Bringing Tire Technology to the Ag Industry | by Vanessa Hargrave

Almost half of U.S. drivers don't
recognize tire-pressure warning light.
Read more...

TPMS is an acronym that in the last decade has risen from a basically unknown term to a household name. That doesn’t necessarily mean that the mass majority really understands what TPMS means, how the technology works, and the benefits it can provide to users. Possibly even more unknown is the wide-use applications that TPMS can be utilized on to add those benefits; including uses in the agriculture market. Luckily, Valley® Irrigation and PressurePro™ have teamed up to help growers better understand what TPMS is, how it works and how you can put it to work for your operations.

First, what is TPMS? TPMS traditionally stands for Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems. Typically, a TPMS unit consists of two main components; Sensors, which fit either to a valve stem or in a tire, and a Monitor, which fits in-cab or at a central location. Sensors use RF signals to send low-pressure alerts to the Monitor, so a driver or operator is aware of the problem. Today; however, PressurePro has helped morph this definition, through expanded technology capabilities, to Tire Performance Management Solutions.

No longer are TPMS units simply providing low-pressure warnings. Today, leading units can give users complete performance information, including real-time readings, high- and low-pressure and temperature alerts, data-logged information, remote-monitoring capabilities, and more. Essentially, these small units can provide users with a complete view of tire performance, both real time and historically, so users can better analyze, diagnose, remedy, and even predict tire problems before they become costly.

In the transportation market, this is helping fleets of all types and sizes revolutionize tire maintenance programs while adding significant savings and efficiencies. Tires run at optimal pressure save fuel, experience extended life and decreased downtime, and create safer driving conditions through improved handling and braking, and more. But that’s in trucking, how can TPMS assist me with my operation or on my Ag equipment?

The parallels between the transportation market and ag market are many. Just as with transportation, up-time, efficiency, and yield are top priorities for growers. A tractor, combine, crop hauler, or center pivot experiencing equipment downtime due to a tire problem cripples work. In the case of a center pivot, experiencing low tire pressure not only decreases yield, it can literally rip up your profits by plowing through crops and causing costly damage to tires, rims, and gearboxes. To help growers combat these losses of efficiency and yield, PressurePro and Valley partnered to create Valley TPMS – a custom solution for center pivots.

Valley TPMS not only allows users of Valley Pro2 control panels the ability to receive real-time tire performance information directly on their control panel, it also brings remote-monitoring capabilities to Valley BaseStation™ users; literally putting tire performance at their fingertips. Used by Navajo Agricultural Products Industry (NAPI) in New Mexico, Valley TPMS has helped NAPI bring real-time monitoring to an operation that includes more than 10,000 tires.NAPI Irrigation Manager Anthony Valdez said that detecting a low tire before it fails has decreased pivot downtime during the peak irrigation season, when irrigating is critical to maximizing yields. 

"The ability to identify low-pressure warnings in the tires also has really helped to reduce service costs," Valdez said. "With the tire pressure monitoring system, we can now preempt labor and fuel costs, as well as time, by knowing when a tire is low."  

To learn more about Valley TPMS or how TPMS can be put to work for your operations, contact your local Valley dealer.

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Vanessa Hargrave PressurePro Vanessa is a guest writer for the Growing the Conversation blog by Valley. As PressurePro's Director of Marketing, Vanessa is in charge planning and executing all of the company's national and international marketing campaigns. With PressurePro since 2004, she is responsible for developing, designing, and maintaining all of PressurePro's branding, advertising, and marketing campaigns. A noted voice in TPMS education and information, Vanessa remains devoted to safety, savings, and environmental benefits, both on-road and off, through revolutionized tire management.

Taking Irrigation Management to the Next Level with BaseStation3

The latest product that can improve growers' daily lives is coming soon. Valley_®  BaseStation3™ will  provide growers with a simple, customizable irrigation management solution.

