LDN Bubblers Maximize Irrigation Efficiency on the High Plains | by Senninger Irrigation

Here at Senninger^® Irrigation, we know growers in the High Plains region are concerned about water availability.

Persistent drought conditions in the area are forcing many growers to pump more water from the Ogallala Aquifer, with some depending almost solely on the aquifer to maintain soil-moisture levels. Growers in this windy and semi-arid region also face a greater likelihood of water loss due to evaporation and wind-drift. Our Senninger team knows these conditions make it even more difficult to meet high yield demands and maintain crop quality.

That is why many growers across the region are replacing their sprinklers with our Low Drift Nozzle (LDN) Low Energy Precision Application (LEPA) Bubblers.

Growers already know that not all of the water they pump reaches crop roots. Water is prone to evaporating before it reaches the soil. It can even evaporate directly from the soil surface. Soil is also likely to overheat, crack and lose its ability to effectively channel water down to the crop’s root zone.

LEPA Bubblers help growers get around these issues by applying water around 8 to 18 inches above the soil surface and directly into crop furrows. Keeping water so close to the ground helps avoid wetting crop leaves and reduces the amount of water lost to wind-drift and evaporation. That means nearly all the water pumped is absorbed by the soil.

Research by Leon New and Guy Fipps of Texas A&M shows that spray heads can experience a 17 percent water loss at wind speeds of 15 mph. With LEPA sprinklers, at least 20 percent more water will reach the soil surface compared to conventional spray nozzles. Conventional sprinklers are very susceptible to high wind speed, low relative humidity, temperature and evaporation losses.¹

Growers are also discovering that installing LEPA Bubblers on fields where they use strip-till or no-till increases soil moisture and reduces runoff and soil sealing. Crop residue protects the water from evaporation while simultaneously protecting the soil from drying out and overheating.

Others are taking LEPA irrigation a step further and doubling their drops from traditional 60-inch increments to tighter 30-inch spacing between heads to more uniformly soak the soil. The benefits of this closer spacing include less water usage, more uniform root zone coverage during pre-watering, reduced dry spots and high yields despite restricted water supplies.

“Using 30-inch spacing with Bubblers gets the job done with less energy, and nearly all of the water pumped is absorbed by the soil,” says Edwin Smith, High Plains regional sales manager for Senninger Irrigation. “There are certain aspects growers need to be aware of before making a switch to this method, but with the right conditions growers could potentially increase their yields and reduce their costs.”

These ideal conditions include relatively flat land, circle planting and crop residue. The maximum recommended slope for growers considering LEPA or close spacing installations is 1 percent. Planting in circle rows is necessary to increase uniform water disbursement and reduce runoff, while crop residue is needed to increase surface storage capacity and prevent soil redistribution. While just about any type of soil will benefit from close spacing, it is important to consider each soil’s water-holding capacity when setting up close spaced Bubblers. Some soils, like porous sandy soils, can handle much higher application rates than others.

¹ LEPA Conversion and Management by Dr. Guy Fipps and Leon New

Reprinted from Valley PivotPoint magazine, Spring 2015

The Right Sprinklers Help Farms Grow

When a savvy, successful farming operation requests a specific sprinkler, people tend to take notice. So when Jeremy Walther of Walther Farms called Guess Irrigation and requested Nelson Orbitors, the dealer listened.

The Walther family has been farming for three generations and irrigating since the 1970s, working land in areas from Michigan to Florida. Walther Farms primarily grows potatoes and employs more than 150 people in 14 communities.

Jeremy Walther – along with three brothers and five cousins – is one of the owners of Walther Farms. He is the field manager and operations manager for Indiana, Georgia, Florida, and the Wiley Fork farm outside of Aiken, SC.

Irrigation management is crucial to growing a good potato crop, and Walther says his family has found that Orbitors work well under just about any condition.

Walther says they use Orbitor nozzles on pivots all over the country.

“Even on land we lease, we change out the nozzles to Orbitors, so installing them on the Wiley Fork farm in South Carolina was a given,” he says.

R55 End of Pivot Sprinklers | © Nelson Irrigation

The irrigation design at the Wiley Fork farm was a combined effort of Walther Farms and Guess Irrigation.

