Valley Is Proud to Support Cancer Research | by Shannon Peterson

There comes a point in life when nearly every person is touched by cancer. Whether it’s a colleague, a friend, or a family member, you likely know someone who has fought that battle.

In Nebraska alone, there are more than 9,000 new cases of cancer diagnosed every year.

Those of us who are lucky become survivors. Others are not so lucky.

Valley_® is working to make a difference in the fight against cancer by donating a center pivot for the live auction at the Cattlemen’s Ball of Nebraska. The Ball is an annual event that raises money for cancer research.

The winning bidder will receive a 1,300-foot, fully loaded Valley 8000 series seven tower center pivot. And, thanks to 21st Century Water Technologies in Scottsbluff, the pivot will be delivered and installed in the winners’ field.

The Cattlemen’s Ball donates 90 percent of the money raised to the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. The other 10 percent stays in the host community to support local health care. Through the years, the event has raised more than $9.8 million dollars for cancer research.

I invite you to take a moment learn more about the Cattlemen’s Ball, which is being held June 6-7 in Harrisburg, Neb., and the Buffett Cancer Center. Or, consider supporting cancer research in your area. As a 10-year survivor, I can attest to the difference every dollar can make.

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Shannon Peterson Marketing Content Editor Shannon joined Valley Irrigation in 2013. She enjoys traveling with her family, particularly to national parks, and she occasionally writes about her travels for tourism magazines. Shannon also likes reading, trying new restaurants, seeing movies, and watching Husker football and Creighton basketball. However, she and her husband spend most of their free time chauffeuring their teenage son to activities and chasing their baby daughter.

You Never Know What Husker Harvest Days (or Husker Football) Will Bring | by Brooke Stover

Valley booth at Husker Harvest Days 2013

You never know what the weather will be like for Husker Harvest Days in September. Welcome to Nebraska. (We never know what the weather will be, period.) I suppose it keeps us Nebraskans on our toes – as if the Huskers don’t do that to us already (maybe it’s all in the name). Everyone please keep your fingers crossed our defense steps it up this weekend in our last non-conference game.

But I digress, back to the topic at hand. Two years ago, at Husker Harvest Days, it was 45 degrees and rainy and I, of course, forgot to bring my parka and snow boots. In 2012, we shut down early on day two because of a wind storm, which wreaked havoc on many of the booths at the show and left us all covered in a thick layer of dirt. But this year we lucked out (awesome weather on day two this time). Sure, we had a little rain, but nothing to ruin the festivities. In fact, the rain brought in even more people. It was like a tailgate in the Valley_® building, but let’s be honest, it’s pretty much always a party!

Even though we can’t count on or make sure-footed bets on the weather at Husker Harvest Days, there is one thing we can count on – an amazing crowd! Being at this trade show is one of the most fun parts of my job because I get the chance to meet some of our customers and talk to our local dealers, all of whom are AWESOME! I’ve noticed that our customers have great relationships with our dealers, who have equally great relationships with Valley employees. It’s a great dynamic and creates a fun atmosphere even on a gloomy day.

All said and done, this year at Husker Harvest was a successful one – no frostbite, no dirt in our eyes, and a lot of great conversations with our dealers and customers. Let me sum it up by making another comparison between Husker Harvest Days and Husker football – sometimes the going is a little rough, but win or lose, our customers, dealers, and Valley employees make a great team!

If you’re on the fence about visiting a trade show this year, just go! It will give you the chance to be a part of the fun, meet our amazing Valley dealers, and see our products up close!

Next up on our trade show schedule:

• Sunbelt Ag Expo, Oct. 15-17, Moultrie, GA
• Irrigation Association’s Irrigation Show, Nov. 6-7, Austin, TX
• Amarillo Farm & Ranch Show, Dec. 3-5, Amarillo, TX
• Nebraska Power Farming Show, Dec. 10-12, Lincoln, NE

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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!

Additional Gearbox Facility Provides Redundancy & Sustainability

New gearbox facility in Waverly, NE

Valley_® is the only company in the irrigation industry that designs and builds its gearboxes right here in the United States. The quality is second to none, and it’s a source of pride for them.

To keep up with the growing demand and create sustainability, Valley is increasing their commitment to their customers by building a new gearbox facility in Waverly, NE. Stephen LeGrand, Vice President of Global Operations, Valley Irrigation, says the new facility will also provide necessary redundancy.