“This product is designed to be very graphical and intuitive,” explains Vice President of Engineering and Strategic Technology Development Craig Malsam, who was in on the ground floor of the development of BaseStation3. “It should be intuitively easy to use; like an ATM – no user’s manual needed. It’s basically plug and play, right off the shelf.”

Product Manager John Campbell says people are really excited about this product.

BaseStation3 will allow growers to use a dedicated radio or cellular network to monitor and manage their irrigation machines remotely, through a tablet, smartphone, laptop, personal desktop computer, or just about any device that has a Web browser. Growers will be able to view more information in one place, from in-field moisture conditions to weather, and download native apps for iOS or Android devices.

This irrigation management solution will accommodate any type of installation and management practice, and not just for pivots. Growers will be able to control any brand of linears, solid set systems, and other irrigation machines. 

“We designed it to grow with the farming operation,” explains Campbell. “We’re very excited to provide growers with such a user-friendly, time-saving product.”





Text published in PivotPoint Fall 2013

One Trade Show, 27 Buildings Full of Booths | by Michelle Stolte

Last month I was fortunate enough to be able to visit the Agritechnica Show in Hannover, Germany. While I have been to my fair share of trade shows, this was unlike any other show I have been to just in terms of its sheer magnitude. My first reaction was “Holy cow, this show is huge!” It boasted 27 buildings chock full of exhibitors – 27! It is estimated that this show brought in nearly 450,000 visitors from 88 countries over the seven days it was open.

This was the first year Valley had its own booth, which represented our company very well. We focused our attention on a demonstration of BaseStation3, our state-of-the-art remote management product that will be release in early 2014, and Valley Ag Solutions. Valley Ag Solutions helps growers from start to finish by not only providing irrigation equipment, but also delivering services from feasibility studies and crop consulting to engineered pump solutions and farm management software.

Interest in Valley and in irrigation in general was great, and we considered the show a great success. We met with many existing customers, as well as those new to irrigation. We also were able to see old friends from years past, which is always a nice bonus to attending trade shows.

If you have never attended Agritechnica and find yourself in Germany on November 10-14, 2015, find your way to the show. You will be amazed by the size and the number of exhibitors. If you can’t find what you are looking for here, I am not sure where you will be able to find it! If you have been to the show, or work the show every two years, I am sure you already know a really good foot masseuse!

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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.

Circles of Green in the Toasty Northwest | by Jill Zwiener

A couple weeks ago, I had the chance to visit Washington state and Oregon. The toasty 105° temps kept me warm and the green circles from the Valley_® center pivots that were seen in almost every direction kept me smiling! It made me think of our billboard on Highway 275 just outside Valley, NE, which reads, “This is Valley Country.” There were Valley machines everywhere! These growers in the Northwest sure know what they’re doing!

Valley pivot with Precision Corner arm

We met with over 15 growers, and there was one thing they all had in common – their love for Valley. There were two products in particular that they raved about….VRI (Variable Rate Irrigation) and BaseStation (remote monitoring and control of center pivots). When discussing BaseStation, we heard the same message over and over….“Now that I have it, I’ll never go back!”

Grower using Valley BaseStation 

We saw a variety of crops – potatoes, wheat, corn, alfalfa, beans, onions, rhubarb, asparagus, radish, and grass seed. The variety of crops and the varying landscape were fun to see.

If you’re ever in the Pasco, WA, area, you need to stop by the Country Mercantile for a little pit stop. It’s definitely my kind of place! They have homemade ice cream, chocolates, fresh fruit and canned/jarred goodies. And, my favorite part had to be the free salsa samples! If only I wasn’t getting on a plane the next day I would have bought a few tubs of it to enjoy! But don’t worry…I didn’t leave hungry. I had a monster ice cream shake which I couldn’t even finish…now, if you know me, that’s a rarity!

The best chocolate shake EVER!

Fun fact: 
Workers in the area harvest asparagus by hand. They use a knife, cut the spear, and fill their buckets with the superfood. They often work in the dark hours of the early morning to beat the heat.

Grower picking asparagus

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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.