American Agriculture History Minute: Robert Doherty’s Initial Investment

Mark Oppold presents an American Agriculture History minute, focusing on the origins of Valley Irrigation.

In 1946, Robert Doherty identified an opportunity in a small manufacturing company near Valley, Nebraska. He invested his life savings of $5,000 in Valley Manufacturing, which initially focused on farm elevators.

A significant development occurred when Frank Ziebach created a prototype for a center pivot irrigation system. In 1954, Doherty licensed Ziebach’s patent, leading to the establishment of Valley Irrigation.

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