“If we ever had a disaster at our current gearbox facility in Valley, we’d be out of luck,” he explains. “This Waverly facility is about a 45-minute drive away from Valley – close enough to take advantage of the knowledge and core competency from our original facility, but far enough away for true redundancy.”

LeGrand says that having a second facility in the U.S. not only keeps the quality high, but it also provides customers with the fast turnaround they expect. “We have a very short supply chain, so we can ramp up or down as farmers’ needs change. We also provide competitive pricing against imported products, but Valley products are better built, with faster turnaround.”

Valley is building the gearbox facility at an unused site that they already owned. They are rejuvenating the site, which also helps revitalize the city of Waverly.

“It’s a win-win for Waverly and for Valley,” says LeGrand. “We have our facility at a site that’s right for us, and Waverly benefits from the employment that a new business brings to town. We’ll be hiring highly skilled workers, eventually employing 30 to 40 people."

LeGrand explains that this facility represents a significant investment in their overall business. “It’s important that our customers know we’ll be here for them in the long run, providing the best possible products and service for them.”

He says that, just like growers must invest in their farms to ensure the best possible outcome, Valmont is investing in their business, explaining, “Investments like this one will ensure that we can meet the needs of farmers today and in the future.”

Valley Irrigation Field Days | by Shannon Peterson

Waste water center pivot discussion

August 26 Field Day at Fair Oaks Farms

Valley_® Irrigation just hosted the second of this summer’s three Field Days welcoming international visitors. 

Each year, Valley hosts hundreds of international visitors who travel to the United States to learn about this country’s farm practices. The guests are interested in touring farms, Valley dealerships, and the Valley Irrigation factory. This year we decided to step up our efforts and turn these events into world-class educational events. 

Each Field Day includes industry leading representatives from Valley, local universities, Nelson^® Irrigation, and Senninger^®. 

The first Field Day, in late July at Taylor Farms in Ames, NE, focused on corn and soybeans. The most recent Field Day – Monday at Fair Oaks Dairy in Fair Oaks, IN – had a slightly different twist: waste water management.

In addition to learning about center pivot irrigation equipment, irrigation technology, water application technology, and crop management, our recent guests—from Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Slovakia, Poland, Russia, and other countries—witnessed first-hand how an Indiana dairy recycles the manure of 15,000 cows. 

Simply put: the cows’ waste is used to grow the crops the cows eat. 

The manure is broken down, mixed with water and applied via Valley center pivots onto the crops used to feed the cows. No other fertilizer is needed because of the abundance of nutrients in the manure. It’s a complete, efficient sustainable system.

Naturally, the process is far more complex than outlined here. But as we approached a center pivot and saw brown water emitting from the sprinklers and end gun, the simplicity and, dare I say, “beauty” of the system generated exclamations in multiple languages.

The brown water also had us exchanging looks that crossed any language barriers. Wide-eyed looks that said, “What is this going to smell like?”

Our final Field Day, on September 9 in Grand Island, will offer insight on potatoes grown in Nebraska and sold to national potato chip makers. That should make for entirely different experience, and smell.

For more information on our final Field Day, and to register, visit www.valleyirrigation.com/FD2013.

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Shannon Peterson Marketing Content Editor Shannon joined Valley Irrigation in 2013. She enjoys traveling with her family, particularly to national parks, and she occasionally writes about her travels for Home & Away magazine. Shannon also likes reading, trying new restaurants, seeing movies, and watching Husker football and Creighton basketball. However, she and her husband spend most of their free time chauffeuring their teenage son to activities and chasing their baby daughter.

Valley - The Best Value

Originally published in PivotPoint Spring 2011.

Valley Precision Corner®

Valley 8000 series Center Pivot

Valley dealer troubleshooting control panel

Growers are famous for being shrewd consumers. With every dollar hard earned from real, physical labor, they’re not going to waste it. The bottom line is value. Growers find that value in a variety of ways when they invest in Valley_® equipment. That’s made Valley the leader in center pivot and linear irrigation, and their products the first choice of growers all across the country.

According to Brad Johnson, owner of BRJ Farms near Holdrege, Nebraska, the durability and reliability of a Valley is what gives him peace of mind. With a large number of soybean, corn, and seed corn acres, Johnson knows the vital role reliable irrigation equipment plays. “I’ve been around pivots for a long time, and I’ve chosen Valley center pivots for almost all of my ground. My father and I both trust Valley because we just don’t have breakdowns. We just don’t. These are long-lasting pivots and they’re made well,” he shared.