Nelson Irrigation Eastern Regional Manager Scott Harn says, “The Walthers installed low pressure O3000 Orbitors with Uni-flow regulators that provide high uniformity and a clean water pattern as a result of its revolutionary bracketless design. It was an outstanding choice for them.”
Shay Hane of Guess Irrigation agrees, “They’re some of the most knowledgeable customers I’ve ever encountered, and we had a couple of ‘firsts’ with this project because of that. Orbitors are not common in South Carolina. These were the first ones we’ve installed, and they’re a very good sprinkler.

“We also installed R55 End of Pivot Sprinklers for the first time. They’ve worked well for adding irrigated acres.”

According to Harn, Nelson Irrigation tested the R55 End of Pivot Sprinklers, which use proven Rotator technology, for several years before putting them on the market at the end of 2013.

“It’s a low pressure, secondary sprinkler to the SR100,” Harn explains. “It’s used to help fill in under the end gun and/or pick up additional acreage after the end gun is shut off. The 800 series valve is used to precisely turn the SR100 and R55 on or off in order to maximize irrigated acres. It depends on the application.”

Walther says it’s working well in his situation, and he’s impressed with the advances in irrigation technology in the 16 years he’s been farming.

“We need to do everything possible to conserve water and focus on sustainability, while we provide our potato crops with the proper irrigation,” he says. “These sprinklers help us do all of that effectively.”

Reprinted from Valley PivotPoint magazine, Winter 2014

What is a Boomback? | by Jerry Gerdes

The term boomback doesn’t seem like it would be related to center pivot irrigation. But boomback products have been used on center pivot and linear move equipment for more than 30 years. Their function is to reduce the sprinkler package Instantaneous Application Rate (IAR) on the soil. This will eliminate or reduce water runoff, increasing the application efficiency of the equipment.

Boombacks on a complete span

The IAR, typically measured in inches/hour, of a center pivot gradually increases from a very low value near the center point to a high value at the end of the machine. Another way to describe IAR in terms of rainfall is the area near the center point is a light drizzle and the area at the end of the machine is a heavy rainfall. If the IAR exceeds the soil infiltration rate, runoff will occur.

Studies done by research facilities show that using Boombacks can reduce runoff. The recent study “Efficacy of Boom Systems in Controlling Runoff under Center Pivots and Linear Move Irrigation Systems” published in Applied Engineering in Agriculture by Troy Peters, an extension irrigation specialist at Washington State University, found that boombacks can reduce runoff by 24 percent. (Find the full study here.)

Field conditions with heavy soils and/or slopes are examples where boombacks are frequently used. A typical installation will have boombacks fitted on the last 25 to 33 percent of the center pivot length.

A boomback is designed to place a low pressure sprinkler 12 to 15 feet (length depends on the manufacturer) away from and perpendicular to the span pipeline. This effectively increases the footprint of the sprinkler package water pattern 24 to 30 feet, decreasing the IAR.  Boombacks can be installed using one per sprinkler position, alternating them on each side of the span pipeline in successive sprinkler positions, or two boombacks per sprinkler position, one on each side of the span pipeline at each sprinkler position.

Part circle sprinklers with Boombacks

Another function of boombacks is to use them with part circle sprinklers near a drive unit. In this application, the boombacks are all placed on the same side of the span pipeline opposite the direction of travel.

For part circle center pivots and linear machines, double boombacks are available with specialized control hardware to turn on the correct sprinklers based on the direction of travel. 

Keeping water away from the wheel track area as the machine moves through the field, will reduce rutting and the possibility of drive wheels getting stuck.

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Jerry Gerdes Product Manager - Water Application Jerry, Nebraska-based Water Application Product Manager, contributes years of experience from his time working for a sprinkler manufacturer prior to joining Valley Irrigation. Currently working with different sprinkler manufacturers, Jerry develops the recommendations for the optimum water application package for a grower's operation.

Connecting Pressure, Flow and Your Overall Efficiency | by Nicole Alvarez

This piece was written for and published by Senninger Irrigation, and reprinted with permission.

Our team has traveled all over the USA and across the globe and noticed two strange things when it comes to pressure regulation: some growers will tell you that pressure regulation is the best way to save water and energy, while others will claim pressure regulation is nothing but a waste of time and money unless you have sloped fields.

We’ve been highlighting the importance of pressure regulation for years but regulation has never been as important as it is now with drought conditions in numerous areas and diminishing aquifer levels. That’s why we’ve created a quick pressure regulation FAQ list to help explain not just how a regulator works, but why they’re needed and how you can tell if yours is working.

