Valley Irrigation, the technology leader in precision irrigation, has a new agreement with Computronics Holdings Limited, manufacturer of the patented Farmscan Variable Rate Irrigation technology.
This agreement allows for the development and distribution of variable rate irrigation (VRI) controls through over 460 Valley dealers worldwide, thus providing the latest technology in precision irrigation with centre pivots.
“Computronics Holdings has an impressive history with VRI controls,” said Jake LaRue, Valley Product Manager. “They began working with the University of Georgia in 1999 to commercialize VRI controls. This led to the introduction of the first Farmscan VRI control in 2001, but through a limited distribution channel. This agreement between Valley Irrigation and Computronics Holdings will provide increased distribution through the Valley dealer network.
It also allows Valley to use its own patented and proprietary technology to further enhance the capabilities of future VRI products.
“We believe that combining Valley technology with Farmscan technology could be the next quantum leap forward in mechanized irrigation,” said LaRue. “Producers with pivot irrigation have always been able to control how much water is applied to a field. But this technology allows producers to control how much water, fertilizer and other crop management products are applied to areas as small as one square metre.”
LaRue explained this by discussing two key benefits of the VRI controls. “First, producers can use this control to program the pivot to automatically turn water on and off for different zones within a circle. For example, water applied over a drainage ditch is wasted water,” LaRue explained. “With VRI, producers can make sure the pivot automatically shuts off different zones as it goes over a drainage ditch, and automatically turns back on when it reaches the crop.”
The second benefit of VRI allows producers to apply different amounts of water and crop inputs on a site-specific basis. LaRue explained why such precision is important. “Not all sections of a field have the same soil. Some soil types in a field may have different water and fertilizer needs than the rest of the field,” said LaRue. “Without VRI, a producer might apply water and other inputs to maximize yield on one type of soil, which ultimately compromises yield on any other soil type in the same field. With VRI, a producer can program irrigation areas as small as one square meter, thereby maximizing yields on all soil types within the same field.”
Rick Heard, president and founder, Advanced Ag Systems, Inc., has been working with Computronics Holdings and the University of Georgia in varying capacities for more than eight years to make Farmscan VRI controls available to a broad producer market. He expanded on LaRue’s commentary about variances within the same field.
“Not only do the different soil types require varying amounts of water and fertilizer, but so do different seed populations,” Heard said. “And with the high tech equipment available today, producers increasingly incorporate variable rate planting. This means there can be multiple types of seed and population within the same field, and these will have different water and nutrient requirements. VRI allows producers to match the water and fertilizer application with varying soil and seed within the same field.
“What it comes down to is not wasting water,” Heard concluded.
Valley VRI is the irrigation industry’s first line of variable rate irrigation (VRI) controls integrated directly into the existing irrigation controls.
“Valley VRI puts irrigation management decisions in action,” said LaRue. “This improves efficiency and lowers production costs, which can, in turn, increase a producer’s profits.”
There are two different levels of VRI control: Variable Rate Zone Control and Variable Rate Speed Control.
VRI Zone Control
VRI Zone Control allows maximum precision irrigation via individual sprinkler or span control. This is done with up to 30 different VRI zones controlled through Valley VRI tower boxes and the Valley Pro2 control panel at two-degree increments around the field. VRI Zone Control provides the highest precision possible, and is available now.
VRI Speed Control
When programmed for VRI speed control, TouchPro, Pro2 and Select2 panels allow variable rate control for every 5-degree section. Variable Rate Speed Control will be available in late 2010 and will come standard in new TouchPro, Pro2 and Select2 control panels.
The key element of the Valley VRI is the VRI Mapping program. For both the VRI Speed Control and VRI Zone Control, this user friendly computer program allows the operator to use soil texture, topography, Veris® maps, yield maps or other specific field maps to develop irrigation prescriptions.
Earl Vories, Ph.D., agricultural engineer and lead scientist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Research Service in Missouri, has been researching the mechanics of VRI for five years and thinks the technology is important to the future of irrigated crop production.
“Soils can be highly variable within a single field,” Vories explained. “Without VRI, producers have to set irrigation rates based on an average soil type, or pick the most limiting condition.” This practice compromises potential yield on other soil types within the same field.
Jimmy Moody, a cotton, soybean, corn, wheat and rice producer near Dyersburg, Tennessee, participated in the field testing of Valley VRI Zone Control and saw its benefits first-hand. Valley VRI helped him effectively irrigate a particularly challenging field with soils ranging from Sharkey clay to very coarse sand. Based on that experience, Moody looks forward to using Valley VRI on additional pivots.
“I have variable soils from sand to silt loam to clay. With Valley VRI,” Moody said, “I’m not going to be applying too much water to my cotton crop in heavier soils in order to get enough water on my sandier soils in the same field.”
Vories added, “Precision operations have taken a hold on other facets of Ag. It doesn’t make sense to precisely apply other inputs and not water. I think you’re going to see a big increase in adoption of VRI technology between now and five years from now.”
