All forms of agriculture revolve around water, therefore, effective applica­tion of water is crucial to every farm. This is exactly why farmers are so im­pressed with Valley’s water scheduling system for centre pivots.

The system assists farmers in ap­plying just the right quantity of water – not too much, nor too little – to avoid over or under-irrigating, which are both equally harmful to crops. Moreover, Valley Scheduling™ saves farmers time and money.

“Valley Scheduling™ collects accu­rate data, and based on this, recom­mends when, where, and how much water needs to be applied,” says David Muller from Uitdraai Boerdery near Prieska. “The system also provides meaningful, easy-to-understand ana­lytics, according to which farmers can plan their water delivery.”

David grows maize, wheat, lucerne, onions, pecan nuts and pistachio nuts. Most of these crops are irrigated by Valley centre pivots.

Uitdraai Boerdery is one of Valley’s three demo-farms in South Africa, where the Scheduling™ system is con­tinuously tested to ensure its accuracy and efficiency.

Valley Scheduling™ technology con­tributes to precision farming practises, ensuring that crops get exactly the right quantity of water.

 This is how it works: The farmer’s information, field data, and prefer­ences are entered into the scheduling programme. The software compiles the data, processes it, and shows the farm­er when, and how much water must be applied to obtain optimal conditions for his/her crop growth. The farmer can choose how the data is displayed, for example, in a map or list format. The software then gives the farmer easily-understandable irrigation recommenda­tions for his/her particular soil type and crop.

David uses his smartphone and com­puter to keep an eye on his Scheduling system. When asked what impressed him most about the system, David responded, “I like the sophistication of the algorithm; it is quite user friendly and it keeps record of historical events. Valley also uses a weather station on the farm to collect very accurate on-site data such as wind and temperature conditions.”

Advantages of the Valley Scheduling™ system:

• Easy to use for farmers
• Connects with Valley 365 systems that displays farmers’ irrigation data
• Saves time
• Increases yield and profitability
• Improves crop health and reduces the risk of disease
• Easy to access via your smartphone, tablet, or PC
• Makes smart farming easily accessible
• Reduces pressure on resources by applying the precise quantity of wa­ter and fertiliser in the right place, at the right time.
• Helps the farmer make more in­formed decisions
• Monitors potential crop stress due to over or under-watering
• Uses a weather station to monitor the weather on site

Valley offers excellent products and services to farmers. To find out more, and to order the Valley Scheduling™ system, contact Francois Griesel at francois.griesel@valmont.com or +27-67-412-9089.