Pivot irrigation plays a critical role in enhancing agricultural productivity and sustainability in arid and semi-arid regions, where water resources are limited and the challenges of farmingare heightened.
One player in the pivot irrigation sector is Reinke Manufacturing Co., Inc., a well-known manufacturer of agricultural irrigation systems. Founded in 1954 and based in Deshler, Nebraska, Reinke has established a reputation for innovation and quality in the irrigation industry.
New AG International editor Janet Kanters connected with Russ Reinke, Reinke's First Vice President, to learn more.
Russ Reinke,First Vice President, Reinke
Can you share the history and mission of your company in the pivot irrigation industry? Reinke has been at the forefront of innovations since day one, ever since we got into the irrigation business in the 1960s. The company was founded by my father Richard F. Reinke, who proved to be a pioneer in the irrigation industry. Many of the innovations he conceived have become standards in the industry throughout the world. And that's what we have continued to try to focus on and be part of our mission to our customers. We've always prided ourselves on our innovation.
What sets your pivot irrigation systems apart from your competitors? We typically use higher strength materials than than most of our competitors. Part of the idea behind that is while a pivot system has to be rugged and reliable and withstand certain environmental conditions, we still don't want it to be any heavier than it has to be. The heavier it is, the more impact it will have on the soils and tracking in the field, which can lead to ruts and erosion. We have always prided ourselves in providing a machine that is lighter in weight and yet provides greater strength and reliability out in the field. We don't want to just plow through the field, we want to slip through the field. The same thing with our single leg tower design, it's a narrow profile that slips through the crop rather than a double leg design that's wide and disturbs more of the crop on its way through the field.
Same thing with our maintenance-free focus – we started focusing on that so farmers don’t have to worry about any maintenance issues, such as greasing parts, etc. A farmer just wants his system to run. So as a result of that, we've also provided the longest warranty in the industry. And that all falls under also with our V-ring seals and our pipe. Those have a 20-year warranty. We've had those for a long time and they have been a very stellar feature of our machines.
What recent trends are you seeing in the pivot irrigation market? A lot of the major trends revolve around technology and the things that we've already talked about. Farmers are much more technology focused now. Whether that is utilizing drones to scout fields, to telemetry systems to monitor their equipment, to GPS. We were the first company to start using GPS on our systems to monitor the control and the location, and to turn things such as the end guns on and off, and then also to control our swing arm corner systems. In some regards, we’re just at the tip of the iceberg of a lot of these things that are just coming into play. If you'd asked me 30 to 40 years ago about using some of these technologies, I would have thought they were too cost prohibitive or not well refined. But that's all coming to an age now to where these technologies are becoming commonplace. All you have to do is look at the tractor and farmers don't have to drive them through the field. And that's what farmers are expecting – that type of technology to be involved in all of their equipment.
How does your company address concerns about water conservation and sustainability in agriculture? We try to stay up to speed on the latest things going on with those topics. Water conservation is all part of the equipment we supply. What we want to be able to do is allow that farmer to put exactly what water he has exactly where he wants it, and exactly when he wants it. We don't want a drop going over here or a drop going over there or in some cases putting a little extra here to compensate for what we don't have over there. That's where the whole uniform outlet spacing on the new E3 [first precision series of center pivot systems] comes into play. In designing this new technology, we decided we were going to focus on providing the best conditions possible to apply that water as evenly as possible.
When it came time to look at a new model, we wanted to make sure that we built upon our current models. And we wanted to maintain and improve on those characteristics, such as the rugged, reliable, durable design. We wanted to continue providing innovation and ease of operation.
And then along with that there's the issue of uniform water distribution, which is very important from the environmentalist aspect. Water conservation, erosion and just to provide a more positive experience in those fields.
Any other specific initiatives that you’ve implemented? I mentioned a little bit about on our swing arm corner system, which is an attachment that swings out to water the corners. We have sophisticated electronics to control those sprinklers so that they turn on and off to water a specific area that is designated through the use of GPS controls. When that portion of the machine is in a specific area, it knows where it's at. It's smart, it says ‘OK, I'm in this area. I have this much area to water, so therefore I need to have this sprinkler on to do the job, but only this sprinkler or only for this amount of time’ or whatever is required or demanded of that particular situation at hand.
