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By Charles Abee, CAIS O 24 Irrigation TODAY | Summer 2023


n the surface level, irrigation sounds like an easy concept. We really only have to answer two basic questions, “When do


I irrigate?” and “How long do I irrigate for?”


As simple as these questions sound there is so much information that goes into accurately making these decisions, such as soil type, soil quality, evapotranspiration, crop coefficient, water quality, field practices, distribution uniformity, irrigation efficiency, phenology stage and electrical time of use. Add in a restricted water supply and you have a complex chess game that could be played over hundreds


to thousands of acres. I want to address how education and certification are crucial for ag irrigation specialists in making these challenging decisions.


Education is a combination of acquiring knowledge and experience. We might think of education in the traditional sense of going to college, but I will be the first to admit there is so much education that happens outside the walls of any college. I personally learned a lot about irrigation system maintenance working for a research farm in the Central Valley of California long before I ever had any formal training in irrigation. School is a


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