Valley Irrigation has added a variable-rate irrigation option to its lineup for 2010. The new technology, Farmscan Variable Rate Irrigation, is the first to be offered by a major irrigation equipment manufacturer in the U.S., according Jake LaRue, Valley product manager.

The Farmscan system uses section-control technologies similar to those offered on agricultural sprayers, although applied to center-pivot booms that typically are 1,300 ft. long. The system, which is available with up to 48 sections, can turn nozzle zones off and on, or vary application rates by zone.

“This could be the next quantum leap forward in mechanized irrigation,” LaRue says. “This technology allows producers to control how much water, fertilizer and other crop management products are applied to areas as small as one square meter.”

Important uses will include turning water off over drainage ditches, coping with water restrictions and making variable-rate fertilizer and crop protection chemical applications based on productivity zones.

Farmscan Variable Rate Irrigation is marketed under an agreement with Computronics Holdings Ltd., its developer and manufacturer.

For more information, contact Valley Irrigation, Dept. FIN, Box 358, Valley, NE 68064-0358, 402/359-2201, www.valleyirrigation.com.