And then there's also the process of using VRI [variable rate irrigation] where a farmer can write a program based on his field conditions, his topography, his soil types, his crops and hybrids, and on what the capacity is. If you have a field that has variable crops or variable soils within it, it may have variations in the capacity to grow crops. In other words, part of the field might not be as adaptable to grow as great a crop as the other parts. So, they will variable rate their nutrients, they’ll variable rate their seeding applications. To fit right into that we will vary the amount of water applied in those various parts of the field, specifically to meet that specific and unique part of the field. That way
they’re not wasting a bunch of water or putting water in a place where it won't get utilized properly.
The other side of technology is soil probes to monitor soil moisture conditions. This helps farmers better manage what's going on below the ground and what they may need today, what they may need next week. And that helps them plan and manage their water also.
We also provide equipment to help monitor what's going on above the ground, such as evaporation or evapotranspiration of the crop. We want to monitor how much water is being used in the crop as well as what's going up in the air.
How do your systems adapt to different crop types and environmental conditions? Our systems are used on all types of crops, from carrots to sugar cane, and corn and beans, and really, any plant that is grown for the food industry. Also varying hybrids that are coming out, short, tall, everything in between, high density, low density, the growing season range that varies from crop to crop.
From an environmental condition standpoint, our machines are made to operate not just on flat tabletop fields, but also under significant slopes and grades. This offers farmers options, it gives them the ability to expand their acreage and provides economic viability totheir operation.
Then there's also soil types – anything from sand to heavy clay and everything in between. Those all play into the types of crops that are grown, the water application rates, the infiltration rates, and how well they can utilize that soil for the crop they're trying to grow.
What are the biggest challenges facing the pivot irrigationindustry today? One is keeping up with all the technology and how it all fits together. What's viable? What's important? It's all very interesting. It's moving at a fast pace and we’ve got to stay ahead of it.
How has the changing climate impacted your business and your customers? It’s probably brought to light the importance of our machine, and the importance of what we do as a business. There are some things that we can't control. Therefore, what we're trying to do is provide a risk management tool for the farmer to help them manage their risk and give them some consistency totheir operations.
What role do government policies play in shaping the pivot irrigation market? I have the highest regard and utmost respect for farmers. They are versatile to no end, hard working, driven when they need to be driven beyond belief. But then you have the government policies that come into play and, unfortunately, I don't feel like some of those people that are driving or riding those policies are in tune with what's really going on. But nonetheless they exist, and nonetheless we have to abide by them, or we have to work within those constraints. We can provide the farmer with the tools to have solutions to some of those situations, and typically they revolve around things like soil conditions, erosion, topography, and of course the water situation across the world for that matter. We want the farmer to have the best equipment he can on hand to deal with those constraints.
What do you see as the future of pivot irrigation technology? I see it as being utilized further as a tool, even beyond irrigation. For example, monitoring and data gathering for the farmer with technology helping in all respectsto that.
How do you envision your company evolving in response to industry demands over the next decade? We will continue to work hard at evolving and moving in those directions because it's either that or you don't exist. You can't ignore it, it’s what the industry demands. So, either provide it or get out. ●
The company says the E3 is the first precision series of spans and end booms with uniform coupler spacing (in 30” and 60” intervals) to ensure a uniform water application rate the entire length of the system, exceeding previous water uniformity benchmarks according to the USDA Center Pivot Evaluation and Design (CPED).
The E3 precision irrigation system includes a variety of new features that provide enhanced stability, reliability, precision and efficiency across all terrains and conditions, such as:
Customizable system configurations using precision spans from 80’ to 220’ in 20’ increments and the in-demand 175’ span, as well as precision inverted truss end booms from 10’ to 110’ in 10’ increments, to maintain uniform outlet spacing regardless of span and end boom combinations.
ReinLock, a new anti-racking truss system designed for superior strength to deliver tighter tolerance and maintain a consistent span crown that withstands adverse environmental conditions and the most challenging terrains.
Exclusive Reinke V-ring seals on every pipe connection to eliminate water flow reduction and power precision watering.
Unique single-leg tower design to reduce crop loss as it moves through the field.
Maintenance-free bearings and durable materials and coatings to prevent corrosion, minimize maintenance, and eliminate the need for grease.
ESAC, a series of Electronic Swing Arm Corners designed to irrigate corners for full-field water application accuracy.
Russ Reinke, first vice president at Reinke, says that with this latest model, the company set up several objectives to focus on.
