Can High-Tech Irrigation Work in Rural Africa?

Valley_® has been working in Africa for many years. Recently, we have committed to developing a model of shared pivots for smallholder farmers.

Those efforts took a giant step forward recently with the development of a partnership between International Water Management Institute, the Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Institute (DWFI) at the University of Nebraska, World Vision and Valmont_® Industries, Inc.,

Here, DWFI research director Christopher Neale explains the Circles project, the collaborative initiative to introduce a modern pivot irrigation equipment in rural Tanzania. 




What do think? Can a project like this work? Share your comments below!

Valmont Irrigation Western Europe and West Africa is Beginning its European and African Tour | by Pauline Merz

That’s it, it’s done: the Valmont_® Irrigation Western Europe and West Africa (WE&WA) team has scheduled its tour for the pleasure of the irrigation farmers. We are touring in support of our new products VFlex™ Corner, advanced control technologies, and the world’s longest 72 m span, as well as what has made our reputation - the  Model 8120 center pivot and the Universal Linear.

We will present in different places of the world: France (INNOVAGRI 2014- Sept 2-4 in Outarville and AQUANIDE 2014: Sept 22-24 in Saint-Pierre d’Amilly), Italy (EIMA 2014- Nov 12-16 in Bologna) and Nigeria (AGRA INNOVATE 2014: Nov 18-20 in Lagos).

These events will be a new opportunity for the Valley_® brand to meet their Valley equipment users, which is always a great moment spent together to exchange experiences and discuss projects and future strategies for good and durable agricultural practices.

Not yet fond of Valley? Don’t worry! You still have time to come see it for yourself and let yourself be convinced that Valley irrigation equipment and technology are the best that you can find in the industry of mechanized irrigation.

For the organization of this tour, as always, Valmont Irrigation WE&WA team will be supported by their most faithful fans who are their professional regional dealers, without whom no tour is possible: France (Groupe Lecoq, Ets Cornet, Chesneau AgriTech; Ballanger, Billaud-Segeba, Electro’Tech Service), Italy (Agriosso, Agrostar, Consorcio) and Nigeria (SCOA).

If you need further information about the Valmont Irrigation WE&WA Tour, take a look at the following websites.

• innovagri.com
• www.salon-aquanide.fr
• www.eima.it
• www.informa-mea.com/agrainnovate

After that, you will understand why Valley is the worldwide leader in the mechanized irrigation industry. So don’t waste your time: save the dates and come to see us!

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Pauline Merz Marketing Responsible - Western Europe & West Africa Pauline joined Valmont Irrigation in 2012. After being in charge of the French market (Spare Parts and Marketing activities), she became Marketing Responsible for Western Europe & West Africa. Native of France, Pauline has been living in Spain for 3 years. She enjoys meeting new people and discovers other cultures through their way of life. Pauline is also fond of sports such as mountain biking, trekking and tennis.

Why It's Better to Grow Tomatoes With a Valley Center Pivot Than With Drip | by Antoine Quily

We asked a production farmer in Senegal why it’s better to grow tomatoes with a Valley_® center pivot than with drip? This is the story he told us:

“From 1972 to 1995 we had 11 pivots, the equivalent of 600 hectares (ha). The pivots had reached the end of their potential and, we decided not to continue making our own cultures and not to renew the pivots.

In 1995 drip irrigation was fashioned, so we just kept a 70 ha farm with drippers and we gave up the pivots. I arrived in 2007 as production farmer, so I reclaimed land, which was primarily drip. In 2009, we bought a Valley pivot and so we went back to the pivot technology!

A Valley center pivots on tomatoes in Senegal.

I made this choice because with a Valley center pivot you can keep the temperature around the vegetation cooler. Here, the growing season is during the dry period of the year, so we really want to control the climate, especially if there is a major hot streak that can often happen. 

Other pivot benefits are operating costs that are well below drip irrigation, simplicity, and reliability.

In the tomato industry, I have noticed that with straight fertilizers, insoluble fertilizer, and soluble supplements, the culture goes very well. With pivots, the inputs are much cheaper than with soluble fertilizers we use with the dripper.

Working pressure between the pivot and the drip system is fairly equivalent, sometimes the pivot requires even lower pressure than drip. Our 60 ha Valley pivot works at 2.6 bars in the center. For drip, I work with 14 ha areas, and I need 1 bar in each one. So with drip I need at least 4.5 at the pump. Therefore, I have less gas/oil/m3 consumption on the pivot.

Drip irrigation maintenance also is much more expensive: I reinvest in valves each year because they break. I have to pay irrigators because the valves need to be opened and closed, and I have to change the material because the drip lines must be changed every year.

