54 | “These days they tend to have done their homework and not just about the steelwork but about all the technology we now have whether it’s Variable Rate Irrigation or FieldNet, the remote management tool, all the way through to soil moisture probes, weather stations and advisory programs.” RURAL SERVICES » Plains Irrigators Ltd 50 years developing centre pivots Jolly’s Pivot. Virginia Wright When Dan Stephens of Plains Irrigator Limited says they have a long-standing relationship with Lindsay Manufacturing, suppliers of Zimmatic pivots and laterals, he’s not kidding. Plains Irrigator Limited have been operating for over 25 years and they’ve only ever sold and supplied Zimmatic irrigation equipment. “We like the brand, it’s good quality, it comes from Lindsay out of Nebraska in the Mid-West of the United States, and they’ve spent over 50 years developing their centre pivots which they supply world-wide as well as to their domestic market.” The Mid-West of the States known as the cornbelt has been growing the bulk of America’s corn, what we would call maize, since the mid 19th century, and it was in the States that center pivot irrigation was born in the mid 20th century. Plains Irrigators Limited started supplying Zimmatic irrigation equipment working out of Rangitata on the Canterbury Plains in the mid 90’s. These days their main branch is in Ashburton with another in Timaru and sales and service depots running out of Cromwell and Rangiora with multiple technicians ready to meet service and repair needs as required throughout the South Island. Dan Stephens started working for Plains Irrigators, a family-owned business, during his school and university holidays, and worked his way up through the ranks to his current position as Business Development Manager, so he’s seen rst-hand how irrigation has grown and changed over the years. “The majority of farmers know what a center pivot is, they know how they work and they know where they want them to go, so they have an idea of what they want installed, whereas
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