Though it may be the oldest industry in the world, modern technology has certainly helped out the agriculture industry immensely. Now, all manner of technological devices are used to make farming both less time-consuming and more productive. One such type of device that is used in the agriculture industry on a regular basis is the flow control valve made with stainless steel balls in order to regulate water flow.

By far the most common application of flow control valves in the agricultural industry is providing water to livestock. For example, many modern designs for providing water to poultry employ flow control valves with stainless steel balls. One such device is called nipple drinking technology and is used to allow chickens to get water from a small, steel nipple that constantly replenishes itself.

Of course, watering animals isn't the only aspect of agriculture that is highly reliant on flow control valves . Plants require water as well, and since, unlike animals, they are immobile, getting water to them is even more of a chore. Sprinklers and other irrigation systems which make use of flow control valves, though, make watering hundreds and thousands of plants a much less time-consuming process.

What Farming Would be Like Without Flow Control Valves

So what would modern farms look like if they didn't make use of flow control valves? Well, to start, the massive farms we have today simply could not exist unless the farmers who owned them were willing to hire enormous amounts of labor to make up the difference.

Watering plants and animals alike on a modern farm without flow control valves would be a nightmare. Farmers would be required to manually ensure that their produce and livestock was receiving an adequate amount of water. In the case of produce, they would have to be just as careful making sure that their plants weren't receiving too much water as they would making sure that they didn't receive too little. What for many farmers is now a highly efficient, largely automated process would no longer be possible without flow control devices.

Building Flow Control Devices for the Agriculture Industry

While flow control devices already play a huge role in the agricultural industry and while farmers' lives certainly wouldn't be the same without the technology that exists, that does not mean there isn't room for improvements. If you or your company are planning on designing a flow control device for use in the agricultural industry, it's important to understand the role that quality stainless steel balls play in these devices.

Outfitting your flow control valves with high quality, stainless steel balls ensures that they will always deliver the right amount of flow without any leaks. It also helps improve the durability and life cycle of your valve, making for a higher quality device that farmers are more likely to appreciate.

At Hartford Technologies, the stainless steel balls we produce are manufactured to rigorous standards using state-of-the-art technology and processes. These stainless steel balls are the best available in the industry today and are perfect for flow control in agricultural applications. If you would like to learn more about putting these high quality balls to work in your agricultural flow control device, we invite you to contact us today.