How does a pressure regulator work? 

The basic function of a pressure regulator is to limit excessive and varying inlet pressures to a constant outlet pressure. This is done to maintain the desired performance of a sprinkling device.

Pressure regulators accomplish this by automatically modulating their area of opening. By changing the area of opening as upstream pressures fluctuate, pressure loss through the regulator changes proportionally. This allows them to maintain the downstream pressure at a relative constant.

Why do I need pressure regulators?

No matter what type of irrigation machine you have, correct pressure is essential for optimum distribution uniformity and proper flow through emitters. Crops need the right amount of water at the right time and pressure regulators ensure this need is met.

Sprinklers are made to operate within a specific range of flows and pressures. They’ll maintain their application pattern and adequate droplet size as long as they can operate under normal conditions. If these conditions are altered, their application pattern will be affected and you could easily run into uniformity issues, over or under watering, and irregular crop growth.

What causes pressure deviations?

Every irrigation machine will experience some sort of pressure fluctuation. The most common reasons for pressure fluctuations include:

• Elevation changes in a field 
• Pressure loss through pipe fittings 
• End guns cycling on and off 
• Cycling of various irrigation zones and valves 

Do I need a pressure regulator with flat land?

Yes! Your system pressure can change due to the various causes listed above and more. Elevation is just one of the many things that cause pressure fluctuations.

No matter what degree of elevation you have, controlling flow and pressure is essential for machines operating at lower pressures. For example, if a system operating at 30 psi (2.07 bar) experiences a 10 percent flow variation, that will result in a 6 PSI (0.41 bar) pressure variation. That flow variation can adversely impact sprinkler performance and ultimately yields.

How does pressure affect my flow rate?

The operating pressure of an irrigation machine always affects the flow rate. Higher pressures increase flow along any pipe. As that flow increases, water velocity increases as well. This results in pressure decreasing downstream due to friction loss. When water is rushing through a pipe at high velocities, the interior walls of the pipe create friction against it, which causes pressure loss.

How long does a pressure regulator last?

Senninger pressure regulators are built using high-impact engineering grade thermoplastics and are 100 percent water-tested at our facilities. However, like sprinklers, they do not last forever. Irrigators are encouraged to check their pressure regulators at least every three years. Factors that can shorten a pressure regulator’s lifespan include:

• Unflushed chemicals in the pipeline 
• Suspended abrasive materials in the water 
• Long operating hours 

How can I tell if a pressure regulator is bad?

Issues such as dry spots near the head, overwatering in a doughnut shaped pattern, uneven crop growth and streaking in the field and misting are all common signs of pressure regulator malfunctions. Using yield maps and even aerial imaging may prove helpful in identifying issues.

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Senninger® Irrigation A Valley® Irrigation Authorized Provider Founded in 1963, Senninger Irrigation, Inc. is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of agricultural irrigation products. These include sprinklers, spray nozzles and pressure regulators. Senninger products are made in the United States and sold worldwide through qualified dealers. Products can be found in farms, nurseries, greenhouses, open fields, as well as mining operations. Senninger is dedicated to low pressure, high performance irrigation solutions.  This post was written by Nicole Alvarez, the technical writer for Senninger.

Pivot Irrigation, Not Furrows, Is Most Economical for Delta | by Bonnie A.Coblentz

Written by and reprinted with permission from Mississippi State University Ag Communications

STONEVILLE, Miss. - Pivot irrigation is no longer a common sight across the Delta, but experts say this equipment remains a viable and efficient way to water crops.

“I would like to see pivots in the Delta,” said Jason Krutz, irrigation specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. “They deliver water more efficiently, so if we have an aquifer problem, which everything indicates we do, they would go a long way toward helping address it.”

In recent years, Delta producers have been removing pivot irrigation from their farmland and replacing it with furrow-irrigation systems after their fields were land-formed. Most pivot systems in the Delta were installed 25 to 30 years ago and were designed to conservatively meet the estimated daily water needs of cotton.

More recently, pivots have been designed to meet the maximum daily water requirements of all crops grown in the Delta under the most extreme weather conditions.

“Many producers have a pivot on one field and furrow irrigation in an adjacent field, and they have a higher yield in the field with furrow irrigation,” Krutz said. “They have higher yields because furrow irrigation can keep up with the water demands of cotton, but these older pivots were not set up to keep up with the maximum water demands of corn and soybeans.”

