Valley Irrigation recently announced the addition of Pump Connect to its Valley Water Management product line, giving farmers a new way to automate the pumps that supply water to irrigation equipment.
Pump Connect allows growers to wirelessly control pumps from the center pivot control panel, eliminating time-consuming trips to pump sites or expensive trenching to install wires. When the pivot calls for "Water On," Pump Connect sends a radio signal to start the pump and get the water flowing, and it stops the pump if the pivot shuts off.
"Pump Connect gives growers an easy, affordable way to automate pump operation," said Wade Sikkink, director of Valley Water Management, a division of the Valmont company Cascade Earth Sciences that designs custom-engineered pumping solutions.
"Valley asked me to test Pump Connect, and I put it on my actual farm," said Mark Wilkerson, who is the service manager and a part-owner of J & B Irrigation, Inc., a Valley dealership in Morgan, Ga. "It's been a good product. It provides you that peace of mind of knowing that if something goes wrong you won't be watering in one place for hours."
Featuring a 900 mhz, frequency-hopping radio with one watt output, Pump Connect gives growers optimal connectivity. The radio searches for and connects to the strongest available signal to provide the best possible communication even in fields with obstructions or difficult terrain. Pump Connect also offers broad capability for connecting multiple devices-up to 48 radios in one setup. In addition to a one pump to one pivot connection, multiple pivots can be connected to one pump, or one pivot can be connected to multiple pumps.
The system is field serviceable and its modular design allows individual components to be serviced without having to replace the entire unit. An optional light gives growers a quick, visual indicator of the pump's operating status. A green light means all is well, while a flashing red light alerts the grower to a potential issue.
For more information on Pump Connect or Valley pumping solutions, contact your local Valley dealer or visit ValleyIrrigation.com.