06/09/05 Making center pivots more efficient

Farm and Ranch June 9, 2005 Saving on irrigation water can be accomplished by converting from more traditional irrigation methods to a center pivot system. But you can make an existing pivot system more efficient too. As Pat Tolman of Valmont Northwest in Pasco, Washington points out, these systems began going into his area decades ago. Tolman: "There's lots of sprinkler packages out there that were wore out years ago. So they are over applying water, or misapplying water that is costing the grower electrical power and horsepower charges. Plus it is putting too much water down so in lots of cases they are over irrigating parts of the field." Tolman says like other equipment on the farm a center pivot needs to be maintained and updated regularly to get peak performance. Valley dealer Reed Stewart of Pendleton Grain Growers in LaGrande, Oregon says new technology like Water Scout, a soil moisture sensor that ties into the pivot panel, helps a grower increase accuracy when it comes to watering decisions. That can be cost shared through the EQIP program. Then there's Tracker or Pocket Pro. Stewart: "What we are seeing more and more of are remote monitoring products as well. Where if you should get some rain and the customer has a large amount of center pivots, he can go ahead and shut those pivots off and save quite of bit of water on that." Stewart says some growers also use dual nozzles during seed germination when less water is needed to reduce the pivot's water application rate from what's required later in the season. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.