A Little Preventive Care Will Keep Your Pivots Running | by Shannon Peterson

An in-season center pivot breakdown is costly - not just in repair fees, but in lost irrigation days and possible yield loss. To help keep your irrigation equipment up and running, we've gathered some in-season maintenance tips because investing a little time in preventive action is always better than correcting a major failure.

• Check the end pressure on your center pivot periodically. Water pressure is vital to ensuring your center pivot operates properly. Install a gauge and check your machine’s pressure occasionally throughout the growing season. If your pressure drops below the suggested PSI, your crops may not be getting the proper amount of water - and that can lead to yield loss. 
• Check the pressure at your end tower because 50 percent of your crops are irrigated by the sprinklers on the last 30 percent of your center pivot. If the correct pressure is being delivered to the end of your machine, then the rest of your machine and all your sprinklers are getting the right amount of pressure too. Ensuring your outer sprinklers are watering correctly is crucial because it directly affects your yields.
• Water application is at the heart of what you do, in order to do this as best possible; sprinkler packages need to be maintained to a high degree of accuracy. Regularly check for broken or worn sprinkler components and replace them as necessary. Generally, sprinkler packages should be replaced at least every 10,000 hours of operation.
• Maintaining the correct tire pressure also is essential to the operation of irrigation equipment; the correct tire pressure ensures that floatation for a particular tire is maximized and the rolling circumference is consistent to what Valley_® uses on timer chart calculations. Be sure to periodically check tire pressure and adjust it to specification. 
• Don’t forget to tighten wheel lug nuts and evaluate the overall tire condition. All tires lose pressure over time and lose or gain about 1 PSI per 10 degrees F of temperature change.
• To maximize the life of your drive train and keep it operating trouble-free, periodically drain any water that accumulates in the gearbox and center drive, and make sure the gear lubricant is at the proper level.
• Consider regularly recording outlet pressure, flow rate, and energy use. This information can provide an excellent means of evaluating your pump and motor performance.

For more tips, follow us on Twitter (@ValleyPivots) and watch for our Friday #DYK (Did You Know) tips.

Have a great growing season!

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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.

Preseason Irrigation | by Travis Yeik

As the weather warms and the days grow longer here in the United States, you’re preparing for the planting season. But, before you rush out of the house and sow some seeds in the ground, you might want to consider preseason irrigation. Preseason irrigation, also known as preplant irrigation, is the application of water during fallow periods in order to help seed germination and early plant growth.

Studies investigating irrigation practices in the 1980s and 1990s generally concluded that in-season irrigation was more practical than preseason irrigation due to the fact that winter precipitation could replenish the soil water profile. However, due to recent drought conditions, winter precipitation has not provided the necessary moisture required for preparation of the planting season. A rootzone soil moisture map (below), created on April 8th by scientists at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, shows below-average conditions throughout the central and southwestern United States.

A recent study₁ in Kansas demonstrated that preseason irrigation amounts of 1.5 inches (applied separately in two passes several days apart with a sprinkler pivot) increased maize grain yields by an average of 16 bushels/acre. These returns were greatest when in-season irrigation amounts were limited to 0.7 inches/week and when planting densities were 27,500 plants/acre. Therefore, if water restrictions are tight this year, preseason irrigation may prove to be a successful strategy for you.

We want to hear from you! Do you have any questions on preseason or in-season irrigation? Click on the Comments link below to ask us your question!

1. Schlegel, A. J., Stone, L. R., Dumler, T. J., and Lamm, F. R. 2012. Managing diminished irrigation capacity with preseason irrigation and plant density for corn production. Transactions of the ASABE. 55(2): 525-531.

Travis Yeik Variable Rate Irrigation Agronomist Travis joined Valley Irrigation in February 2013 after completing his graduate degree at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln. His work focuses on writing prescriptions for the Valley VRI products. As a native of Wyoming, Travis enjoys outdoor activities, including fly fishing and hiking. He also enjoys sports and is looking forward to baseball season.