The Valley center pivot also a one very big advantage: here we don’t control the rain, but we are able to still work the soils with moisture provided by the pivot. Pivots can do it: you water what you want and then work the soils as needed, which includes controlling weeds. A Valley center pivot can do everything you need!”

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Antoine Quily Sales Territory Manager for West Africa and Northern Europe Antoine joined Valley Irrigation in 2010. After supervising linear constructions in Eastern Europe during his first year with Valmont®, he became Territory Manager for West Africa and Northern Europe. A native of France, Antoine has been traveling all his life, and has lived in Central African Republic, Reunion Island, and now Spain. He likes sports, music and spending time with his friends.

Save Energy and Money With Variable Frequency Drives | by Wade Sikkink

When growers look to invest in new products or technology for their farming operation, they generally expect to get one of two things out of the investment. It will either increase their output (yield) or it will reduce their operating costs. Either one is a good thing. When growers invest in irrigation equipment they tend to be focused on the yield side of the equation. Adding center pivot irrigation will give a grower higher, more reliable yields, and he can expect that equipment to pay for itself in a reasonable amount of time.

However, irrigation is not just about increasing yield. The equipment and pumping stations have operational costs, so growers also look for ways to reduce those costs. A great way to do that is by using Variable Frequency Drives on your electric pumps. A Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) is an electronic device that can change the frequency of the supplied power to a pump or other electric motor. This means that the pump doesn’t always have to operate at the same speed, but can operate at different speeds depending on demand. 

Let me use an example to illustrate. Corner machines are a great way to add additional irrigated acres to your investment in a center pivot. A typical corner machine on a quarter-mile pivot can pick up as much as 25 acres. However, corner machines can have a big effect on your pumping system. The difference in flow between when the corner machine is extended vs. retracted can be 35 percent or more. That’s significant! If your pump only operates at one speed, and is sized correctly to provide the right amount of water when the corner machine is extended, then it’s going too fast and providing more pressure and flow than necessary when the corner machine is retracted. The bottom line is the pump is using more energy than necessary, increasing your operating costs.

Here’s where the VFD comes in. If there is a VFD controlling the pump, it can reduce the speed of the pump as the corner machine retracts and continue to provide only the needed pressure and flow. The pump is then running at a slower speed and using less energy; therefore, saving money!

The corner machine example I used above strongly illustrates the benefit of using a VFD for your pumping system, but there are many other applications that can benefit just as much from a VFD, including rolling terrain, Benders, VRI, multiple pivots on a single pump, etc.

Valley_® Water Management is focused on designing and building the best possible pumping solutions for growers. We have partnered with Yaskawa™ Electric America to make Yaskawa VFDs available on our custom-engineered pump stations, which are available to Valley dealers for all their pumping applications. Yaskawa is the leader in VFD technology for agriculture applications and its VFD software includes the most control and protection features available on the market today.

In a future post, I’ll tell you about another new product from Valley Water Management called Drive Connect.

To learn more about Valley Water Management VFDs, visit our website.

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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.

Middle East Dealerships Provide Unique Service Offerings | by Adrian Cliffe

In the Middle East market, we have a lot of large-scale projects with investors. Some of these investors have limited experience when it comes to managing large-scales farms. When that happens, the irrigation equipment is often overlooked and not correctly maintained. 

A large-scale farm project in the desert.

This type of equipment neglect can mean the return on investment is drawn-out and can lead to a lot of unhappy investors. 

To address this, a lot of Middle East Valley_® dealerships are offering 24-hour service contracts. The dealerships have full-time, trained employees based on the farms to respond quickly to any equipment issues that may arise.

The Middle East dealerships also offer support to all farmers. In the Middle East, flow meters are often not sold with systems. Therefore, customers don’t know if their pumps are applying the correct amount of water for the crops. 

Our dealers offer a solution using a digital flow meter. They visit the farmers monthly, quarterly, or even yearly to update the farmer on a pump's performance. 

This all leads to offering better support to the end user and making sure that Valley equipment is always working at its most efficient. It also creates a win-win partnership for everyone and happy investors.

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Adrian Cliffe Territory Sales Manager for Egypt, Turkey, Oman, and UAE Adrian has been working for Valmont® Irrigation for more than 3 years. He is an agricultural engineer and has worked for the largest suppliers of machinery in Ireland. He enjoys designing and manufacturing farm machinery. Adrian was a member of the Middle East hurling team that won the international championship last year. He also plays soccer and likes going to the movies and relaxing at the pool.

