Halfsus, One-fifty, Groot Olie, Klein Olie, Tampan, Stefaans, Wiekie, Megan, Westine and even more. Every Zimmatic centre pivot irrigation machine in the farming enterprise of Roland van Tonder’s Koedoeskop undertaking – Allied Group – has been baptised. Every name tells a unique story.

Halfsus lies almost on the perimeter of the farm. One-fifty was named when Roland guessed correctly that there would be an angle of approximately 150 degrees before the survey was done; and Tampan (tick, louse) – a bothersome piece of loose-lying land – like fleas or lice in a bed!

Between all the names “Impossible” stands out like a giant. Impossible got its name because that is what the American engineer said when he heard Roland wanted a centre pivot with sixteen towers! The impossible was made possible, however, and today the unperturbed Impossible irrigates its 150 hectares circle every day.

One of the reasons for the names, says Roland, is that the farm hands can memorise where the various pivots operate and no-one gets confused. With more than 30 pivots in operation, it becomes a challenge to keep one’s cool.

Roland’s alliance with Lindsay, manufacturers of Zimmatic, dates back about two decades when he bought the land on which he wanted to erect his first three centre pivots. “At that time everyone suddenly wanted pivot irrigation and local companies did not even trouble to answer their phones as they could not deliver. Lindsay was the only company willing to make a plan.”

Still it was not easy – the centre pivot Roland wanted, had to be imported from the American manufacturer and at that time the USA was at war with Iraq. Under martial law all containers in America had been requisitioned for the war effort! However, Roland eventually won the battle – the centre pivots were installed and he has never looked back.

“I regularly compare with Lindsay’s main competitors and every time Lindsay beats them regarding price, delivery time and quality,” says Roland. Most of the pivots are big – 11 or 12 towers – with long spans. Approximately 2 000 hectares are under irrigation at present and Roland says he has few problems with the centre pivots. “They don’t fall over, the steel is properly galvanised and the gearboxes last, provided they are checked and serviced regularly. Most of the daily wear and tear parts are kept in stock on the farm but, should there be a major problem, Lindsay’s technical support is only a telephone call away. Roland is serviced directly from head office in Cape Town and he cooperates closely with their engineers when planning extensions and on pivot design.

“It works every time as when had planned it. Most of the pivots have a precipitation of 16 mm per day, which is more than enough for the average plant requirements of 8 mm per day. This means the pivots run mainly in the night and at times of lower power demand, which means lower tariffs.”

Roland says at times through the years they have used other gearboxes or cheaper tyres which they could source in their area, but it was proved every time that original spare parts from Zimmatic beat all others hands down.

Lindsay is in a continuous process of improving its technology. One of the mind-boggling developments is an oil which forms a seal where there is a leak. Their biggest problem is a steady, dependable electricity supply. Roland says they would most certainly make use of Zimmatic’s excellent electronic control systems, but the frequent surges and power breaks in the area wreaks havoc with sensitive electronic equipment.

At the moment Roland is boots and all involved in a giant project to generate his own electricity with a combined solar and hydro station. By day water will be pumped by means of solar power to a higher level dam, and at night – when it will return – the water will spin the turbines to generate electricity. A section of 40 hectares has been set aside for this innovation.

“Only when we have clean power, will I be able to change to electronic management,” says Roland. “For scheduling, measurements is made with groundwater meters. A company sends us a report once every three days with all the information required to manage water accurately”.

Roland, however, believes the best route to ensure that all the maize, soybeans and cotton on the lands gets enough water at any time, is personal inspection.

Allow Lindsay to assist you in making the impossible possible!

Contact Frederik Nel on 072-517-7581, (landline) 021-986-8900. Or send an email to Frederik.Nel@lindsayafrica.co.za. Alternatively, visit www.lindsay.com on the web to view Zimmatic technology in action.