How Maintaining Constant Pressure on Your Pivot Can Save You 35 to 40 Percent in Pumping Costs | by Jonny Branom

Growers that use corner machines or have some elevation changes in their field know that there can be a big variance in pressure at the end of their pivot. In a typical corner machine, the difference in pressure can be as much as 35 to 40 PSI between when the corner is extended or retracted.

With a Valley Drive Connect^® and a Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) in your installation, you can maintain a constant pressure at the end of your pivot regardless of the elevation differences you may have, or the position of the corner machine if you use one.

Valley Drive Connect mounts on the end of your pivot and uses a pressure transmitter to measure pressure. The pressure feedback is then sent back to your VFD wirelessly, to adjust your pump speed to maintain constant pressure.

By only supplying your pivot the pressure it needs to operate correctly, you can save up to 40 percent in pumping costs, eliminate pressure spikes, prolong sprinkler regulator life and help prevent pipeline blow outs. Valley Drive Connect can also be used in conjunction with Valley Pump Connect^®. Now you can have pressure feedback from the end of your machine and on/off control from your pivot point, all wirelessly back to your VFD.

Valley Water Management and your local Valley dealer are committed to bringing you the very latest in money-saving pumping technologies. For more information, please contact your local Valley dealer.

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Jonny Branom Project Sales Manager – Valley Water Management Jonny joined Valley Water Management in 2013 as the Western project sales manager. He has more 15 years of experience in industrial automation, instrumentation, wireless controls and VFDs. Jonny has been working with Valley dealers for many years solving control and pumping needs. He lives with his wife, Tammy, and two children in Spokane, WA, and enjoys many outdoor activities around the Inland Northwest.

A Winning Formula from Valley Water Management | by Tyler Fields

With inflation on the rise and increased power costs, efficiency in pumping applications has reached critical mass. When it comes to the engineering and design of pump stations, Valley_® Water Management has produced a winning formula. Our mission is not only to serve our dealers and customers, but also to always seek and implement the most efficient pumping solutions possible. 

It’s not uncommon for us to completely redesign a project just for cost comparison with an end game of keeping that dollar in your pocket. How does that work? We can save hundreds of horsepower through the use of booster stations, if applicable, which could save thousands of dollars per year.

Another huge money saver is a Variable Frequency Drive (VFD). VFDs are used in aiding the startup of large pumps, which can eliminate demand charges (based on your local power company). The use of VFDs greatly increases the life of your pump motor through a patented “slow start,” as well as byu maintaining pressure instead of wasting it.

Another great tool is Pump Connect™, a product that provides a secure back-up plan when you’re not around. It simply mounts on your center pivot/linear and connects to your pump, enabling it to shut down your pump if the pivot safeties out or is shut off remotely. This one tool saves power, water, and prevents your field from flooding.

VWM is here to help you in your custom applications. Contact your local Valley dealer and get your farm in on a winning formula today!

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R. Tyler Fields Agricultural Engineer Tyler, an agricultural engineer specializing in land and water resources, joined Valley Water Management in April 2013. He had worked in the Valley network for many years, enabling him to work closely with the agricultural irrigation community in assessing the needs of the farm and other Ag industries. Tyler grew up on a dairy farm in south Florida and also has been involved in the daily operations of ranches and row crop farms. Working for VWM allows him to pair his education and his love for agriculture.

Pump Connect Simplifies Pivot Operation | by Wade Sikkink

New technology and improved farm equipment would seem to have made a farmer’s job easier, but the reality is that it’s just changed what farmers have to do. Farming is still a hard job. There are so many things vying for a farmer’s time that he needs to use these new technology products just to keep up.

Because fewer and fewer growers are farming more and more acres, today’s farmer has to become an expert not only in his crops, but in the technology and automation necessary to make a modern farm successful.

For example, a typical farmer today could be farming 2,000 acres essentially by himself. If his farm is irrigated, that means he’s keeping track of 12 to 15 center pivots and the pumps that supply those pivots. If those pivots and pumps are checked a couple times a day, that could be more than 50 separate stops during the farmer’s day. Yikes! Automating some of that work can make a huge difference in the amount of time a farmer has available in any given day.

Pump Connect

Valley_® Irrigation has been a leader in remote control and monitoring of center pivot irrigation equipment for decades. With products like Valley Basestation and TrackNet™, farmers can fully control and monitor their pivots remotely. Now, Valley Water Management is introducing Pump Connect™ to automate the operation of pumps supplying center pivots and other irrigation equipment.

Pump Connect is radio system that wirelessly connects a center pivot control panel to a pump control panel. When installed, Pump Connect will remotely start a pump when the center pivot calls for water. Now, all a grower has to do is go to his pivot , start the machine with “Water On,” and the pump will start automatically, saving the grower a trip to the pump site. If the pivot shuts off for any reason, such as “Stop-in-Slot” or a safety shutdown, the pump will stop automatically.

Here’s an experience a grower in Georgia recently had with Pump Connect. The grower stopped by the field to check his pivot, which was running fine. Twelve hours later, he stopped by again and the machine was stopped. About an hour after his first stop, one of the towers had gotten stuck in a wheel rut and the machine shut down. Pump Connect shut off the well when the pivot shut down. The grower was quick to point out that without Pump Connect, the well would have continued to run for the next 10 hours with the pivot not moving, making a huge mess!

Pump Connect is available for a variety of pivot/pump combinations. Not only can you wirelessly connect one pivot to one pump, but with the Multi versions of the product, you can connect a single well to multiple pivots, or multiple wells to a single pivot. In Texas, we have farmers using Pump Connect to control multiple wells pumps that feed a ditch to supply a linear. Pump Connect also can be used on engine-driven pumps to shut the pump down when the pivot shuts down.

Farmers today are as busy as ever, even with the advent of new time-saving technology. Pump Connect gives growers an easy, affordable way to automate the operation of the pumps that supply their pivots and provide them with peace of mind when the pivot shuts down. 

For more information on the new Pump Connect from Valley Water Management, contact your local Valley dealer, or visit www.valleyirrigation.com/PumpConnect.

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Wade Sikkink Director - Valley Water Management Wade joined Valley Irrigation in 2008 as a Product Manager. He has spent a lot of time in the field working with dealers and growers on developing new products. In 2012, Wade changed roles to lead a new division within Valley Irrigation focused on pumping systems for center pivots called Valley Water Management.  When he’s not working, Wade enjoys hunting, fishing, and spending time with his wife and three children on their acreage in rural Nebraska.