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

2013 Valley Field Days | by Kelly Cox

In years past, we have hosted field days dedicated to rice production under center pivots and linears. This summer, we are expanding the focus of our field days to include sessions on other crops and irrigation equipment! Below are the our field day dates, locations, and topics.

Friday, July 26 | Ames, NE

Time: 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Location: Taylor Farms | 1969 Country Rd 14 Blvd | Ames, NE 68621
Topic: Corn and Soybeans

Monday, August 26 | Fair Oaks, IN

Time: 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Location: Fair Oaks Dairy | 856 N 600 East | Fair Oaks, IN 47943
Topic: Wastewater Management

Monday, September 9 | Minden, NE

Time: 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Location: CSS Farms | 2016 32 Road | Minden, NE 68959
Topic: Vegetables and Potatoes


For a list of presentation topics and speakers, and to register for one or all of the field days, visit ValleyIrrigation.com/FD2013. 

We look forward to seeing you this summer!

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Kelly Cox Global Digital Marketing Manager Kelly joined the Valley Irrigation Global Marketing Department in 2008. Her love of all things geek (steampunk furniture, anime, Doctor Who, and science fiction/fantasy literature, just to name a few) helped shape her appreciation for technology and the web. Kelly is a newlywed and new homeowner, where she shares her geekery with her husband and cat Kiba. She considers herself a wine connoisseur (though, 3 buck Chuck is delicious!) and has a love of painting, dance, and singing.

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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