“We've been in business since building center pivot since 1968. We've always prided ourselves on innovation,” Reinke told New AG International. “So, when it came time to look at a new model, we wanted to make sure that we built upon our current models. And we wanted to maintain and improve on those characteristics, such as the rugged, reliable, durable design. We wanted to continue providing innovation and ease of operation.
“We also wanted to keep it clean in design, and we wanted to have reduced maintenance,” Reinke adds. “We already have one of the longest warranties in the industry which falls into that category and we're very proud of that. But there's always room to improve. We're focused on that, as well as the impact on the crop environment which also fell under the category of the uniformity of the water distribution across the whole product.”
From an environmental condition standpoint, the new E3 is made to operate not just on flat tabletop fields, but also under significant slopes and grades. This gives farmers options, such as the ability to expand their acreage and provide economic viability to their operation. It also offers farmers expanded opportunities when dealing with different soil types.
“Farmers have anything from sand to heavy clay and everything in between. Those all play into the types of crops that are grown, the water application rates, the infiltration rates, and how well they can utilize that soil for the crop they're trying to grow,” Reinke explains. “This system allows farmers to operate in varying climate conditions and still give them some stability in what they will produce.”
The E3 is built to offer additional options when dealing with varying crop types, short, tall, high density, low density, and other factors inherent during a growing season.In addition, the new system contributes to the economicviability of the farm.
“A farmer’s livelihood depends on taking care of their land and the resources they have. But yet, they have to work within the constraints of various government regulatory agencies,” says Reinke. “What we’ve done is make our system as easy as possible for farmers to meet those needs and meet those demands. We look at the technology that's available and the new technology and the latest technology and what fits what doesn't, what's economically feasible, what isn't. And all of this just provides a means of managing their risk and the risk and variables of farming along with providing a meaningful life experience at the same time.”
E3 will be available for sale inselect markets during the growing season 2025. ●
The latest investment includes implementing advanced robotic technologies and expansion projects to increase production capacity and efficiency at its Deshler, Nebraska (U.S.) facility.
According to Chris Roth, president of Reinke, the introduction of advanced robotic technologies “will allow our company to increase production capacity and provide consistent quality to the products we deliver to growers worldwide. These advancements will help us continue our goal of providing the world’s finest precision irrigation systems to growers working to improve yields and profit while managing and conserving valuable resources.”
The company said the robotic advancements will streamline the production process, significantly reducing production time for many of the parts used in Reinke’s precision center pivot irrigation systems. Its new robotic work cell features advanced automation capabilities, including vision systems to orient raw material parts based on their unique physical makeup as well as inspection capabilities of finished products.
The expansion projects will “significantly increase” the production footprint in Deshler with the addition of more facilities, further enhancing Reinke’s capacity to meet the growing demand for its precision irrigation systems. Training sessions on the new processes are already scheduled for its production team. The project is estimated to be completed by the 2025 growing season. ●
Pivot Center - Open Frame Design
We wanted to continue to provide innovationand ease of operation
Span - Uniform Coupler Spacer
Water management is becoming more challenging with increases in both very dry and very wet years – often back-to-back. This dry-wet-dry “weather whiplash” can be especially challenging to manage in perennial crops like nuts and wine grapes. One emerging strategy and philosophy for coping with weather whiplash is regenerative agriculture.
Regenerative agriculture is both a core set of management principles and a strategy to “stack” several practices together that align with these principles. These principles include the following:
protecting the soil surface minimizing soil disturbance
maintaining living plants and roots
optimizing biodiversity
integrating livestock
using carbon-based amendments
Multiple practices can align with these principles and adoption of practices should be tailored to specific climates and cropping systems.
We are part of a team of scientists working on a $10 million U.S. Department of Agriculture Coordinated Agricultural Project titled “Sustaining Groundwater and Irrigated Agriculture in the Southwestern United States Under a Changing Climate” investigating how regenerative agricultural practices can help irrigated semi-arid agricultural systems adapt to weather whiplash. Regenerative ‘stacked’ practices were chosen for this project that make sense for these climates and systems, including cover cropping (see fig. 1), reduced tillage/traffic (see fig. 2), livestock integration (see fig. 3), and organic amendment addition (see fig. 4). To better understand how these stacked practices might help water management in semi-arid systems, we look to soil structure. Check the structure Soils have both fixed and changeable properties which are important for hydrologic functions. For example, soil texture (sand/silt/clay content) cannot be changed with management. However, soil structural properties or how soil particles are arranged can change with management.
