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Fun Facts About Center Pivots

40 percent of the world's food supply is grown on irrigated cropland.
The first center pivot was patented in 1952 by Frank Zybach of Strasburg, Colorado.
China, the United States, and Pakistan account for over half of the world's irrigated land.
The state of Nebraska is largest producer and user of center pivots in the United States.
In the early days of irrigation, very little water conservation equipment or technology was available and large amounts of water were lost to evaporation.
Today, new technologies and farming methods improve water-use efficiency. For example, center pivot systems fitted with low-pressure, dropped nozzles increase efficiency by about 85 - 95 percent.

Photography Book

"Rainmakers: A Photographic Story of Center Pivots"
The rhythmic pumping sound and motion of a center pivot irrigation system is the heartbeat of many successful farming operations—yet this technology remains a mystery to millions. Flying over agricultural regions, many airline passengers look down curiously on the circles of green not understanding what they are seeing is their food supply in production.

Rainmakers: A Photographic Story of Center Pivots takes us on a journey that explains how center pivot irrigation grows the food on which we depend. This important story is presented through instructive and beautiful photographs making the book a visual delight. Rainmakers teaches us to appreciate the history and complexity of a controversial technology that nourishes our world.

Rainmakers includes a foreword by Congressman Tom Osborne, an essay by David Howe, an epilogue by Susan Seacrest, and captivating images taken by both professional and amateur photographers.

Available for purchase directly from The Groundwater Foundation, the University of Nebraska Press, Barnes & Noble and select bookstores nation wide.

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