Growers Power Up Energy and Savings

If you’re a trend watcher, then you know that trends tend to travel from east to west. With variable frequency drives, it’s the other way around. And what an energy-conserving, money-saving trend it is!

As the name indicates, a variable frequency drive (VFD) allows the motor speed to change as water pressure needs vary. According to Tyler Fields, Valley_® Water Management product sales manager, VFDs have been used pretty heavily in the hills of the West and Northwest United States for quite some time.

“That’s where growers really needed consistent water pressure, and they quickly saw the benefits of power savings, too,” he says. “Now, we’re offering an additional money-saver, Drive Connect™. It communicates from the end of the pivot to the pump, so the VFD can maintain pressure at the end of the pivot.”

Ryan Christensen can attest to that. Though he’s been using variable frequency drives for just a couple of years in Washington, where he grows alfalfa, timothy, hay, wheat, corn, beans, and cherries, he already has six VFDs. Four of those have Drive Connect.

“The first one I bought sold me on the value of VFDs,” says Christensen. “I have a pivot that’s on a very steep elevation – the end of the pivot goes from way uphill to way downhill, so knowing what the pressure is at the end of that pivot makes a real difference.

“I switched from a 100 horsepower pump that ran all the time to a 50 horsepower that runs at half speed about half the time. So not only are my crops getting watered evenly now, but my power savings should be phenomenal on that one pump alone.”

Power conservation is a big factor when it comes to VFDs, according to Lad Irrigation Sales Manager Doug Muscott.

“Power providers in Washington are very interested in variable frequency drives,” Muscott says. “They help offset the capital cost for the irrigator, while conserving power. Basically, from the power company’s point of view, using a VFD allows more people to have more power available to them. It’s great green technology.”

Christensen says power incentives really help offset the cost of installing VFDs too.

In Alabama, Lee Sublett is pretty new to VFDs. He has two separate pump stations with VFDs. One is on a creek and fills his reservoir. The other floats in a reservoir and supplies six pivots.

Sublett, a customer with New Market Agricultural Equipment in New Market, Ala., says it takes $2,500 worth of electricity to fill the reservoir, which holds 200 acre-feet. That’s enough water capacity to supply 6 inches of water per acre on 400 irrigated acres.

“I can honestly say that this particular situation would not work with anything other than an electric VFD,” says Sublett. “When the reservoir is full, the pump floats on about 25 feet of water, about 65 feet out.

“It works perfectly. Powering it on and off is as easy as using a light switch. The motor builds up slowly to a preset pressure and then shuts down slowly, too. Also, I can shut down one or two – maybe even more – of my irrigation machines on the pump, and the VFD will adjust and slow itself down to adjust the pressure to those preset settings. The options are practically endless.”

“I really prefer the electric motor, and I love my VFD,” adds Sublett. “My next project will definitely include both.”

Reprinted from Valley PivotPoint magazine, Winter 2014

Why the ‘Three Legged Stool’ of Precision Ag Irrigation Matters | by AgSense

Having Precision Ag hardware or software isn't enough. Maybe this sounds weird coming from a company [AgSense] that sells hardware and software but trust us, you're going to want to read this.

Ever since Precision Ag was introduced into the irrigation segment of crop production, the advent of variable rate irrigation prescriptions, remote sensor monitoring and remote control of the irrigation equipment has led to an arms race among growers and companies to produce and implement the highest end programs to impact yield efficiency.

But none of it matters if there isn't a clear system to leverage the data you're collecting to make an impact on yield efficiency.


Think of Precision Irrigation as a 'three legged stool'

Precision Ag happens when hardware, software and agronomy work together. Done correctly, this should seamlessly provide the highest payback and trouble-free experience for the grower customer.

To achieve this harmony, there should be at least three people or groups of people involved in the Precision Irrigation process.

1. Growers
2. Agronomists
3. Hardware Supplier (example: local AgSense [or Valley] dealer)

If any single one of these groups are not collaborating properly, the whole program could fall apart.

Often times there are individuals that locally supply and support one "leg" of the stool but not the others. For growers, the challenge is knowing "who do I call about what?"

Each leg of the stool should understand the role the other two play

There needs to be strong personal relationships and lines of communication between each leg. For example, the agronomist maybe isn’t an expert on telemetry but understands what the equipment does, how it should work and who to call if it's not working.

