American Agriculture History Minute: Center Pivot Irrigation System Developed

I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute.

In 1946, Robert Doherty was looking for a good business opportunity, and he recognized the potential of a small manufacturing company on a farm just west of Valley, Nebraska.

After careful consideration, he invested $5 ,000, nearly his entire savings, in Valley Manufacturing and began working farm elevators. A year later, a man named Frank Ziebach developed a prototype for a center pivot irrigation system. In 1954, he licensed that patent to Robert Doherty, and Valley Irrigation was born.

That’s today’s American Agriculture History Minute. I’m Mark Oppold. Thanks for reading. I’ll see you next time.