Johnson understands value. Valley center pivots are engineered, constructed, and field-tested to handle growers’ varying and challenging operating conditions. They are known to have the most durable structure in the market place and have a longer life span than other product brands proven by independent tests. Finally, they command the highest resale value.

Brad’s Valley dealer, Central Valley Irrigation in Holdrege, Nebraska, likes to show growers in his area that the value of Valley machines starts from the ground up. “I like to take growers out to the manufacturing facility about an hour away from us. They see that these structures are made in an environment that is clean and professional. They see the steel when it comes out on a trailer. This is where it starts. Valley is committed to building things right, and that’s where durability begins.” He also shows growers who visit his dealership the stress tests that Valley has published on their structures. “When we talk about the durability of our structures, it’s important that they see the stress tests that have been done to prove the value of this. Valmont Irrigation really invests in these structures.”

Chuck Messersmith of Western Valley Irrigation in Alliance, Nebraska, believes the structural integrity of Valley machines is key. “The overall structure and the strength in engineering in the physical structure of Valley machines are a big part of the value for growers,” he explained.

Messersmith also pointed out that the clean lines and integrity of the span design is also an important detail he points out to growers. “The shape of the pipeline itself, the crown, shows a superior design. The structure is supported uniformly and the stress is more evenly distributed. When customers want to know why Valley machines have a longer life than other machines, I tell them that this is part of the reason behind that long life span.”

Custom-designed pipes and trussing, along with forged truss rods with a larger root radius and head diameter add to this strength – and to the long term value of Valley machines. Welded sprinkler outlets provide the most durable option when compared to other methods and also protect against a loss of water pressure, vital to precision water applications.

Well-made tower control boxes are another feature that adds value to Valley equipment. The main base component of the control box is made of steel rather than plastic. Other machine brands use plastic. All switches and control mechanisms are mounted on steel in Valley tower control boxes., and that increases the tolerance for clearance in the moving parts. The steel helps keep the alignment where it should be and is more durable.

The Valley gearbox is the pinnacle of the Valley drive train and yet another feature that proves industry leadership. It is designed and manufactured at Valmont Irrigation’s manufacturing facility in Valley, Nebraska, so that quality can be ensured. Messersmith, of Western Valley Irrigation, says “The truth about the gearbox is that you don’t have to sell it to growers – they already know that Valley gearboxes are better. They already know the difference!”

Finally, legendary Valley service is a big part of the overall value of a Valley machine to growers, according to Johnson of BRJ Farms. “Service is a huge one for me. The response time from my Valley dealer, Central Valley Irrigation, is amazing. They are there within an hour. It is fixed correctly the first time. The winter program is also awesome. They went through each pivot of mine last year and I went without any service calls during the irrigation season. They are just dependable – the machines and the company.”

Valley dealers are known to have a true caring for their customers. “Our customers are not just somebody we hope will buy something from us, but someone we can work with hand in hand to make irrigation work,” added Messersmith of Western Valley Irrigation.

For more information on Valley equipment, visit www.ValleyIrrigation.com.

April Showers Bring May Flowers? | by Dustin Wilcox

Following the 2012 drought, which gripped much of the heart of the United States and left many crops and water supplies severely strained, there has been much attention and discussion directed towards weather conditions leading into the 2013 cropping season. As weather has begun to impact the planting season, we’re seeing it capturing headlines again. 

Following what was a cold, but overall typical winter for Valley, NE, and for many across the corn belt, Mother Nature has decided to spite that pesky groundhog, and provide us weather contrary to his early spring forecast; it now seems like an eternity since "Punxsutawney Phil" said spring was just 6 weeks away! Last year, spring-like weather had arrived by late February in Nebraska, and in much of the corn belt, with March 2012 averaging about 15 degrees above normal for the month in Eastern Nebraska, which helped set the stage for early corn planting, with a lot of corn being planted in the Valley area as early as the first week in April; much earlier than typically seen. 