These soil structural properties include bulk density (dry soil weight/volume), aggregate stability (how well soils resist breakdown), infiltration (initial downward movement of water into soil), available water holding capacity (total amount of water in soils accessible by roots), and hydraulic conductivity (how easy it is for water to move through pores at a given water content). Together, these properties make up the physical health of the soil. A soil with strong physical health has many different types of functional pores, like an excellent sponge. It can infiltrate intense precipitation events, capture and store water, have enough oxygen for roots and microorganisms and drain water to recharge aquifers. Soils with robust physical health make the most of applied irrigation and precipitation for both the current and future growing seasons. A soil with strong physical health is a desired outcome of effectively incorporating regenerative agricultural practices.
However, it is important to point out that understanding the impacts of even a single practice, like cover cropping (see fig. 1), on soil physical properties can be complex and vary based on soil texture, climate and choice of cover crop. Generally, cover crops improve infiltration and drainage to their rooting depth through the creation of additional pore space by root systems. Over many years of practice, cover crops can potentially add organic matter to the soil and alter additional soil physical properties. In semi-arid fruit and nut systems, cover crops usually provide these physical benefits to the orchard or vineyard “floor” where they are most densely planted between rows of trees or vines. In this way, they are an investment in water futures by helping to infiltrate winter precipitation and potentially recharge aquifers.
Tillage is a tricky practice as it can increase infiltration and reduce bulk density in shallow layers (to tillage depth) in the short term but compact soils at deeper layers over the long term. Tillage can also weaken soil structure and lead to greater soil erosion (see fig. 5). Reduced tillage techniques such as no-tillage and alternative tillage (every other row tilled in a given year) can decrease soil bulk density and increase infiltration at deeper soil depths over the long term. From a water management standpoint, functional deep soils can help perennial systems both withstand droughts (imagine deep roots being able to penetrate and access water) and also promote recharge in wet years (imagine water moving through deep soil layers to the aquifers below). Similarly, livestock incorporation can help with cover crop management through grazing and alter the organic matter content of soils over time through the incorporation of manure and urine. Though their impacts to nutrient pools have been well studied, we are trying to better understand livestock impacts to soil physical health when stacked with reduced/no-tillage, cover cropping and other organic amendment additions. The interactions of the practices when stacked are challenging to study and tease apart, but our team hypothesizes that they will be synergistic to promote greater soil physical health than each alone.
Some preliminary results from our field studies demonstrate enhancements in soil structure. Full adoption of regenerative agricultural practices (cover cropping, no-tillage, animal grazing and organic amendment addition) yielded better soil stability in the surface soil layer (top 4 inches) and lower soil bulk density at depths of 4-16 inches below the soil surface, compared to a management strategy that adopted only a single or no regenerative agricultural practices. Water infiltration rates varied across practices adopted and soil textures (medium vs. fine), but it demonstrated greater positive change in medium-textured soil only after a minimum of three years of practice adoption. Change in the soil’s physical environment is slow and can take at least five years before noticeable changes are seen.
None of these practices are without nuanced management challenges. It is important to start slowly and monitor the impacts of regenerative practices on system hydrology. Some suggestions would be to soil test, especially for changes in soil structure (bulk density, infiltration) or indicators of such changes (organic matter content) over time to see if the practices are having the intended outcomes for drought and flood resilience. An additional suggestion would be to monitor soil moisture in areas where regenerative practices were incorporated to observe how the system responds to rain events, holds water and drains water. After careful monitoring of soil moisture and structural changes over time, the next step is to start altering irrigation management (rate, magnitude, frequency) to potentially account for improvements in soil physical health. ●
Originally published in Irrigation Today, Fall 2024.
Mallik Nocco, PhD, is the assistant professor and extension specialist in agrohydrology in the department of biological systems engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Nall Moonilall, PhD, is a postdoctoral research scholar in the department of land, air and water resources at the University of California, Davis.
Figure 1.A young pistachio orchard near Woodland, California, planted with a cover crop mixture in the inter-rows of the orchard.
Figure 2. A vineyard adopting no-tillage plus cover cropping (pollinator blend) in Napa Valley near Calistoga, California.
Orbia Advance Corporation’s S.A.B. de C.V. precision agriculture business group Netafim announced a strategic partnership with Phytech LTD, an agtech company known for its plant and tree-based irrigation recommendations.