Spray nozzles on pivots can be checked and replaced, and the entire system can be revamped to provide a higher rate of water. Cost-share packages are available to help producers make this happen, but in the Delta, many choose to abandon this method of overhead irrigation.

Krutz would like to see this trend reversed.

“Furrow irrigation is about 55 percent efficient, which means for every inch of water I apply, only one-half reaches the target, which is below the soil surface but not deeper than 3 feet,” he said. “Pivots are about 85 to 90 percent efficient, so for every inch of water, almost nine-tenths of an inch reaches the rooting zone.”

Furrow irrigation uses a collapsible pipe with holes punched in it. A pipe placed in each row allows water to flow down the furrows. While polypipe is not expensive, and maintenance is simple, the ground may need to be sloped so that water flows across the entire field.This dirt work can make the cost of setting up furrow irrigation as expensive as the cost of installing a pivot-irrigation system.

Larry Falconer, Extension agricultural economist at the MSU Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville, has included these costs in planning budgets available to producers.

“In some cases, the dirt work can exceed the cost of the pivot equipment,” Falconer said. “We calculated that installing a half-mile pivot costs about $400 per irrigated acre. If you assume it will cost $1.35 per cubic yard for dirt work, installing furrow irrigation will be more expensive than installing pivot irrigation if you have to move more than 350-400 yards per acre.”

Falconer said installation costs for pivot irrigation is lowest on square fields, but furrow irrigation is better suited for irregularly shaped fields.

It also costs less to operate pivot irrigation than to furrow irrigate.

“If you start with a half-mile pivot-irrigation system, total costs to irrigate with 7.5 inches of water per acre are just under $99 an acre,” Falconer said. “A comparable rollout pipe system would use 13 inches of water per acre and have a total cost of $105 per acre. You’d be pumping about 60 percent more water because the furrow system is less efficient.”
Lyle Pringle, associate agricultural engineer and irrigation researcher with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, explained the efficiency losses in both systems.

“You have to put on more water with furrow irrigation because it has to run from the upper end of the field to the bottom end of the field,” Pringle said. “To get a good irrigation on the bottom third of the field on a lot of our soils, you have to run some water off to give more time for water to soak in on the bottom. You don’t have that much runoff with a pivot.”

Pivot irrigation sprays water over the tops of the plants, and some is lost to evaporation. With furrow irrigation, some is lost into the soil as the water percolates deeper than the rooting zones. But furrow irrigation has some benefits.

“With furrow irrigation, you can water every acre,” Pringle said. “With a pivot, you generally have to leave out the corners. Since most systems are electrical, when pivot systems go down, they can be more difficult to fix and they can get stuck in the field. Downtime needs to be minimized with pivots, because they are not designed to play catch-up.”

Pringle would like to see existing, older pivots renozzled to more efficiently meet the needs of crops during the highest water demand. Wells should be designed and maintained to deliver the designed flow for the life of the system.

“I believe a well-managed, well-designed pivot can make just as much yield as a furrow,” he said. “Furrow irrigation efficiencies can be improved with better water management, but inherently will be less than a well-maintained pivot system. And as water continues to be pumped from the aquifer and we have less and less in reserve, pivots make good sense.”

By Bonnie A. Coblentz, MSU AgCommunications.

End-of-Season Checklist | by Nicole Alvarez

This piece was written for and published by Senninger Irrigation, and reprinted with permission.

This year’s irrigation season is ending for many farmers across the western hemisphere. Several are already working in their combines and reaping the fruits of their labor.

It’s tempting to forget about pivots and just focus on getting crops out of the field and into a bin during harvest. Yet this is one of the best times to evaluate sprinkler packages to make sure your pivots are in top shape and ready for another growing season. This check helps prevent unwanted surprises and helps ensure crops will be irrigated according to schedule. 

We suggest you take a look at this end-of-season checklist for a quick overview of the things you should take care of:

1. Get Your Sprinkler Package Chart
Find a copy of the sprinkler package chart. This contains the location of all sprinklers and pressure regulators along the center pivot. It will also include detailed information for each sprinkler’s nozzle size or flow rate. You’ll need it a little later when you’re walking along your pivot verifying sprinkler location and noting potential issues.

2. Flush Your System
Check the main pipe running from the well to the pivot itself for any potential leaks. Next, remove the sand trap on your pivot and flush the entire system for several minutes. (Make sure the system is not under pressure when you remove the sand trap!) This will flush out any debris or foreign materials that may plug the sprinkler heads or pressure regulators.

