Born in 1894, Frank Zybach grew up in Loup Township, Platte County, Nebraska, and began inventing at age 13. In 1948, he developed a prototype of a self-propelled sprinkler irrigation machine, and in 1952 the Zybach Self-Propelled Sprinkling Apparatus was granted a patent. After receiving the patent, Zybach went into business with A. E. Trowbridge of Columbus, and they improved the design and produced 19 center pivots. In 1953, Robert Daugherty, head of Valley Manufacturing, purchased the licensing rights to manufacture the Zybach patent center pivot, and in 1954 Daugherty founded Valmont Irrigation, manufacturer of the Valley brand of irrigation equipment. Zybach and Daugherty designed and manufactured center pivots based on a strong belief in conserving water and increasing crop quality yields. After 1969, other Nebraska manufacturers followed in Valmont’s footsteps. The center pivot irrigation machine has been called perhaps the most significant mechanical innovation in agriculture since the replacement of draft animals by the tractor, and Frank Zybach’s invention revolutionized irrigated agriculture around the world. Zybach died in 1980 after living his final years in a quiet Columbus neighborhood.