots of mud. Muddy parking lots, muddy booths, muddy roads, muddy khakis. Cars and trucks got stuck in the mud; four-wheelers and bigger trucks pushed them out of the mud.

Rain and mud shut down Husker Harvest on Wednesday. Thursday brought more rain and cold temperatures, but many visitors. A Valley Product Manager said he was so busy he didn't leave the booth all day. Meanwhile, one show attendee said his visit was the worst three hours of his life – that’s pretty telling, coming from a farmer!

In the end, we all muddled through, made some connections and generated ideas for next year’s show.

But we’re all hoping for a little sun at the upcoming Sunbelt Ag Expo, Oct. 14-15 in Moultrie, Ga. See you there!

---

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.

You're Invited to Our Field Days | by Michelle Stolte

Would you love to learn more about center pivots? Come to one of the Valley_® Irrigation Field Days!

Which was the last organization that hosted a center pivot irrigation field day? Maybe a university? Or an extension office? Maybe no one in your area?

We are guessing that a lot of you may selected the “no one” answer, which is one of the reasons why, in 2013, we created our first field day, which was held at a grower’s farm near Valley, NE. 

Another reason we created the field days was that we were seeing (and continue to see) an increased number of visitors, especially those from foreign countries, coming to our facilities for a tour. Those visitors also were asking to speak with local farmers while they were here – thus the birth of the Valley Irrigation field day.

Our field days this year are being held in two locations – Valley, NE, and right outside of Fargo, ND. 

The Valley field day is being held August 26 here at our own, brand new, Welcome & Training Center (I’m a little biased, but the center is pretty awesome!). This event will incorporate a factory tour and a grower panel where the visitors will be able to ask local growers  questions about their production. 

Our second field day will be held September 11 near Fargo. Unfortunately, the drive would be rather long to work a factory tour into this one. Instead, we are going to a grower’s farm, visiting one of his many Valley pivots, and hosting a grower panel there as well.

Are you thinking you may already have something on your calendar for those dates? Your're right! August 26 is the first day of the Farm Progress Show, so visitors can easily attend our field day and then make the short drive to Boone, IA, to attend Farm Progress. September 11 is the last day of the Big Iron Trade Show in Fargo, so visitors can attend Big Iron and then come to the Valley field day.

So, are you intrigued? Want to find out more? Check out our registration website at www.valleyirrigation.com/fd14 to see a more detailed agenda. If you are so inclined, feel free to sign up to join us on August 26 or September 11!

---

Michelle Stolte Global Marketing Manager Michelle has been at Valley Irrigation for more than 10 years and is finally no longer a newbie! She has spent her entire time at Valley in the Marketing Department (international and domestic) and loves every minute of it. Michelle enjoys traveling and spending time with her husband. She also likes reading, swing dancing (although she isn't really that good...), and warm weather.

2013 Farm Progress Show Was Sizzling this Year | by Jill Zwiener

I attended the 60th Annual Farm Progress Show last week in Decatur, IL. The weather was smokin’ hot and the crowds were plenty! It was my first time attending the show and I wasn’t disappointed.

The Farm Progress Show is the nation’s largest outdoor farm show. With more than 500 exhibitors, I put a lot of miles on my ASICS checking out the various vendors. The 86-acre exhibit field featured displays from the nation’s leading large and shortline equipment manufacturers, seed and crop protection companies, livestock equipment manufacturers, and many additional agriculture input suppliers.

The crowds were especially heavy the first two days. At the Valley_® booth, we had visitors from all over the world, including many from Brazil, interested in a variety of irrigation products. Some were new to irrigation and wanted to learn more about center pivots while others were seasoned pioneers looking for more information on our remote technology products, BaseStation™ and TrackNET™. Other visitors were interested in learning more about DropSpan™ and Bender160™, which were on display at our booth. And many people were excited to hear about the new Valley VFlex Corner™ being released in October. 

Because we had product managers and Valley dealers working the booth, it was the perfect opportunity for growers to learn more about why they should choose to invest in a Valley center pivot for their operation!

If you didn’t make it to the Farm Progress Show, you should make plans to attend its sister show, Husker Harvest Days, in Grand Island, NE, on Sept. 10-12. It’s another one-stop opportunity to see the latest in agriculture. Plus, we’ll be featuring some new products so you won’t want to miss it!


The Farm Progress Show - Did you Know?

• For the first time in 60 years, the field demonstrations were canceled because the crop wasn’t mature.
• The homemade ice cream on Third Street is amazing! I recommend the chocolate or half chocolate/half vanilla. Oh yes…I tried both.
• There are about a dozen air-conditioned tents at the show. Ours wasn’t, but, we did have free ice cold water!
• Country music singer Chris Cagle performed in concert after the show on Wednesday.
  

---

Jill Zwiener Brand Manager Jill joined the Valley Irrigation team in 2011. She loves country music, fountain soda, food, college football, and the ski slopes of Colorado. She enjoys using photography to freeze the precious bits of time with her family into pictures that she can cherish for years.