Growers see the highest impact when they're committed to maintaining the process of keeping all relevant parties in communication with one another at the appropriate times.

Growers aren't alone in having to maintain this process, here are also some things that AgSense is doing to help solidify this ‘three legged stool.'
1. Online Resources - We've invested in making support material available to growers, agronomists, dealers and suppliers. You'll find many of them in our support section.
2. Boots on the ground - We currently have four locations from which to serve our customer base at a local level.
3.  Joint grower meetings - We regularly attend and host joint grower meetings where each leg of the stool is available to present information and answer questions. Along with that, we also conduct local dealer and grower training sessions, often done jointly.
4. Trade Shows - We're attending national and local trade shows and events in order to give customers an opportunity to speak to our staff and each other directly.
5. We're a call away - Our support center is available to growers and industry partners. You always talk to a real person who lives and breathes precision agriculture. Our number is 605-352-8350. 

How to strengthen your Precision Ag Process if you're a grower

1. Put your agronomist and hardware dealer on speed dial.
2. Make sure your agronomist and hardware dealer have each other's contact information.
3. Inform your agronomist of your goals for precision agriculture irrigation. 

These three simple steps will help get the conversation started or make it more efficient.

Do a good job of tapping the knowledge of the parties involved in maintaining Precision Ag on your operation and you'll reap the benefits.  

Reprinted with permission from the AgSense website.

The Love of Fall Harvest | by Jill Zwiener

It seems if you ask anyone in the farming/agriculture industry what their favorite part of the year is, most of the time you will hear “fall harvest.” There is something extra special about turning the calendar to October when harvest is in full swing.

It starts with walking out in the morning, a slight fog hangs in the air as you take in that first breath that is a little cooler than the months before. As everyone starts to gather in the field to begin harvesting, you feel a sense of excitement. The entire team is working together to get the year’s crop brought in.

The sights, the sounds, and the smells of harvest are so special. The sound of the combine shelling the corn. The aroma of the corn drying while a slight dust floats through the air. As the sun starts to set after a long day, the lights of the equipment and grain systems come on.

The mercury starts to drop and you reach for that light jacket to keep warm as you watch everyone coming in from the field. You shut down the equipment for the day and that's when you not only realize your love for fall harvest, but the love you have for taking care of the family farm. If you are lucky, you might even experience the joy of sharing this with your own children, knowing this might turn into their love as well and keep the cycle of family farming going.

The only thing that can make it better is catching a big, orange harvest moon coming up over the horizon on your drive home, knowing that in only a few short hours you get to start the process all over again. 

Happy fall harvest to everyone in the agriculture community! Take care and be safe this year!

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Jill Zwiener Brand Manager Jill joined the Valley Irrigation team in 2011. She loves country music, fountain soda, food, college football, and the ski slopes of Colorado. She enjoys using photography to freeze the precious bits of time with her family into pictures that she can cherish for years.

A Day in the Life of the American Farmer

Meet farmer Gary Hiam of Page, ND. He farms a fourth-generation farm with his four boys and his wife. 

We invite you to follow Gary through a day in the life of the American farmer.

Top 10 Reasons Being a Farmer Rocks

In case you ever need a reminder as to why you have the best job in the world as a farmer, check out the list that Fastline put together! (Think they forgot one? Add it in our comments section, or tells us your favorite part of being a farmer).

10. Outdoors – there’s nothing like the smell of fresh air, or even better, the smell of fresh cut hay!

9. Fun equipment – What other job do you get to drive large tractors, combines, sprayers, or anything else?

8. Weather – You always know the weather, even when you don’t want to.

7. You’re your own boss – Well besides Mother Nature – but she’s another story.

6. Job security – As long as there is land to farm and mouths to feed, farmers will have the most important job there is.

5. Farming communities – There is no community like a farm community. There are no strangers, just some people you might not know yet. When a farmer goes down, the whole town is there to pick up where he, or she, left off.

4. No need to clean – You have an excuse to be dirty and stay dirty. As Will Rogers so eloquently said, “What this country needs is dirtier fingernails and cleaner minds.” Dirty nails show more than dirt, they show work ethic, discipline, and the most selfless workers the world knows.

3. Knowledge - Who else but a farmer can tell you more about the weather than a weather man, more about a tractor than a mechanic, and more about their land than anyone else.