While few expected a repeat of the 2012 rendition of February showers bringing March flowers, this year has proved to provide exactly the opposite: March saw temps average substantially below normal and April definitely followed suit, with the weather leaving soil temperatures, and the subsequent signs of spring, substantially delayed. According to USDA reports (http://www.cnbc.com/id/100689095#_gus), last year at this time, nearly half of the corn crop had been planted, while this year, weather conditions have allowed for only 5% of this year’s corn crop to be planted. Given the forecast here in Valley was calling for snow last week (only second time in recorded history of snowfall in May), and the forecast for most of the corn belt remains cool and wet this week, it appears the corn crop will only be further behind. 

While the merchants and growers who race to have that first batch of fresh, local sweet corn available at farmers markets haven’t appreciated this spring postponement, this cooler weather, as a previous blog post on drought indicated, has at least played in the favor of short-term drought relief for many. Cool weather initially allowed for slow thawing and minimal runoff of what snowpack existed, and parts of the plains have experienced several rounds of light, but persistent, soaking rains, and through the eastern corn belt, the weather pattern favored adequate winter moisture followed by more recent heavy rains that have served to eradicate the drought conditions entirely; in fact, some areas of Iowa, Missouri, and Illinois have even had to battle record-breaking flooding. While areas of extreme and exceptional drought still exist across the plains, the overall trend of the past couple months has been for a gradual decrease in the coverage and intensity of the drought. 

That being said, with last year’s drought still fresh in all of our minds, there have been very few people in this part of the country not excited to see the April showers, though as planters continue to sit idle in sheds, sheltered from the late spring snow, anxious farmers are growing more and more antsy. Although delighted with the April showers we’ve had, most all of us are ready for more seasonable temperatures and the May flowers that are certainly soon to come; while we look forward to a favorable window for getting the 2013 crops in the ground, we’re hopeful for a sustained pattern of drought relief leading into a prosperous summer growing season!

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Dustin Wilcox Applications Specialist Dustin, an Eastern Nebraska native, joined Valley Irrigation in 2011. Today, he works in the Irrigation Applications department, providing product support to Valley dealers. Dustin most enjoys working with and implementing new irrigation technologies that strive to improve on-farm efficiencies, achieving conservation goals while subsequently improving farm profits.

In his spare time, you can find Dustin watching the weather and wandering the plains, where he logs over 10,000 miles every spring in his storm chasing vehicle. To date, he has filmed and documented well over 100 tornadoes.

Happy Arbor Day from Valley Irrigation!

Tomorrow, we celebrate Arbor Day, the holiday about planting trees! Arbor Day was first observed in Nebraska in the 1880s. For more history and fun facts about Arbor Day, visit www.ArborDay.org.

We're celebrating Arbor Day by sharing with YOU our most cherished "tree" memories!

