Rural Electric Cooperative in Nevada Hosts Irrigation and Energy Efficiency Seminar
PAHRUMP, Nev. (Dec. 18, 2014) – More than 80 people attended the Valley Electric Association, Inc. (VEA) annual Irrigation Applications and Energy Efficiency Seminar in Fallon, Nevada on Dec. 5 to hear presentations from equipment dealers, experts in irrigation technology and agricultural academic researchers. The event’s speakers were:
- Jon Lee, Pump Check, Pumping Systems Analysts
- Brent Wickel and Edwin Smith, Senninger Irrigation Inc.
- Ben Sanders, Trimble Navigation, Ltd.
- Dr. Howard Neibling, University of Idaho
The attendees included VEA agricultural member-owners and representatives from organizations such as the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Nevada Division of Water Resources, U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development, and various regional conservation and water districts.
The speakers discussed the potential of saving energy and water through increased pump efficiency and testing, the use of irrigation control systems, various irrigation head technologies, and academic research into the effectiveness of efficient irrigation methods in different settings and soils.
The first such meeting was organized in 2009 by VEA staff, John Maurer, a lifelong farmer in Fish Lake Valley and the president of VEA’s Board of Directors, and Jon Lee of Pump Check, a VEA contractor. The initial meeting addressed how farmers could use water and energy efficiently and still produce quality crops. VEA, Maurer and Lee have expanded the meetings each year since then.
Fallon was chosen as the location for this year’s meeting because it is central to VEA member-farmers, regional agricultural experts, and farmer/irrigators in other parts of Nevada and the West. VEA decided to open the meeting to any interested parties (and not simply VEA members) because of the importance of water and energy issues to people throughout the region.
About Valley Electric Association, Inc.
Valley Electric Association, Inc. (VEA) is a member-owned nonprofit electric utility headquartered in Pahrump, Nev. While VEA started as a small rural electric utility in 1965, the company now provides service to more than 45,000 people within a vast 6,800-square-mile service area located primarily along the California-Nevada border, with the majority in Nevada. VEA’s service area starts in Sandy Valley, southwest of Las Vegas, and extends north for more than 250 miles to Fish Lake Valley. For more information about VEA, please visit www.vea.coop.
