(Omaha World-Herald) - Nebraska farmers and irrigation suppliers are racing the clock to replace hundreds of storm-battered center pivots before the weather turns hot and dry. Perhaps as many as 500 center pivots were damaged or destroyed in the tornadoes and thunderstorms that hit the state this spring, said to Bobbie Kriz-Wickham, a policy analyst with the Nebraska Department of Agriculture. More precise figures remained unavailable Monday. Many farmers who lost the pricey equipment find themselves on waiting lists for replacement pivots and the specialized crews to install them. The financial blow is compounded because the price for center pivots has jumped by 10% to 20% in the past year.