Australia and New Zealand Dealers Share Ideas | by Martin Porter

Valmont Irrigation Australia entertained a few dealers on the Gold Coast in early June. It is the first time in many years that the dealers from Australia and New Zealand got together to swap ideas and meet those from different areas.

We talked about new products, competitive advantages, and dealer development, which we will be rolling out in the next few months. Guest speakers from Nelson Irrigation and Valley Finance shared information about their products as well.

After the hard work in the rooms of the Hilton on the Gold Coast, it was time to let our hair down at the Outback Spectacular. Unfortunately, not all the dealers that attended the training could join us due to meetings and Irrigation Conference commitments. The dealers that did go were impressed with the show put on that night, including a Tribute to Phar Lap, a great Australian race horse from back in Australia’s racing history.

The Irrigation Conference, June 4-5, had good attendance from the irrigation industry. At the Valley stand, we promoted Variable Rate Irrigation, GPS Guidance, BaseStation3™, and all our other products. There was much interest in BaseStation3 from dealers and farmers alike. We look forward to the roll out of this product over the next few months.

Martin Porter Territory Sales Manager, Valmont Irrigation Australia Martin has been involved with pumps since 1986 and irrigation since 1994. In 2003, he realized the future was efficiency in water movement and application, which led to his eventual position with Valmont. He has also worked in power generation, project management, total quality management, and real estate. In his spare time, Martin enjoys water sports, particularly sailing. He is a yachting instructor and trains up-and-coming Naval cadets.

The Bitter-Sweet of Farming in South Africa | by Jacqueline Lourens

Farmers from around the globe will agree that farming is hard work and takes a lot of responsibility. It is certainly not an easy money-making venture either. 

Farmers today are businessmen and women and even entrepreneurs in their own right. They need to understand agriculture economics and farm politics as well as the art, science, and technicalities behind the operations on a farm.

Farming in South Africa can be extremely dangerous. Farm attacks in South Africa have reached its highest level in eight years. It is often said that being a farmer in South Africa is much more dangerous than being a police officer. 

Although current technology allows farmers to spend fewer hours working in the fields, life for many farmers can still be difficult. They need to overcome climatic, environmental, economic, and political factors to secure their livelihood. Abrupt seasonal weather changes, such as floods, early frost, and drought, cause problems for farmers including loss of stock and crops.

Food and agriculture is at the heart of our civilizations. As the population increases, so does the need for food and other agricultural products. Maize is South Africa’s most important crop. It is a dietary staple and source of livestock feed.

South African farmers realize that the food security of millions of people rest on their shoulders. For this reason, they face the everyday dangers and hardships associated with farming. After all, farmers farm for the love of farming.

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Jacqueline Lourens Personal Assistant Jacqueline has been with Valley Irrigation of Southern Africa since 2011. Jacqui loves being part of the marketing team where she spends most of her time tending to the needs of two sales managers in an extremely challenging and fast-paced environment. In her spare time, Jacqui cranks up the volume and listens to music of all genres. She enjoys reading horror and suspense novels and her favourite author is Stephen King. Jacqui has an immense passion for animals and nature, and enjoys camping and hiking. She believes that life doesn’t provide any guarantees… it only provides possibilities and opportunities for those who dare to make best use of it.

Striving to Help Africa’s Small Farmers | by Shannon Peterson

It’s hard to deny that the effects of center pivot irrigation have been revolutionary. Nowhere is that more visible than in the United States where widespread conversion to center pivot irrigation has transformed agriculture and the landscape.  By using mechanized irrigation equipment, U.S. growers increased their revenue and their crop yields. Farmers grow more food with less water while being released from the drudgery of conventional irrigation methods and putting their labor to better use.

On a global scale, aggressive investments in irrigation, hybrid seeds, and fertilizer during the past 50 years have brought famine and poverty under control in Latin America, China, and South Asia. Yet most of Sub-Saharan Africa has made little progress during this same time period.  Limited investment in technology and infrastructure resulted in limited commercial farming in the region. 

Throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, more than 90 percent of the farmers are subsistence farmers. They spend half their annual incomes on food, leaving little money for education, health, and housing needs. (In contrast, only 6 percent of U.S. annual household income is spent on food). 

An exception is South Africa where Valley_® introduced center pivots in the 1970s. In South Africa, pivots are used primarily by medium and large commercial farmers, who have experienced tremendous success. The same drivers of this success can serve as a model for small growers, and Valley Irrigation is working to develop a model of shared pivots for smallholder farmers.

Many African smallholder farmers remain poor because they depend on unreliable rainfall, making them vulnerable to drought and climate change. Although these disadvantages could be completely eliminated by irrigation, center pivots are often cited as too expensive for Africa’s farmers. 