2. The view- Your office has the best view of anyone – the outdoors, the fresh smells, and the earth beneath your feet. What’s better than that?

1. The best part? You feed the world. There are not many other people who can say that about their job.

Reprinted with permission from Fastline.

Lessons From a Farm Kid | by Jenna Olmer

Here at Valley_® my job is training. I design courses covering service, sales, parts, and everything irrigation. I have always found so much value in education and teaching others. But sometimes it's easy to get caught up in the adult learning theory, simulations, and exams that come with formal learning, and I forget where some of my most important lessons were learned – right on the farm.

I was reminded of this the other day as I looked over an essay for my 12-year-old brother. Jarrett was assigned to write stories about his life for every letter of the alphabet. As I looked through his stories, I noticed a mix of brother rivalry, family vacations, harvest, planting, spraying, and everything in between, and it reminded me how much farming is less of a "job that my dad does" and more of a family lifestyle.

One story in particular caught my attention. It reminded me of the same lessons I learned early in life and made me proud of the industry I have chosen to contribute to today. After all, it helps put food on the table.

I is for Irrigation
By Jarrett

When you are a farmer in Nebraska there is no telling what the weather is going to be like so you better have an irrigation system just in case of drought. There are many different options to irrigate including flood irrigation, drip irrigation, and spray irrigation. We use the spray irrigation method which involves a center pivot. Pivots are handy during a dry spell but they are high maintenance.

At the beginning of the season we have to grease all the zerks on the pivot, including the knuckles on each tower that have a very inconvenient cover over them. Also we have to replace the oil in the engine and fill the huge tank with gas. Next, we mow the driveways leading to the base tower of the pivots.

A couple days later we get the pivot running with water for the first time. Now we have to drive along the pipe and make sure all the sprinklers are functioning correctly. One time there were a couple sprinkler plugs that busted and water started shooting straight up in the air, we could see the water from half a mile away.

About half way through the summer we go back to re-oil the motors and touch up the mowing with a weed eater. Sometimes irrigating prevents us from going on certain trips because we can’t just make someone else irrigate for us. If we were to just leave our crops in the middle of the drought they would die and if our crops die we are done-for that is our main paycheck, gone, down the drain. I might as well plan on going hungry a couple nights out of the year because we’re going to have to cut spending big time. I hope this shows you how important irrigation is and how stressful the gamble of farming can be.

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Jarrett Jarrett is a eighth-grader and is rarely seen without a basketball or football in hand. He lives on a farm with his parents and older brother, Carson, where he helps out with the hogs, cattle, corn, and soybeans. His four sisters visit often, and he enjoys entertaining his six nieces and nephews.

Jenna Olmer Senior E-Learning Instructional Designer Jenna joined Valley in 2012. She has a passion for development through education and holds a master’s in instructional technology. She has spent time working in a variety of industries (farming, retail, food service, meat packing, broadcasting, publishing, and technology services – to name a few) and learning in a variety of countries (Mexico, China, and Spain). Now that she has settled down, she enjoys gardening, refurbishing old furniture, and spending time with her husband and new baby girl.

Valley Values – Durability | by Matt Ondrejko

One thing that amazes and inspires me is seeing Valley_® center pivots in the field that have been operating for 30+ years. Around the world, it is not uncommon to meet a grower who is proud to tell you his first pivot was a Valley and it is still running today. Heck, here in Nebraska, you can still see original Valley water-drive units in operation.  

The Durability of a Valley pivot is known throughout the world. That Durability is a key reason why the majority of irrigators continue to buy and recommend Valley machines to their friends and neighbors. Our customers work hard and expect their equipment to do the same thing. Valley delivers on that expectation.

Here at Valley, we have made changes to bring technology and product enhancements to the market to meet the changing needs of our customers. However, one thing we build into any change or upgrade is the promise of Durability that made the Valley name what it is today. The Valley brand is built on our performance through the years. Future success requires us to uphold and strengthen the key traits anchoring that performance.

Lasting brands stand the test of time and persevere through all the elements they are exposed to. Through blazing heat and windy winters, Valley pivots stand tall and are built to last. That’s the Durability promise that you can count on.

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Matt Ondrejko VP Global Marketing The one word that can sum up Matt is "enthusiasm!" He likes to be on-the-go and have fun along the way. Matt loves music and the 1980s era. He is a child of the MTV generation and has a deep appreciation of all music genres (specifically, he is a huge Dave Matthews Band groupie). Matt has traveled to more than 70 countries around the world and enjoys learning about different cultures and people. He spent three years living with his family in Leuven, Belgium, trying to enjoy as many of the 700+ beers they brew there.

