Pleasant Valley Irrigation of Idaho and Thunderbird Manufacturing hope to bring value and growth to the irrigation industry

For most, the additional workload might be daunting. But for the Nulph family, they saw it as an endeavor worth embracing.

“I think for some people it’s hard to think about going from trucking to another (field) but business is business,” explained Nic Nulph, who owns and operates Caldwell Transport Services, Tate Transportation, and E & R Transportation with his father, Raymond, and brother, Chris. “If you know how to run a business you can run just about any business. You just have to have the right people to help you move it along.”

The Nulphs added two businesses to their workload last September when they purchased Knudsen Irrigation and Thunderbird Irrigation of Idaho, now called Pleasant Valley Irrigation of Idaho and Thunderbird Manufacturing. The irrigation business is a dealer for numerous irrigation equipment brands such as Thunderbird, Valley, Travis, and more, and also exclusively manufactures the area-famous Thunderbird end drive wheel line system. They sell anything from hand lines to wheel lines to pivots from their stores at 98 Fort Hall Ave in American Falls and 2700 West 2100 South in Aberdeen.

One of its brands in particular is a little-known secret they’re hoping to share with the greater agricultural world: The Thunderbird wheel line. Patented in the 1960s, Thunderbird wheel lines offer a different style of wheel line than center drives, with benefits including the end drive system which makes water hookup faster, two transmissions capable of climbing steeper hills, and being able to ‘walk’ in a straighter line.

“Our vision for Thunderbird is to continue to grow it and take it into areas and countries of the world that have never heard of it,” said Chris, who lives in Walla Walla, Washington and oversees Tate Transportation, which they purchased in 2008. “This will be great for this community because we’ll be hiring more people. We’ll need more help and we are now taking it into Walla Walla. The farmers up there have never seen anything like it.”

He explained that due the region’s hilly topography, many Walla Walla farmers resort to using handlines because pivots can’t climb the hills and center drive wheel lines don’t stay straight enough to properly water the field. Which means the Thunderbird wheel lines’ ability to take on the hills stands out in a great way.

“We just set up two lines there last week and just ran them across the field back and forth, and the farmer (said) ‘I have never seen such a thing’,” Chris explained. “So we know it’s going to be a hit.”

There is also the potential that they will share the Thunderbird wheel lines with international agricultural communities, with the U.S. government recently encouraging irrigation manufacturers to network with Argentinian irrigation companies.

“(These companies) are in need of ….‘reliable, easy-to-maintain irrigation equipment’,” Chris said, explaining what the U.S. government sent out online in a memo. “So farmers now will be able to get government aid to invest in irrigation systems where they are only 3% irrigated in Argentina. And (for us) to help (them) try to overcome these droughts they’re going through, it’s a great opportunity.”

Their Thunderbird wheel lines and genuine Thunderbird parts can only be purchased at their store locations as well as dealers in Burley, Caldwell, Blackfoot, Idaho Falls, and Rexburg.

While most of the Nulphs’ businesses revolve around the world of machines and mechanics, it is their dedication to their employees and their customers that is their true focus.

Raymond explained that farmers are dealing with rising costs throughout their industry and his focus is keeping those costs down for the farmers’ irrigation needs.

They also put great effort into the health of their employees. In the recent past their trucking company Tate Transportation was awarded the Health and Wellness Award by the Walla Walla Chamber of Commerce. It was nominated among numerous health field-related businesses and organizations such as Planned Parenthood, Workfit Gym, and Young Men’s Christian Association, beating them out despite being the only non-health related business nominated.

The Nulphs also offer healthcare benefits to all their employees and families, and stock each of their trucks with refrigerators and microwaves to encourage employees to choose healthier nutritional options. They also installed Tempur-Pedic mattresses in each truck to ensure better quality sleep.

They are seeking to bring similar benefits to employees at Pleasant Valley Irrigation of Idaho to ensure they are taken care of financially and health-wise.

“I think that we want to take those things we do in our other companies, such as providing health benefits…developing retirement plans, and (make) it a great place to work for people who live in this community so they can make a good living and have the necessities of life,” said Chris.

Nic added to this, explaining that his father always taught him that if you invest in your community and employees, they will invest in you.

“We’ve had employees that have been here for 35 years,” said Nic. “We have one family that has been here for three generations and it’s because we have always taken care of them. We’ve always made them feel like they’re more than just an employee and that we value the work they do for us.”

Treating members of the community right and with care and respect is the reason the Nulphs decided to retire the name Knudsen Irrigation and change it to Pleasant Valley Irrigation of Idaho.

“We’re proud of Pleasant Valley,” said Chris. “We’re proud to be part of this area that we’ve lived in for so many years, and so we’ve named it Pleasant Valley in tribute and honor to all the farmers and ranchers who have made this area what it is.”

For more information regarding Pleasant Valley Irrigation of Idaho, visit its Facebook page or contact sales@pviofidaho.com or 208-397-4300.