INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
D
uring the new product contest recently held as part of the 2019 Irrigation Show and Education Week, three expert judges listened to five-minute presentations on 18 ag irrigation and six ag specialty product entries. To be eligible to compete in
the contest, products must have been introduced to the market in the last year. The contest is a popular area on the Irrigation Show floor and the competition is fierce. Irrigation Today went behind the scenes with judge Rel Gray to get an inside peek into the judging.
What did you think about the variety of products in the contest this year?
“I really liked the variety of new products and how they covered various subsets of the industry — center pivot items, drip items, filtration items, control items. It is always surprising to see what shows up each year. There’s always something you never see coming; something so innovative and game-changing that you don’t expect it. Honestly, there were some things that I couldn’t believe hadn’t been thought of before now.”
What are the product and technology trends people should watch for in ag irrigation?
“Everything is trying to get smarter. We want it to be wireless, we want it to be mobile, and we want it to be easy. Materials are getting better as well. While judging, we heard presenters talking about how a specific material is better and higher quality because of the way it is produced.”
If you were new in the industry, what type of equipment or new technology would be a must-have in
your operation?
“Wireless control. Being able to control a system or get data wirelessly is a necessity. Historically, growers have had to babysit irrigation systems. Being able to access information or control your components almost instantaneously is a huge step for the ag irrigation industry.”
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What problems are manufacturers working to solve for growers?
“Accessibility to information and controlling equipment. There is also a lot of talk about making items more versatile. Some examples are drip tape that doesn’t have to be filtered as much and filters that don’t corrode. Manufacturers are trying to extend the life of their products and broaden the range for what their products can actually do.”
What would growers think about the products you saw in the contest?
“I think a brand-new grower would be surprised at the level of technology in the industry right now. The amount of research that goes into creating these products would be surprising to many in the industry. Experienced growers would probably see many of these products as a next step to help improve their systems.”
If you came back and were a judge next year, what kind of products would you want to see?
“I want to see products that I don’t expect. Small, incremental changes to improve a technology such as to an emission device or a to a manifold, while very welcome, are expected, and that is how our industry’s technology slowly grows over time. I want to see a product or technology that leaps us forward in a huge bound. Show me a new way to filter water at half the footprint but double the volume of any other method. Show me a valve that is also a meter, and a pressure regulator that can read and relay flow and pressure data then self-adjust as needed. It would be great to see something like these examples that would really shake up the industry. That’s where waves are made! I want to see products and technologies that come out and change our industry for the better.”
Rel Gray is an inside sales and customer service lead at Irrigation- Mart in Ruston, Louisiana. He has a degree in civil engineering and has also earned a master’s in industrial organizational psychology.
Summer 2019 | Irrigation TODAY 37
Behind the scenes
at the irrigation new product contest
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