Sprinklers on the first few spans are particularly prone to plugging due to their smaller nozzles size so we recommend a good system flush at least once a year.

3. Check System Pressures
Using a pressure gauge, verify your pressure at the pump, pivot point, and at the end of the pivot. Make sure you operate the center pivot  at the design pressure.

Pressure should be at least 5 PSI above the pressure regulator rating. If you have a 10 PSI pressure regulator, your pressure gauge should read a minimum of 15 PSI. Compare the numbers to the design pressure in your sprinkler package chart to make sure everything matches.

Note: It’s best to check pressure with the pivot parked in the same location!

4. Check System Flows 
Sometimes farmers discover that the nozzles along each span do not correspond with what the printout indicates. This is why it’s important to keep your chart on hand

Check the system flow rates by comparing each sprinkler to the corresponding outlet on the chart. Each sprinkler’s nozzle and flow rate should match the number on the sprinkler package chart. If the nozzles are wrong, you may be over or under watering.

If you have a flow meter, verify that it’s taking the correct measurements. Solving issues like a flow meter not receiving a signal or unstable flow rates might require a little detective work on your part using your flow meter installation and troubleshooting guide.

5. Evaluate Sprinkler’s Wetted Patterns
Visually inspect all sprinklers for potential damage, lost parts, and for consistency and uniformity in their distribution patterns. Assure that sprinkler overlap is sufficient.

Disassemble any sprinklers with poor distribution patterns or overlap and check for plugging or defective parts. Sprinklers can wear out and will stop rotating – or rotate out of control. Check sprinkler deflector pads to ensure they do not have a build-up of materials that could affect the distribution pattern or flow rate. You might also notice kinked or damaged drop hoses that need fixing.

Sprinkler issues can result in extra water being applied is some areas and insufficient water being applied in others. This affects water application uniformity and can reduce yields.

According to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, depending on the location of the problem along the pivot pipeline, the economic impact of a single sprinkler problem can be significant in the amount of yield reduction it causes. This is especially true for sprinklers on the outer 30 percent of the center pivot.

If You Notice Something’s Off….
Hopefully, you won’t notice any runoff or a lack of uniformity while inspecting your sprinklers, but if you do:

• Go back to your sprinkler package chart and check the nozzle sizes and placement of sprinklers that are showing problems – they may be incorrectly installed.
• Consider evaluating your tillage practices to enhance infiltration and decrease runoff.
• Evaluate your system and consider whether a new sprinkler package would be beneficial. Select a sprinkler device that irrigates with low application intensity over a large diameter, and creates relatively large droplets that can combat wind-drift and evaporation.
• If you want to renozzle your system, check with your local power company for possible incentives when you switch to lower pressure systems.

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Senninger® Irrigation A Valley® Irrigation Authorized Provider Founded in 1963, Senninger Irrigation, Inc. is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of agricultural irrigation products. These include sprinklers, spray nozzles and pressure regulators. Senninger products are made in the United States and sold worldwide through qualified dealers. Products can be found in farms, nurseries, greenhouses, open fields, as well as mining operations. Senninger is dedicated to low pressure, high performance irrigation solutions.  This post was written by Nicole Alvarez, the technical writer for Senninger.

Four Tips for Getting Your Sprinklers Ready to Roll

Winter means downtime for sprinklers. As the new growing season approaches (in North America), it is important to get your machine ready, and the sprinkler package is a key item to focus on.

Here are some tips to get your sprinkler package into tip-top shape:

1. Use the sprinkler reports supplied with the sprinkler package and check that all sprinkler components are correct and installed in the proper location on the machine.

2. Operate the sprinkler package (running the machine with water) and visually inspect all sprinklers to verify they are operating correctly. Inspect sprinklers for variations in the water pattern. Problems to look for are plugged nozzles or worn wear plates.

3. Watch for leaks from the sprinkler, pressure regulator, and drop components when running the machine with water. Replace broken or damaged components.

4. Check that the operating pivot pressure matches the design pressure. For sprinkler packages with pressure regulators, Valley_® recommends placing a pressure gauge in the drop tube at the end of the machine at the highest elevation in the field to verify that the end pressure is sufficient to operate the pressure regulators. All pressure regulators require 5 PSI over the nominal pressure rating that is stamped on the regulator. For example, a 10 PSI pressure regulator requires 15 PSI entering the regulator for proper operation.