	My first year of being married, my wife insisted we cut down our own Christmas tree. I had never done this as a kid, as we always bought one pre-cut at the lot. So we cut down this tree, bring it home, and put it up. It is the shortest, fattest tree ever – a total disaster (maybe a miscalculation on my part). In addition to that, for one month straight, it made this weird "clicking" sound at night and freaked us out. We kept thinking something was alive in it. So, next year, I bought an artificial tree and let the real ones continue to grow in the wild! - Matt Ondrejko, VP Global Marketing
	As I find myself more and more becoming that grouchy old man who yells at the neighborhood kids to “Keep off my lawn, dagnabbit!”, I occasionally find my memory taking me back in time to when I was in their shoes. I hope all of you have many happy memories from childhood; it isn’t that they get you through life, but they can be little “sweet spots” during the day when they come to mind. This Arbor Day, perhaps you, too, remember a favorite tree or woodland. For me, two trees come to mind. One is the white birch tree at my grandparents’ farm. We climbed it often, and the curling white bark was kind of wondrous to me. I still associate that tree with many fond memories of that place and those times. The other was a large pin oak growing in a vacant lot near my house in my home town. It, too, was a “climber”; not just for me but for the entire neighborhood. It naturally became a competition to see who could (and would) climb to the highest spot before your nerve failed. For an eight-year-old kid, it seemed that you could see clear into the neighboring state from up there. Of course, it also taught the importance of keeping a grip—sometimes, the “hard way”! - Kelly Downing, Global Irrigation Specialist
	I personally would not call myself a green thumb, but I do very much like my plants, and of course, my trees. Having only recently moved into a home that actually has its own yard (but no trees), my husband and I have proceeded to invest in some trees to spruce up the lot. Since we really, really like our trees, we have also proceeded to name each one, so now we have our two apple trees, Ohayo and Gozaimasu (think “Good Morning” in Japanese), a plum tree named Woody, and our lilac tree, Lilia.  However, my prides and joys (can a tree owner play favorites? Is that totally unfair?) are Valentine and Sally, my lemon and Satsuma (like a mandarin orange) trees. Valentine was my very first tree, purchased 6 years ago (on Valentine’s day, thus the name) during World Ag Expo in Tulare, CA. Since this show is in February every year, and I live in Nebraska, I had to protect Valentine when I got off the plane in snowy, cold Omaha by carrying him under my coat. Like a proud parent, I couldn't believe my eyes when, within the first year, little Valentine produced a lemon, which was quite tasty, I might add. Since then, Valentine has grown to be as tall as me, but has failed to produce another lemon. Sometime I get sad, sometimes frustrated, but I continue to fertilize and trim Valentine back in the hopes that next year, he will bloom and shower me with a windfall of lemons. Now, Sally, on the other hand, is producing Satsumas like crazy – three are growing right now, and there are 10 more buds that have recently turned into fruit. So while I will continue to love and tend to Valentine, I will be able to bask in the sweet fruit that Sally has produced…someday…if the fruit ever ripen!  So now, if anyone has any wise advice on how to make Valentine bloom and produce lemons, I am all ears! - Michelle Stolte, Global Marketing Manager
	I will never forget Christmas 1995, the setting for my tree tale. Like many girls my age that holiday season, Santa gave me a Kitty Surprise! For those of you unfamiliar with this toy, or have blocked it from your memory, Kitty Surprise! was a stuffed cat toy that had a hollow stomach held together by a piece of Velcro. Obviously, the "Kitty" in Kitty Surprise! is the plush cat I just mentioned, but the "Surprise" was the kittens that came in the cat's stomach...that's right. I was a very lucky girl - my cat came with 5 kittens, which was the most that could come with the toy (though, I later found out that it was all a scam, as my 3 friends who all received Puppy Surprise! also had 5 babies in the weird, hollow stomach of their toys).   My Aunt Susan found this toy to be both hilarious and awful. So, when I wasn't looking, she "catnapped" Kitty Surprise! and all of her kittens. Kitty Surprise! made it out safely, but the kittens...well, my Aunt Susan hid them in our Christmas tree. I looked around my house for hours until I found the kittens hanging on for dear life in the Christmas tree, which was dangerously leaning to one side, thanks to our cat (a real cat) Jasmine using it as a hiding spot...and Jasmine wasn't a small cat, by any means. - Kelly Cox, Global Digital Marketing Manager

Do you have a memory of a tree you'd like to share? We'd like to hear it! Click on the Comments box below to share your story. Happy Arbor Day, everyone!

How Will Planet Water Spend Valley Irrigation Donation? | by Jill Zwiener

Mark Steele and Michelle Stolte

Well, you guys did it! Through the Valley_® Water Their World™ promotion, the followers of our Valley Irrigation Facebook page helped to donate $1,000 to Planet Water, a non-profit organization that brings clean water to disadvantaged communities. The work that Planet Water does is life-changing, so by your participation, you’re now helping change lives, too!

Last week, Michelle Stolte, Valley Irrigation Global Marketing Manager, and I had the opportunity to spend some time with Mark Steele, Planet Water Founder and CEO. Not only did we get to see his cool new digs in the historic Bull Durham Building in downtown Omaha, NE, but we also had a chance to sit down and chat. He told us the money donated by Valley Irrigation will help fund the project they’ve implemented in Cambodia. This project supports schools and rural villages in the Siem Reap province (for those of you who are scratching your heads thinking, “Now where is that located?” it’s in the north/northwest part of the country). Gotta feel great about helping kids have fresh drinking water!

Mark said Planet Water has nearly 300 projects implemented in villages and schools in 10 countries in Asia. They have a number of new developments in the works, including looking to extend their childhood education programs into a community outreach program. The target will be caregivers and young children who are too young to attend school. What a great organization! We are proud that we had the opportunity to work with Planet Water and hope Valmont has the chance to continue the partnership!

Thanks again to everyone who was a part of the Valley Water Their World promotion! And don’t let the fact that we’ve already reached our goal stop you from giving more. Remember: You can make a difference!

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for information on future partnerships and information on Planet Water!