Dec 19, 2023Trio of North Dakota brothers receive irrigation award
Third-generation North Dakota farmers and brothers Bill, Jeff and Kent VanRay have received the Irrigation Excellence Award from the North Dakota Irrigation Association.
The award is presented annually to growers who exhibit leadership, outstanding service and advancement in the state’s irrigation industry. The brothers received the award Dec. 7 during the 60th annual Joint North Dakota Water Convention and Irrigation Workshop in Bismarck.
The brothers, from Pingree, North Dakota, invested in pivot irrigation for producing potatoes more than 25 years ago, according to an article in the Jamestown Sun.
Committed to preserving land and water resources through new technology, the brothers continue to innovate with irrigation systems using both ground and surface water while investing in their community.
VanRay Potato Farms in Pettibone, North Dakota, grows Russett Burbank potatoes for a french fry processing plant, according to its Facebook page.
A fourth generation is continuing the VanRay legacy, as five of the brothers’ sons are active in the family irrigation and farming operation.