Finally, don’t forget that at about 10,000 operating hours, growers should consider replacing sprinklers and pressure regulators. This varies based on water quality issues, such as using clean water or dirty water, and whether the water includes sand or other debris. At 10,000 hours, wear in the sprinkler nozzle, sprinkler wear plate, and pressure regulator will alter the sprinkler flow rate and water pattern distribution, which reduces the sprinkler package uniformity.

New sprinkler components - combined with a properly designed complete sprinkler package - ensure uniformity and efficiency are at the highest possible values. High uniformity and efficiency ensure that you are maximizing yields from the valuable water you apply during the season.

To summarize, your sprinkler package is one of the most critical components on a center pivot or linear machine – don’t be afraid to invest in new and updated technology.

Adapted from PivotPoint Spring 2012 

It's Time to Evaluate Your Sprinkler Package | by Jerry Gerdes

Plugged sprinkler

For most farmers, the irrigation season has ended and harvest is in full swing. Farmers are working hard to get their crops in the bin. For center pivot irrigators, a well-maintained sprinkler package will ensure maximum crop yields and full bins after harvest.

Like all farm equipment, sprinkler packages need to be inspected each year to maintain performance.  It’s best to do the inspection after harvest or in the spring before planting the next crop. There are several key steps that should be performed.

1. Obtain the sprinkler package report containing the location of the sprinklers and pressure regulators on the center pivot.
2. Using the sprinkler package report, verify that each sprinkler location on the pivot matches the location in the report and contains the correct sprinkler, pressure regulator, and drop components.
3. Replace broken or missing sprinkler package components with the correct items per the sprinkler package report.
4. Once the sprinkler package components are verified as correct, pressurize the machine with water. Verify that the pressure gauge at the pivot point matches the sprinkler package design pivot pressure.



Plugged pressure regulator

5. Visually inspect all sprinklers for consistent and uniform water pattern performance.  Disassemble sprinklers with poor water patterns and check for plugging and defective sprinkler components.

Often I’m asked how long will sprinklers last.  The life of sprinkler components will depend on the quality of the irrigation water.  Irrigation water with gritty or abrasive material will shorten the life of sprinklers compared to clean irrigation water.  A general rule is that 10,000 hours of operation is the point where a sprinkler package performance could begin to degrade and reduce crop yields.

Uniform water pattern

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Jerry Gerdes Product Manager - Water Application Jerry, Nebraska-based Water Application Product Manager, contributes years of experience from his time working for a sprinkler manufacturer prior to joining Valley Irrigation. Currently working with different sprinkler manufacturers, Jerry develops the recommendations for the optimum water application package for a grower's operation.

Irrigating with End Guns | by Jerry Gerdes

We are midway through the summer, and as I drive through the country, I see many center pivot machines hard at work applying water to growers' crops. It's impressive to see how crops in pivot-irrigated fields perform so much better than the crops without irrigation!

Not too long ago, I came across an article about a center pivot end gun irrigating the road beside the field (to read the article, click here), so I thought this would be a good opportunity to write about end guns and this issue, which has come up more than once in my career.

Many center pivots have a large sprinkler, commonly referred to as an end gun, installed at the very end to irrigate field areas beyond the end of the center pivot structure. An end gun is a cost-effective option for irrigating an additional 80’ – 100’ of field area, increasing the productivity of a center pivot. Controls are required to turn the end gun on and off, preventing it from irrigating areas outside of the field boundary. These controls consist of a valve at the end of the machine and mechanical or electronic controls at the center of the pivot machine that control the end gun by pivot angle position.

End Gun

A few times during my travels, I have run across road areas that have been watered by the end gun, indicating that the controls were not working properly. This can create hazardous driving conditions for motorists. There are two items you can inspect to make sure your end gun controls are working properly: the end gun valve at the end of the machine and the angle position settings at the center pivot control panel. These should be checked periodically throughout the irrigation season. Proper control of an end gun will ensure efficient use of irrigation water and safety for everyone traveling the roadways.

For more maintenance tips for your center pivots and linears, check out valleyirrigation.com. 

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Jerry Gerdes Product Manager - Water Application Jerry, Nebraska-based Water Application Product Manager, contributes years of experience from his time working for a sprinkler manufacturer prior to joining Valley Irrigation. Currently working with different sprinkler manufacturers, Jerry develops the recommendations for the optimum water application package for a grower's operation.

