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P r o d u c e S h o w D a i l y S u n d a y, O c t o b e r 2 5 , 2 0 1 5 1 4 INCREASED CROP YIELD BY 93 BUSHELS PER ACRE USING 33 PERCENT LESS WATER Lee Fintel, of Fintel Farms in Superior, Nebraska, owns and operates 1400 acres of farmland. Like many other Nebraska farmers, Fintel's business depends on the availability of water and the effectiveness of that water. "I have one farm where the capacity of my well is only 370 gallons a minute," said Fintel. "It would have to produce double that amount to provide the vol- ume of water that's typically needed dur- ing my growing season." Fintel knew that there was nothing he could do to get his well to pump more water. What he needed was something that would make the water that was available, more effi- cient and more usable for the crops. Several years ago, he began looking for a cost-effective way to solve this problem. "I began with some preliminary research and found that I could use prod- ucts like wetting agents. But that's some- thing you need to continually purchase and inject into your water. I was hoping to find something less time- and labor- intensive." Then Fintel came across a solution that claimed to address his prob- lem without chemicals, without time and maintenance and, moreover, without a large financial investment. That solution was Magnation Water Technologies' water treatment products. Before Fintel purchased the Magnation solution he conducted months of research. "I looked for unbiased uni- versity and scientific community studies and real-world test results that backed up the company's claims," said Fintel. "Then I asked for references and I talked to people who were using Magnation prod- ucts. I became more and more convinced that this was a viable option for me to con- sider. I then reviewed com- petitors' products to make sure I was going to use the best out there." After buying the product, Fintel ran a comparative test to see exactly how much of a benefit the Magnation treatment offered, setting up a scientific study of two of his farms; West and East. Both one- quarter section farms had corners of non- irrigated land around a larger portion of land that was irrigated. On the West Farm, the irrigated land was watered with the use of a Magnation water treatment unit; on the East Farm the irrigated portion used water that was untreated. After two years of monitoring the farms, the results were extremely impressive to Fintel. The yield for the non-irrigated part of the West Farm produced 150.54 bushels per acre. The Magnation-treated, irri- gated part of West pro- duced 243.09 bushels per acre. That's 61.5 percent more yield than the non-irrigated land (the difference between 150.5 and 243 bushels). "The Magnation-treated irrigation water advanced us 93 bushels per acre over the non-irrigated corners on the West Farm," said Fintel. "On the East Farm, the non- treated irrigation water advanced us only 45 bushels per acre and we needed 33 percent more irrigation water." Fintel is now a firm believer in the Magnation water treatment system. "I'm a hard guy to convince," said Fintel, "but I now have more than enough proof that the Magnation solution really works." For more information, visit booth #476. After the show, call 888.820.0363, email info@rainlikewater.com, or go to www.rainlikewater.com. SOUTHERN VALLEY: ONE FARM, THREE LOCATIONS By Katie Murray, Marketing and Public Relations, Southern Valley When Kent Hamilton joined with his brother, father and a friend to form Southern Valley Fruit & Vegetable, Inc., they never could have imagined what the business would look like today. What started as a four-man, 100-acre farming effort in south Georgia evolved into a mother-son operation that now grows produce year-round in our three loca- tions: Georgia, Yucatan and Tennessee. However, Southern Valley doesn't simply grow produce, pack produce or sell produce; we do all three. We are the farmer, the packer and the shipper. And unlike any other farming operation in the Southeast, we do so using only farmland we own and operate ourselves. We are not simply a farming operation that invests money into the soil of another company. Instead, we are a company that actually owns the soil we farm. We are the ones who bought the land, prepped the soil and then built the packing hous- es. We have overseen the development of our farms in the same manner we now oversee the development of your prod- uct: wholeheartedly. All produce on each of our farms has been grown using drip-tape irrigation since 1992 in order to secure the best water conservation practices. In other efforts to provide sustainably grown pro- duce, integrated pest management is our first line of defense in the fields in addi- tion to a protective crop rotation plan. Fallow fields every seventh year, probiot- ic inputs into the soil, our own fertilizer production – all done in an effort to pro- vide a sustainable crop year-in and year- out. We also strive to be socially responsible and sustainable by using a certified legal labor force secured through the H2A program. In all three locations, we begin each of our plants from seed in our own greenhouses before gingerly transplanting them into the fertile soil by hand. Produce is harvested by hand, washed and packed in our state-of-the-art packing shed and then chilled in our high-humidity forced air cooler. Meanwhile, our in-house sales depart- ment handles all sales transactions, and our in-house logistics coordinator arranges delivery either on our own line of trucks or through third-party contrac- tors. From seed to shelf. From our farm to your front door. From our soil to your store. From dawn to dusk. From January to December. From start to finish. You get the picture. Southern Valley is the complete package, being able to oversee your product from the ground up, literally. The mission of Southern Valley is to consistently grow and pack- age safe, high quality, perishable com- modities that we can be proud of by using experience, technology and inno- vation. It is our goal to repeatedly pro- vide our customers a product of high value and quality, and we strive to do so in a manner of such integrity and hon- esty that it will ensure their profitabili- ty, loyalty and repeated business. Southern Valley is a female-owned and family-operated company, and we are proud to handle your produce needs at our three farm locations, year-round and in-house. For more information, stop by booth #4663, visit www.southernvalley.us or call 229.769.3676.