Valley Irrigation Circles for Rice Project Announced Average Dry Yield and Water Savings for Rice

Valley, NE, April 28, 2010 --(PR.com)-- Valley Irrigation is currently conducting research on producing rice under center pivots and linears in an effort to conserve water and energy, as well as expand the area in which rice can be produced; successful first and second year yields can now be reported. This initiative is appropriately titled Circles for Rice. Over the past two years, the Circles for Rice team managed five production fields collectively in Brazil, Pakistan, and the United States, and participated in four research fields in the United States and Brazil.

An average dry yield of 170 bushel per acre (8.9 mt/ha) has been achieved in 2008 and 2009 in the United States and Brazil by growing long-grain rice. In addition, growers in Brazil and Pakistan have been very pleased with the yields they have harvested under their Valley center pivots, and were more profitable with their pivot-irrigated rice than with their flooded rice.

Valmont Irrigation, manufacturer of the Valley brand irrigation equipment, deems the Circles for Rice project a success. Nearly all Circles for Rice production fields produced the same or nearly the same yields as flooded fields in the areas, but used significantly less water. Through the Valley center pivot in Pakistan, the Basmati, an aromatic variety of rice, received 0.387 inches (205 mm) of water per bushel of rice produce. The flooded field in the immediate area, however, pumped 0.779 inches (412 mm) of water per bushel of rice produced. Similarly, the 2009 pivot-irrigated long-grain rice in Crawfordsville, Arkansas, USA, took only 0.049 inches (25.6 mm) of water per bushel of rice from the center pivot compared with the adjacent flooded field, which pumped 0.083 inches (43.8 mm) of water per bushel of rice produced. Please visit www.CirclesForRice.com for additional water savings information.

The Circles for Rice team will continue developing rice production techniques under center pivots and linears throughout the coming years via research and production-scale trials worldwide. The 2009 harvest has paved the path for the next steps in the initiative to conserve water and expand rice production area through the use of Valley equipment.

With the goal of being the world leader in efficient use of water for agriculture, Valmont Irrigation has been recognized globally as the leader in sales, service, quality, and technological expansion since its founding. This Nebraska, USA-based company remains dedicated to providing novel solutions now and well into the future. For more information on how Valmont Irrigation continues to assist in the global conservation of water through rice production, log on to www.CirclesForRice.com .

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