Sprinkler Models for Center Pivots and Linears

Originally posted January 2011.

There are two types of sprinkler models used for center pivot and linear equipment: fixed spray and rotating spray. Both sprinkler types have a wear plate mounted directly below the nozzle (orifice), which discharges the water and creates a 360° water pattern. Fixed sprays have no moving parts because the wear plate is fixed. A rotating spray wear plate rotates either fast or slow, depending on the sprinkler model.

Water Patterns and Runoff

Rotating sprays produce a large wetted diameter (50' to 70') that creates a low-intensity water pattern; this is a major advantage of rotating sprays. This type of sprinkler works very well on medium to heavy soil types and reduces water runoff. Fixed sprays have a wetted diameter of 15' to 40'. This type of sprinkler works well on light soils where runoff may not be a big issue.

Plate Design

There are a variety of plate designs available to you that can very the droplet size of the water pattern; various designs are available for both rotating and fixed sprinkler types. By selecting a plate that produces smaller water droplets, you can also reduce the water pattern intensity. Smaller water droplets can easily lead to lower application efficiencies from evaporation and wind drift losses. Please note that climate conditions must be considered in the plate selection.

Fixed spray and rotating spray sprinklers are designed to operate at a low pressure in order to minimize energy (pumping) costs. Design operating pressure for fixed sprays is 6 to 30 PSI and pressure for rotating sprays is 10 to 30 PSI.








Learn more about sprinklers and other water application technology for center pivots and linears on valleyirrigation.com!

Low-pressure Sprinkler Technology for Center Pivots and Linears | Leading the Way in Water Application

Originally posted in the Spring 2009 edition of PivotPoint.

Consider what low-pressure sprinkler technology can do for your operation.

If your center pivot or linear machine is currently running at high pressure, consider this: low-pressure sprinkler technology effectively operates at 10-20 PSI, both reducing your input costs and protecting soil integrity. It also allows for precise application in different zones. This not only helps those producers in areas where water restrictions are an ever increasing concern, but any producer who is interested in more managed and uniform irrigation for crops, less soil disruption, and lower operating costs.

“Efficiency and uniformity are important factors in water application,” explained Jerry Gerdes, Water Application Product Manager at Valley_® Irrigation. “Water droplets must be large enough that wind won’t evaporate or blow them away, but not too large to create run off and soil disruption. The challenge for our sprinkler suppliers is to create sprinklers that work at the highest efficiency, getting as much water in the ground as possible, while avoiding those traditional problems.” According to Gerdes, rotating sprinklers available through the Valley product line have been able to strike this balance.

Doug Muscott, a sales engineer with LAD Irrigation in Othello, Washington, agreed. “I’ve been designing and selling irrigation equipment for more than 30 years, and I know that what matters to the grower is good engineering. Sometimes people get caught up in the flash of what’s new, but in the end it is about delivering the right amount of water for that crop. The new technology being used at Valley does this.” 

“The low-pressure equipment now available is designed to deliver optimal irrigation water within the important parameters – soil intake rate, water holding capacity of the soil, climate and water needs, and of course the type of crops being farmed,” he added.

There are additional benefits to using low-pressure sprinklers, according to James Burks, President of Senninger^® Irrigation, a Valley sprinkler supplier. “The trend is to cut back on water available for irrigation. Producers are asked to produce sufficient crops to feed a burgeoning world population and be profitable with less water, so water efficiently making its way to the plant is of huge importance. If we can provide high pattern integrity and low pressure application, we can help growers do so,” he shared.

Watch the video below for a demonstration of Senninger i-Wob UP3 sprinklers on a center pivot.  For more Senninger sprinkler video demonstrations, visit their YouTube Channel.



Jim Reid, co-owner of Reid Brothers Irrigation in Unadilla, Georgia, sees low-pressure sprinklers helping growers using zone application as well. “For the producers we work with who grow multiple crops, these low-pressure sprinklers are ideal. Using one of the Valley panels, like the Select2 or Pro2, they can put out different rates of water in each section, varying the amount of water on designated areas of the field. This eliminates the need to guess what time you must be in the field to slow the water down. It can now be automatically adjusted, even at low pressure.”