However, if small farmers share a center pivot, the cost drops dramatically. Figures 1 and 2 demonstrate the dramatic reduction in cost of a center pivot once the radius of the field exceeds 300 meters.

Figure 1

Figure 2

An association of smallholder farmers, or a large commercial producer serving as an irrigation and crop marketing provider, can own and operate the center pivot in cooperation with the smallholder farmers. This approach puts precise, efficient irrigation technology into the hands of small farmers, and the impact on farm production is dramatic because water is available where and when the crop requires it.  

Widespread use of this model could turn subsistence farmers into profitable commercial farmers by increasing yield and empowering farm workers. That's Valley, leading the way and feeding the world! 

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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.

Simple vs. Easy | by Kelly Downing

I (and I am sure many others) often blur the meanings of the terms “simple” and “easy.” We are all familiar with the adage “the best plan is a simple plan." I think most people inherently find this principle sound. Where it falls apart is the reality that simple does not equate with easy. There are many activities that are relatively complex, but we view as being easy. To use a couple of extreme examples, things like tying your shoes, riding a bicycle, or brushing your teeth require some relatively complex motor skills. Most of the time, though, they are considered easy to do (except with a broken wrist!). On the other hand, if we consider Omaha Beach on D-Day, the strategy for our heroes was relatively simple—jump from the landing craft, advance past the beach, and continue inland. Nothing could be farther from easy.

Valmont Irrigation Territory Sales Manager and
Valley dealer with crew

I was reminded of this difference recently while visiting a new rice operation. This was a brand-new development, growing rice in a desert area never before tilled. In theory, the process is relatively simple: plant, fertilize, irrigate, and control weeds. In practice, this is a daunting challenge. Our friends have made a lot of progress, but there are problems. As we toured the field and looked at conditions, I was reminded how difficult it is to start an entirely new enterprise like this. Building the infrastructure to supply water, installing the pivots, and getting the crop in the ground required a big investment in money, effort, and will.

Nevertheless, they were able to build the water supply system, install the irrigation equipment, and get the crop planted. They also have been diligent in irrigating and doing various field operations—herbicide application, fertilizing, etc. Unfortunately, a couple of “simple” things are causing some big headaches. The primary issue is weed control. As we have found in other areas, desert soils can grow many things quite well, if irrigated. This includes weeds, of course. In fact, with great water and fertility, they grow like… well, like weeds! Now the weeds have almost taken over the crop. The farm operators are working to battle this issue, but it is a tough slog. They decided to hand-weed and continue the fight.

Taken at sunset from my hotel room

As we all realize, there are a few factors that contribute to this issue. One is equipment, as they use hand-held sprayers to apply herbicide. This really limits the uniformity, concentration, and timeliness of the herbicide applications. Probably the biggest factor, though, was the limited number of products available. Relying on only one or two herbicides can really limit options. It appears that, in this instance, they “brought a knife to a gunfight.”

Fortunately, these are bright, motivated people, and they are working diligently to solve their problems. I am confident they will find and implement the procedures necessary to succeed with future crops. It will not be “easy,” but then, how many worthwhile accomplishments are? We will certainly revisit this project in the future, and I am sure there will be better news to report. It is important to remember that the first time any of us try something new, we never produce our best results. So, even when things look daunting early, we observe, learn and adapt to achieve success.

Now, I just need to remember these principles the next time I hear some goober (like myself) look at a situation from the outside and ignorantly say “It’s simple. All you need to do is…” Yeah, it may be simple, but that doesn’t mean easy. If it was easy, anybody could do it!

So, as you go out and face the challenges of your own operation, keep your chin up and keep fighting the good fight. It is a new growing season, and already there have been unique challenges in different locations. Keep working the situation, make good decisions and do what you can. Have a safe and prosperous growing season, and stay in touch!

For more information on the Valley Circles for Rice project, visit www.CirclesForRice.com. 

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	Kelly Downing Global Irrigation Specialist Kelly, Nebraska-based Irrigation Specialist, spent 10 years working on soil and water research projects for a major agricultural university, involving a variety of crops. His work focused on irrigation management, but also included other topics.
Since joining Valley Irrigation, he has worked in the fields of Service, Product Management, Product Reliability and Sales. Kelly focuses on developing projects in irrigation field management and providing recommendations for the Circles for Rice project. Kelly has traveled to several countries providing technical support, such as soil moisture monitoring and irrigation management training.