Valley Values – Reliability | by Matt Ondrejko

Reliability is a term/feature that gets thrown around a lot by companies nowadays when they talk about how much better their products are than other brands. In fact, it has become a word that many consumers have grown weary of. However, there are people in certain industries and lines of work that require Reliability as assurance that they are getting the best proven product and that they have one less thing to worry about on the job.

In my seven months here at Valley®, I have heard the word Reliability come out of the mouth of every grower and dealer I have met when they tell me why they chose a Valley product for their operation.  

Reliability is not a label that can just be slapped on a product, it has to be earned. Reliability is something gained by days and years in the field, performing at the same high level every time. Reliability is something that maximizes your up-time and provides that sense of security that you don’t need to worry if it will work when you press the ON button. Reliability is something that the people of Valley take very seriously, because our growers and dealers do. It is our reputation and our legacy that drives the reliability we have all come to expect from a Valley product.

Valley Reliability is not something I have created, or that the current staff here has created, but we continue to deliver it with every new product we bring to market. The Reliability expectation we have achieved has been developed and delivered on with every passing year. Reliability is a value we will continue to deliver on tomorrow and well into the future.  

This is our commitment to you.


Click below to learn more about the Reliability of Valley products.

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Matt Ondrejko VP Global Marketing The one word that can sum up Matt is "enthusiasm!" He likes to be on-the-go and have fun along the way. Matt loves music and the 1980s era. He is a child of the MTV generation and has a deep appreciation of all music genres (specifically, he is a huge Dave Matthews Band groupie). Matt has traveled to more than 70 countries around the world and enjoys learning about different cultures and people. He spent three years living with his family in Leuven, Belgium, trying to enjoy as many of the 700+ beers they brew there.

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.

Harvesting Pride – from the seat of a combine | by Brooke Stover

 Grandpa's $1,700 tractor Harvesting corn Grandpa Gene

Autumn is signified to me by many things: the changing of the leaves from green to shades of orange and red; the sun starts coming out a little later (making it a bit more difficult for some of us to get out of bed – not me of course, but some); and (something I have come to appreciate) the caravan of combines combing the fields of rural Nebraska.

I was asked to write about the harvest, which I don’t know too much about, but I did know who to ask. So I visited my grandparents farm just east of Fremont, NE. As I drove down the gravel roads through clouds of dust with my camera and list of questions, I thought I knew what answers I was going to get and exactly what I was going to learn. I was both wrong and right, as usual. (I will most likely never admit to that again, so take note.)

After I arrived, I sat down at the kitchen table with my grandparents, and they told me how farming has changed. Their first tractor cost $1,700 and fuel could be purchased for 30 cents a gallon! They told me that, once upon a time, both weeds and crops were picked by hand. I, of course, teased them for that – a lot of horse and buggy jokes ensued, followed by a few about running water. But, all jokes aside, I am proud of where my grandparents started and where they are now. 

So, I was there to ask questions and take some pictures, but then my grandpa asked if I wanted to combine with him. Of course I did – I hadn’t been in a combine since I was eight! 


As we made our way up and down the rows, I could see why my grandfather enjoys farming so much. You can look right behind you and see what you have accomplished. You can see the corn as it flows from the combine to the truck, then look back out at the field and see what’s left.

On the way down row two, my grandfather said, “Grandma asks me when I am going to stop farming.” My grandfather is 76-years-young (he looks, maybe, a day older than 60). “And I told her, why would I quit now when farming is becoming easier?” Smart guy. Then he showed me all the buttons on his combine and told me that GPS could run the combine for him, if he wanted it to.

By the end of the day, I did, in fact, learn something I already knew – that farming has become easier. But I also learned something I didn’t exactly know – the joys of farming and the pride a grower deserves to feel about what he can accomplish on the land he owns. Those are the same reasons I am proud to work at Valley_®. We provide products like BaseStation and TrackNET™, which make the grueling and time-consuming tasks of farming just a little bit easier, a little bit more manageable, and a lot more precise, while instilling pride in every grower who calls farming his occupation.

As for my grandfather, well, he’s probably never going to quit farming. Sorry grandma.

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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!