Valley has long been a leader in developing this technology and bringing it to growers. Along with their sprinkler partners, Nelson^® Irrigation and Senninger Irrigation, they’re bringing the latest solutions to growers nationwide. Muscott believes the leadership of Valley within the industry in the area of low-pressure sprinklers comes from their dedication to not only engineering research and development, but staying on the forefront of the technology involved.

Watch the video below for a demonstration of Nelson A3000 Rotator^® sprinklers on a center pivot.  For more Nelson sprinkler video demonstrations, visit their YouTube Channel.

“Water application specialists at Valley Irrigation are certified by the Irrigation Association, which indicates their dedication to staying at the forefront of irrigation technology. This is important for growers, because these are the same people dealers call for assistance when they are helping growers determine how to build a sprinkler package that will meet their particular needs. If you tie a grower to the wrong sprinkler package, it can have damaging effects on their bottom line. All input costs have inflation factors – including irrigation water and the energy necessary to get it to the crops. Costs will inflate, but commodity prices do not – they are volatile,” Muscott explained.

“The good news is that Valley, and their dealer network, not only has the advanced equipment, but the knowledge, the engineering experience and the insight to understand how best to apply the technology to the bottom line: helping growers do more with less,” he concluded.

For more information on water application packages for your center pivot or linear, contact your local Valley dealer or leave your comment below!

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Checking Your End Tower Pressure | by Brooke Stover

There are simple things that we sometimes forget about as we run out the door for work: tying your shoes (ouch), brushing your hair (yikes), or making sure your socks match (embarrassing – maybe I’m the only one who sometimes misses that step), but from these we can gather that sometimes the simplest things can make a big difference. This lesson holds true, not only in a panicked rush to work in the morning, but when it comes to running your operation.

In my research, talking to our water application engineer, I have found one of those simple things and would like to share it with you: check your end tower pressure on your center pivot!

I say that with an exclamation point because it really is easy to do and can, apparently, have a big impact. What kind of impact, you might ask? Well, did you know your sprinklers with pressure regulators require a minimum pressure to operate correctly? If the wrong pressure is being used by your machine, then your crops aren’t getting the water they need. Also, 50% of the acres in your field are irrigated by sprinklers on the outer 30% of your center pivot. If your end pressure is below the minimum design pressure, then you will experience under watering, which can reduce yields. To help put a stop to yield loss, we have put together simple steps to check your end tower pressure.

STEP 1:
Install a pressure gauge at the end of your machine on the last drop between the pressure regulator and drop pipe or hose.

Tip: If your machine is on hilly terrain, you will want to install two pressure gauges: one at the end of your machine and the other at the intermediate span at the highest point in your field. 

No pressure gauge? No problem! Contact your local Valley dealer, he can provide you with several pressure gauge options that you can easily install!

STEP 2:
Turn on your machine. 
(You may want to put on a raincoat between step 1 and step 2!)


STEP 3:
Walk to where the pressure gauge is installed and read the PSI (pressure reading).

Tip: As a general rule of thumb, your pressure gauge should read at least 5 pounds higher than the PSI listed on your pressure regulator. So, if the PSI on your pressure regulator is 15 PSI, then your pressure gauge should read a minimum of 20 PSI. 

If you want to know EXACTLY what your pressure should be, then contact your local Valley dealer for a copy of your sprinkler design. The optimum pressure will be listed on the design.

So today (or tomorrow), tie your shoes, comb your hair, match your socks (or don’t - let’s start a trend!), and check your end tower pressure!

For more information on maintenance tips for your center pivot or linear, visit www.ValleyIrrigation.com! Have a question or comment? Please leave it in the Comments box below!

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Brooke Stover Global Marketing Assistant Brooke has been with the Valley Irrigation Global Marketing department since 2011. She spends her free time taking pottery classes; though she thoroughly enjoys this, most of her stuff is a bit lopsided. Brooke also loves to read and listen to Frank Sinatra. She enjoys traveling and has been to 11 countries with the goal to make it to six more in the next six years!

Drought in the United States: Update

We have what's looking like good news to share! Comparing drought maps from last fall and today (pictured below), we are seeing drought improvement in the Eastern Corn Belt and reduction in severity and extent in the Great Plains. But, keep in mind that these conditions can change at any time.  Center pivot irrigation not only offers insurance in drought years, but also preparation for unpredictable drought conditions that may arise.

To keep tabs on the drought map, visit www.DroughtMonitor.unl.edu/monitor.html.

Drought map | October 2012

Drought map | April 2013