The Valley Irrigation Product Video is Now Available to Watch in English, Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, French, Chinese, and Arabic | by Kelly Cox

We are pleased to announce the availability of the Valley_® Irrigation product video in English, Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, French, Chinese, and Arabic! Click any of the videos below to watch them from this blog. You can expand each video to view on full screen mode, as well as share each video (which we highly encourage!).

Be sure to visit the Valley Irrigation YouTube Channel for the latest demonstrations, product information, and announcements!

What Valley products or services do you want to learn more about? Leave us a note in the Comments box below - we want to hear from you!

English

Español (Spanish)

Pусский (Russian)

Português (Portuguese)

Français (French)

中文 (Chinese)

العربية (Arabic)

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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.

Circles for Rice Update | by Kelly Downing

In the Northern Hemisphere, spring is here and rice is in (and out of) the ground! We have been waiting and preparing all winter for the new crop; now, finally, we get to start growing again. I have to admit, I prefer autumn, with the harvest and sense of completion and accomplishment it brings. However, it is really nice, after a long winter, to get into the field and get the new crop going.

This year, Valley Irrigation has a total of five cooperators in three states: Texas, Missouri, and Arkansas.

In the Missouri and Arkansas areas, much of the new rice crop has been planted, and is now emerging, while planting moves north. This week, we will begin installing soil monitoring instrumentation into the rice fields of our cooperators. Dennis Robison and Chad Price farm right along the Missouri/Arkansas state line; they got into the fields early and their rice is up and growing. Both are “old hands” at this process—Dennis grew rice under his Valley center pivot in 2010, and Chad did it last year. Both produced excellent results, and are primed for another good crop this year. This week, we will install soil water sensors in their fields, which will be used to schedule irrigation. Other growers will be added to the system as they get their crop up and growing.

Soil Moisture Monitors | installed on a rice field

This is one way we increase our knowledge of the process—we monitor soil water status of rice under pivots in several fields each summer. This helps us fine-tune our irrigation recommendations. It is a great management practice for any irrigator to use, but is especially critical with rice, due to the shallow root zone and resulting small margin for error.

We all have biases, and one of mine is toward data-based irrigation management. Estimating evapotranspiration (ET), or crop water use, and using sensors to verify this information is critical for effective, efficient irrigation. Effective irrigation means making sure the crop gets all the water it needs to maximize production. Efficient irrigation means using the least possible resources (water, energy, labor) to accomplish this. Using ET data helps calculate when, and how much, to water the crop. Since these are estimates, we also recommend using sensors to periodically verify that, over time, the estimates are correct.

So, the (generally) warm spring has given most producers the chance to finish field operations in a timely manner, so planting and other activities seem to be proceeding at a pretty optimum pace. I hope you have a safe, enjoyable spring, and I look forward to sharing our progress with you as we work through the summer. Check back and let us know what is going on in your part of the world.

Circles for Rice | Brazil Update by Kelly Downing

Sáo Borja

Sáo Paolo

I was able to visit several fields in Brazil during a visit November 8 - 15. We really covered a lot of country. Once again, I was struck by the wonderful people, as well as by the great beauty and agricultural potential of Brazil. It was a great pleasure to be hosted by Embrapa Professor Jose Parfitt during part of the trip.


Pelotas and Bage areas:
Embrapa: Unusually cool, wet spring, so delayed emergence (planted September, just now emerging). Jose Parfitt (Pelotas) and Naylor Perez (Bage) leading the research, focused on variety, irrigation scheduling, and fertility issues, as well as rotation into forage system.

São Borja area:
Farrouphilha: Professor Marcelino Knob is researching rice in rotation under a pivot. The rice is just emerging, due to cool weather. There may be some interaction with antecedent crop/herbicides.
Renam Toniazzo: São Borja area, rice looks very good. No disease or weed problems. Good crop last year, expects another successful year.
A first-year Circles for Rice grower farms 2,000 ha of rice at this location with his brother and father. Rice planted in September and looks wonderful - thick and lush. A few spots of clomazone damage, but will recover. Some areas of the field should be monitored for wheel track issues.

São Paolo state:

Lagoa Bonita: volunteer wheat from previous crop dominates the field. They planned to use Aura (profoxydim). I hope it works.
Lagoa Farm: in this field, volunteer edible beans from antecedent crop has taken over most of the field. It is tough to treat, since bordering fields contain both edible beans and soybeans. Volunteer beans are infested with anthracnose, so their agronomic consultant has advised them to wait for the volunteers to die.
First-year Circles for Rice grower: very nice crop, planted in late September. We saw some spots with stunted plants, may be iron chlorosis, zinc, or sulfur shortage.