Phytech has developed a simplified, alert-driven mobile platform, combining predictive algorithms and data analysis tools that integrate continuous crop health and supportive environmental data, distilled into real-time recommendations. By providing clear visibility into tank level, pumps, filters and valves, Phytech’s hydraulic monitoring capabilities enable real-time problem detection and predictive maintenance of a farmer’s irrigation system, creating a speedy response to any issue. Without these "eyes" in the field, growers depend on manually checking key functions or detecting the problem only after the damage has occurred.
The partnership will leverage Orbia Netafim’s distribution and service network, providing real-time feedback on in-field irrigation operations and data-driven recommendations to mutual customers.
Phytech’s technology will be integrated with GrowSphere, Orbia Netafim’s all-in-one irrigation operating system, providing both sets of customers with deeper visibility into their irrigation environment for faster and more accurate monitoring. The new partnership creates synergy by fully leveraging GrowSphere’s advanced control and automation capabilities, enabling customers to benefit from more precise and responsive irrigation solutions tailored to the specific needs of their crops. These can include the detection of water waste, fertilizer waste or low pressure, all of which cause system malfunctions and incur additional costs.
“Having worked closely with Phytech over the years, we have seen their technology's impressive impact on growers worldwide and we are excited to embark on this partnership,” said Ofer Oveed, SVP Technology and Crops, Orbia Precision Agriculture (Netafim). “By integrating Phytech’s technology with our GrowSphere operating system, we will enhance our technology portfolio, providing better support and visibility for our growers. This collaboration aligns with our commitment to advancing precision irrigation and delivering superior solutions to our customers.”
Phytech’s CEO Oren Kind remarked, “Our technology's initial success was driven by its ability to tackle key challenges faced by farmers, including offering valuable support in agronomic decisions and real-time monitoring of their hydraulic systems. By teaming up with Netafim, a global leader in precision irrigation, we are poised to extend the reach of our technology worldwide. This partnership marks a major milestone for our company and will assist growers in initiating a crucial digital transformation towards more sustainable and efficient agricultural practices.” ●
Figure 3. A vineyard in Sonoma County, California, integrates sheep into their vineyard blocks to graze (mow) the standing cover crop both in the vine row and inter-row.
Figure 4. Compost produced from vineyard and wine byproducts being mixed before being surface-applied to a vineyard block in Sonoma County, California.
Figure 5. Tillage occurring in the inter-row of a vineyard block in Napa County, California. The tillage loosens soil structure while at the same time creating tillage-based erosion that is being suspended by the wind and impeding air quality.
A newly engineered type of soil can capture water out of thin air to keep plants hydrated and manage controlled release of fertilizer for a constant supply of nutrients.
Underpinning this exciting smart soil system is a hydrogel material developed by researchers at The University of Texas at Austin. In experiments, the hydrogel-infused soil led to the growth of larger, healthier plants, compared to regular soil, all while using less waterand fertilizer.
“This new gel technology canreduce the burden on farmers by decreasing the need for frequent irrigation and fertilization,” said Jungjoon Park, a graduate student in the Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering and wholed the research. “The technologyis also versatile enough to be adopted across a wide range of climates, from arid regions to temperate areas.”
The research was published recently in ACS Materials Letters.
"The global water scarcity coupled with a growing population has an immediate impact on food security," said Guihua Yu, professor of materials science in the Cockrell School of Engineering's Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering and Texas Materials Institute. "This new class of hydrogels offers a promising solution to meet the pressing needs of water scarcity and efficient nutrient uptake in modern sustainable agriculture."
In experiments, plants rooted in the hydrogel soil saw a 138 percent increase in stem length compared to a control group in regular soil. And the modified soil can achieve approximately 40 percent water savings, significantly reducing the need for frequent irrigation and ensuring robust crop development.
This research builds on previous discoveries involving hydrogels that can pull water from the atmosphere and make farming more efficient. It is part of Yu’s overall mission that dates back to his childhood: to expand access to clean water to people around the globe.
This work mainly focused on calcium-based fertilizers. The project will continue, and the researchers’ next moves involve integrating different types of fertilizers and longer field tests.
Joining Yu and Park on the project are Weixin Guan and Chuxin Lei, who are also graduate students in the materials science and engineering program and Texas Materials Institute. ●
