EDITORIAL MESSAGE


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e’ve reached the middle of the year, when the hot weather is at its most oppressive for a lot of the country, and when ag irrigation professionals are doing their best to give their crops what they need


to not only survive the season, but thrive. Early season plans have come and gone, and now it’s time to think about how to make the most of the water you’re working with.


In some areas of the United States, water availability continues to be a major focus. In places like California, it’s not just a question of effective use of the resource but also of increasing costs. These are issues that any ag irrigation pro- fessional knows all too well in the effort to grow crops with a close eye on inputs. It sometimes feels like a thankless job that isn’t noticed by most.


That’s part of the spirit behind Smart Irrigation Month, which runs for the entire month of July.


How many people who you work with or who you connect with on social media understand the importance of the work you do as someone who uses smart irrigation practices to get the most out of your water? Smart Irrigation Month, run by the Irrigation Association, is meant to shine a spotlight on why working with best practices in mind is important and to show how irrigation profession- als have an impact far beyond their fields.


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If you have comments, suggestions or an idea for what you would like to see covered in a future issue, please feel free to contact me at kylebrown@irrigation.org.


The irrigation resource for today’s growers


Published by: Irrigation Association 8280 Willow Oaks Corporate Dr. Suite 630 Fairfax, VA 22031-4511 USA Tel 703.536.7080 Fax 703.536.7019 info@irrigationtoday.org www.irrigationtoday.org


Publisher Natasha Rankin, MBA, CAE


Associate Publisher Trisha Klaus


Editor-in-Chief Kyle Brown


Managing Editor Anne Blankenbiller


Creative Director Sean Burris


Digital Content Editor McKenna Corson


Business Development Director Stephanie Clark


National Sales Representative Tom Schoen tom.schoen@bock-assoc.com 952.905.3214


Editorial Committee Chair Diann Ilkenhons Senninger Irrigation Inc.


Editorial Committee Jonathan Aguilar, PhD, PE Kansas State University


Julie Bushell Paige Electric – Ag


Charles Hillyer, PhD, Vice Chair Center for Irrigation Technology, Fresno State University


4 Irrigation TODAY | Summer 2022


Susan Hutton Irrigation Innovation Consortium


Karin Novotny Rivulis Irrigation


Sahil Sharma Lindsay Corporation


Kevin Stewart, CAIS Jain Irrigation Inc.


Contributors Haimanote Bayabil, PhD Sandra Guzmán, PhD Dan Keppen Thomas Marek, MS, PE Steven Melvin Kati Migliaccio, PhD, PE George Oamek, PhD Dana Porter, PhD, PE Brad Rippey Kiran Sharma Vivek Sharma, PhD George Vellidis, PhD


irrigationtoday.org


There are lots of ways that you can be a part of the initiative. Start off the month by joining other irrigation professionals in wearing blue and sharing a selfie or photo with your team on July 5 with #SmartIrrigationMonth for Technology Tuesday. With pros across many disciplines in the irrigation industry, from farmers to dealers and manufacturers, it’s a great way for everyone you’re connected with to see how many people are involved in using water effectively.


If you want to help get the word out about how smart irrigation practices make a difference in food production, the Irrigation Association has sharable resources available at smartirrigationmonth.org. Use this month to remind your community about the impact that your work and all efficient irrigation professionals have on everyday life.


Irrigation Today Editor-in-Chief Kyle Brown


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