Each day is a new opportunity to help others. Reinke Manufacturing’s daily work involves putting the finest irrigation products and technologies in the hands of growers around the world. But one day last fall, Reinke and one of its dealers in Nebraska had the opportunity to install a minipivot that did far more than just irrigate crops.  At a young age, Blaize DeGroff was diagnosed with Williams Syndrome, a rare genetic condition characterized by medical problems, developmental delays, and learning challenges. Those with Williams Syndrome are often friendly and talkative, with outgoing personalities. That describes 9‑year-old DeGroff perfectly.  According to his mother, Jessica, Blaize is fascinated with water. And living…

To implement the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), local and state water managers need better information on groundwater. In response to that need, the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) is conducting airborne electromagnetic (AEM) surveys to map the subsurface beneath the state’s high-and medium-priority groundwater basins. Irrigation Leader spoke with DWR’s Katherine Dlubac and Steven Springhorn about the surveys, which will help refine hydrogeologic models and identify potential areas for recharging groundwater. 

UPL is the fifth-largest agrochemical company in the world and provides an array of aquatic chemicals to help irrigation districts keep their conveyance structures clean. Not only does UPL manufacture some of the best-known aquatic herbicides in the irrigation business, it also delivers quality customer service. In this interview, UPL’s business lead for aquatics, Jeremy Slade, tells Irrigation Leader about his field of the business and changes in the industry. 

McCrometer has long been a stalwart in the irrigation industry. Its innovative meter products allow irrigators to properly measure water efficiently and cost effectively. As new technologies and customer demands have emerged, McCrometer has continually innovated in order to keep providing water users with high-quality yet affordable products. The company continues to do precisely that with its new mag meter products. In this interview, Senior Product Manager Aimee Davis and Market Development Manager Ken Quandt tell Irrigation Leader about why McCrometer developed the new mag meters, how it innovated to optimize them for customers’ needs, and the meters’ appeal to both irrigation and municipal water users. 

Colton Russon, who runs a dairy farm and grows barley, corn, and hay in Tremonton, Utah, has recently started using a Rubicon FarmConnect system. In this interview, Mr. Russon tells us about the results he is seeing from the system. 

Ronald Leimgruber is a third-generation farmer in California’s Imperial Valley who uses a variety of irrigation methods to grow his crops. He has been using Rubicon’s technology for over 10 years. 

Rubicon Water’s technology helps manage 3.7 million acres of irrigated land. With thousands of miles of canals modernized and more than 35,000 automated control gates and meters sold, Rubicon’s innovative hardware and software is improving the efficiency and productivity of irrigated agriculture worldwide. One groundbreaking example is Rubicon’s FarmConnect solution, which leverages from technologies within Rubicon’s proven irrigation district solutions to provide individual farmers with precise, high-efficiency surface and furrow irrigation solutions. In this interview, Rubicon Business Development Manager Peter Moller tells us about the development and launch of the FarmConnect solution.