On Location: DropSpan Photo Shoot in Nebraska | by Brooke Stover

Heli-Cam taking off!

DropSpan

Look out! Valley_® has jumped on the bandwagon and is using drones to take photos and videos!

Last week, I worked with Don Fiedler of Sky Heli-Cam to snap some aerial images of an installed Valley DropSpan™ in Nebraska. Don built the “drone” himself and uses an attached camera to take aerial photos and videos; his Heli-Cam can fly over 400 feet above the field, which is quite the site to see! While Don drove the drone, I watched the footage on a monitor to make sure we got various angles of the machine.

It was a perfect morning to be out in Nebraska (57° on July 1 - can't go wrong!). I felt a little guilty about the perfect weather while coworkers Michelle and Jill experienced 100°+ weather in Washington on the same day!

Check out our Facebook page for more images from this photo shoot.

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Brooke Stover Global Marketing Coordinator 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!

Need More Irrigated Acres? You Can Irrigate More Land to Increase Yields!

Originally published in Spring 2013 edition of PivotPoint.

The value of farmland in the Corn Belt rose 13 percent for the year ending October 1, 2012, according to a Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago survey₁, as commodity prices rose to record and near-record highs. This environment makes it more important than ever to make the most of cropland to get the highest possible yield. Valley_® continues to respond to this need with products to help growers accomplish just that.

"We recently did a study and found that growers can increase their profits by at least $600 per acre on corn in Nebraska, just by irrigating more of the land they already have,” says John Kastl, Valley Product Manager. “That’s why we offer Bender, DropSpan™, and corner products.”

Bender30

For a low investment, growers can gain up to six acres in each direction. The Bender30 can be placed on any drive unit, providing the ability to bend around trees, feed lots, roads, wells, or other obstacles. If the Bender30 adds just 3.5 irrigated acres, it will pay for itself in one year.

• Available with PolySpan^®, for use with corrosive water
• Bends up to 30 degrees in either or both directions
• Uses existing structural components, so it’s easy to retrofit with no structural change required
• Completely automatic, no operator input required

Bender160

As the name indicates, the Bender160 can bend your machine up to 160 degrees, allowing irrigation around large obstacles, like houses, grain bins and barns. Exclusive to Valley, the Bender towerbox controls the end guns and allows the machine to always know the bending angle. It takes only an additional nine irrigated acres for a one-year payback – and the Bender160 can irrigate up to 32 additional acres.

• Bends up to 160 degrees in either or both directions, in forward and reverse
• Uses custom structural components
• Provides integrated end gun and auxiliary controls for bending mode

Valley Corner

The Valley Corner is the original corner machine, introduced in 1974. It is the simpler, more mechanical corner, efficiently and economically irrigating the corners of square, rectangular, or odd-shaped fields.

• Low-profile track and roller joint connects the corner arm to the machine
• Field-proven, rugged structure handles tough field conditions
• Sprinkler sequencing is based on corner angle and is controlled with a simple cam stack and microswitches
• Available with GPS Guidance

Valley Precision Corner^®

The Valley Precision Corner is the leading corner in the industry. It has variable drives for smooth operation, more accurate water application, and efficient use of electricity.

• Water transfer connection and hose eliminates pressure losses from multiple 90 degree bends
• Industry leading 8000 series span and wide drive unit wheelbase for the toughest field conditions
• Available with GPS Guidance
• Angle sensor and computerized sequencing assures water uniformity

DropSpan

With DropSpan, growers can drop the outer spans, so the rest of the machine can irrigate acres behind barriers. At the edges of the field, DropSpan allows growers to drop as many spans as necessary, and then reattach them as the machine returns.

• One person can attach or drop spans in only 15 minutes – with no tools!
• Winch and support leg system is used to easily drop and reattach outer spans
• Simple electrical connector manages span cable and control logic, so no rewiring is necessary
• Optional end gun can be mounted at the DropSpan drive unit

For more information on the Valley Bender30, Bender160, Valley Corner, Precision Corner, and DropSpan options, visit www.ValleyIrrigation.com. Or, if you have questions or comments, please use the Comments box below!

1 What happens next to farmland prices? Randall Hertz, president, Hertz Real Estate Services, January 10, 2013, http://www.agprofessional.com/agprofessional-magazine/What-happens-next-to-farmland-prices-186338041.html.