Valley_® believes strongly in increasing field production while using fewer resources and center pivot irrigation is an excellent way to do just that. Valley Irrigation customer and social media agri-influencer Shay “the Farm Kid” Myers provides an easy explanation to further educate those that may not be all that familiar with how pivot irrigation works.

Along with his family farming operation, Myers’ mission is to inform people about farming, sustainability, and food production. Valley Irrigation sponsors his efforts to teach a young audience the basics through TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.

More Yields, Less Water

Recently the social media influencer took a literal bird’s eye view of center pivot irrigation. Myers, a pilot, took to the skies for a conversation with his audience. He pointed out the circles made by pivots while discussing their importance in efficiently growing healthy crops.

“Center pivots are great at conserving water because you can put them on at the rate you need when you need it,” he said. “You also have great technologies – soil monitors, GPS – that allow you to understand what’s happening in your field, apply more water at some points, and less water in others.”

With water shortages in much of the world, using water wisely is becoming even more important, and it’s on the minds of everyone from government organizations to consumers.

“When you think of Lake Mead or Lake Powell right now and how short on water they are… everyone’s thinking about water,” Myers said. “You think about California and the challenges they’re having in the San Joaquin Valley, they’re also thinking about water, which is making you the consumer also think about water.”

Adding Value

Myers says the simplicity of using a phone app (Valley 365^®) to control pivots saves labor and makes controlling pivots very easy. Remote technology helps operators track water usage to ensure conservation of resources.

It also makes farming possible in unlikely areas. “I have a lot of people that ask me, ‘Hey Shay, why do you guys’ even farm in the desert? You shouldn’t really farm in the desert.’ Well, we farm in the desert because in a lot of ways it’s more efficient. We have more sunlight, we have less pest pressure, we have drier conditions that mean applying less fungicide. So, there’s actually a lot of efficiencies built into farming in the desert and center pivots are a huge part of that.”

Tell Your Friends

Next time you’re answering questions and explaining the benefit of your pivots, direct them to Shay Myers’ simple explanation. Also, be sure to check out this video to get a 3,000-foot view of how center pivot irrigation systems work. Click here   

Who is Shay Myers? Learn more in this Valley Blog