Center-pivot irrigation is now coming to smaller and irregularly shaped fields. Since Valley Manufacturing (later Valley Irrigation) licensed the patents in the 1950s, center pivots have become the dominant form of irrigation. The systems have also grown ever larger. While the average size is around 1,300 ft, Valley’s 8000 series has a maximum radius of 2,800 ft, or more than half a mile. The latest introduction from the company is a dramatic change in size.
“Center pivots have typically provided their best return on investment on larger fields,” says Nick Scates of Valley Irrigation. “However, our Small Field Center Pivots are designed to allow farmers with fields from 25 to 60 acres to get the benefits of center pivot technology.”
Scates has a personal interest in smaller center pivots. He grew up on a farm on the Ohio River’s edge.
“Our fields varied from 5 acres to 200,” he recalls. “Our larger fields had center pivots to maximize production, but they didn’t fit the small fields.”
Introducing a center pivot that makes sense for small fields required the company to rethink its design.
“We scaled down our larger systems without compromising design quality,” says Scates. “We went from our traditional 4-leg pivot with a 6 5/8-in. riser to a 3-leg pivot with a 5-in. riser and a triangular pad, built for one to five spans.”
Customers can delete the collector ring required for continuous rotation, further reducing the cost of a system in an irregularly shaped field. Fewer barricades at field boundaries for a partial-circle machine with one to five spans, compared with 10 to 15 spans, also provides savings.
What hasn’t changed is the precision irrigation technology. Like their larger siblings, Small Field Center Pivots offer remote control, monitoring and machine diagnostics via Valley’s AgSense 365. They’re also compatible with Valley ICON digital panels featuring a touchscreen interface and push-button control.
“The Small Field Center Pivots can be managed as part of the farm’s fleet, just like the larger systems on the larger fields,” says Scates.
He suggests that farmers interested in the smaller systems contact their Valley Irrigation dealers for design and cost estimates.
“Center pivot systems for small and irregularly shaped fields really need to be custom-tailored for the operation,” says Scates. “Visit our website to learn more.”
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Valley Irrigation Headquarters, 28800 Ida St., Valley, Neb. 68064 (ph 402-359-2201; irrigation@valmont.com; www.valleyirrigation.com).