Frank Zybach joins NIHF 2022 class for center pivot

The National Inventors Hall of Fame, Canton, Ohio, posthumously inducted Frank Zybach into its 2022 class of inductees for his invention of center pivot irrigation. Zybach joins 26 other inductees of the National Inventors Hall of Fame class of 2022, who will all be celebrated in “The Greatest Celebration of American Innovation” May 4-5.

Born July 10, 1894, Zybach, a Nebraska farmer, invented center pivot irrigation in the mid-20^th century. In 1954, Valley Manufacturing, a small manufacturer of farm equipment, acquired the patent rights from Zybach, and its engineers improved the machine’s efficiency and dependability. Today, the Omaha-based company, since renamed Valmont Industries Inc., is a global leader for center pivot systems and other agricultural products.

By 2013, center pivots irrigated nearly 28 million acres on 57,000 U.S. farms, making it the most widely used irrigation technology in the country.

Zybach was presented with the Irrigation Association’s Industry Achievement Award in 1973. He passed away on Aug. 19, 1980.

“Innovation drives the worldwide economy forward and improves our quality of life,” says Michael Oister, NIHF CEO. “This is especially apparent given what we have experienced over the past 18 months. It’s why at the National Inventors Hall of Fame we are privileged to honor our country’s most significant inventors, who are giving the next generation the inspiration to innovate, create, and solve current and future problems.”

The Illumination Ceremony at the NIHF Museum at the United States Patent and Trademark Office headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, will take place May 4, where new inductees will place their names on illuminated hexagons in the museum’s Gallery of Icons.

The 2022 National Inventors Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be held May 5 at The Anthem in Washington, D.C., where the new inductee class will be honored for its contributions to society during an evening event including a black-tie dinner and ceremony.

A majority of the 2022 class was originally set to be inducted in 2020, but is being inducted this year instead.