VALLEY, Neb. (Dec 6, 2017) — Valley_® Irrigation, the industry leader in advancing irrigation technologies, is honored to announce that the Valley ICON^® series of smart panels has been named New Product of the Year by Agri Marketing Magazine.

Awarded by an independent panel of judges within the agricultural industry, this annual award is presented to an agricultural product or service based on specific criteria, including product/service benefits, value added to the marketplace, strategic marketing approach, market environment, industry recognition and the product’s significance to the end user.

“We are truly honored to receive this distinction from Agri Marketing,” states Len Adams, Valmont group president of global irrigation. “Technology is not designed to complicate life; it’s meant to make it easier, and the Valley ICON smart panels have provided growers with a higher quality of life.”

The Valley ICON series of smart panels launched in January 2017. “The development of the Valley ICON series was the next step in the evolution of control panels,” says Matt Ondrejko, Valmont vice president global irrigation marketing. “As remote monitoring and control become of greater importance to growers, the integration of these features with the Valley ICON smart panels provide the ability to better manage their irrigation. Growers can now reduce trips to the field to check on center pivots, saving time and fuel.”

Ondrejko points out that growers have been more apt to adopt technology on the farm in order to help drive efficiency. Because of that willingness, this product series was field-tested at various stages so the voice of the customer was prominent throughout the product design process.

“There’s no one-size-fits-all in farming, which is why Valley engineered four smart panels in this series,” states Ondrejko.

The four smart panels in the series provide center pivot irrigation operators equipment with an intuitive, customizable graphical user interface they can utilize at the pivot point or from a tablet or smartphone. The panels are compatible with most center pivot brands, are easy to upgrade and have plenty of memory.

All four smart panels come equipped with AgSense® ICON Link, exclusive to Valley ICON smart panels. It provides full remote programming of control panel functions and monitoring of center pivot operations via the AgSense mobile app. Growers also have the opportunity to connect their ICON smart panels through their Valley BaseStation3TM.

The ICON10 has a 10-inch, full-color touchscreen that’s extremely intuitive. It is GPS ready, and offers VRI Speed Control and VRI Zone Control. It’s easy to control at the pivot point, through the ICON Link app with AgSense, or with new Valley Edge-of-Field WiFi capabilities.

The Valley ICON5 features a smaller, 5-inch touchscreen interface with soft-touch keys that mirror the touch control functions. You get robust technology in a compact screen.

The ICON1 eliminates the need for growers to go to the pivot point, because it provides full remote pivot control from the Valley ICON app on a smartphone or tablet. Growers can take advantage of remote AgSense capabilities or use the new Edge-of-Field WiFi technology.

The ICONX takes control of any existing center pivot panel using that panel’s circuits to deliver full Valley ICON control, giving growers the ability to bring pivots of every brand into the same network. It’s an affordable way to gain full remote control and management capabilities, without the cost of a full panel upgrade.

Adams concludes, “Growers appreciate the evolution of a product line when there is solid technology behind it. The launch of the Valley ICON smart panels has changed the irrigation industry as we know it. Growers aren’t looking back because they now have a solution that offers the same intuitive interface across the entire series, and it accommodates any customer because of the range of affordability and functionality.”