Cal Poly’s Thriving Irrigation Training Center
For nearly 30 years, the Irrigation Training and Research Center at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly) has been supporting the university’s thriving BioResource and Agricultural Engineering (BRAE) department. While many universities have downsized or eliminated their ag engineering programs, Cal Poly’s BRAE department has seen its enrollment triple in the […]
Arizona’s Practitioner-Led Water Management Program
In the desert states of the American Southwest, water management is a challenge and an art. Municipalities, irrigation districts, builders, attorneys, and policymakers must all be intimately familiar with the full spectrum of water-related challenges they may face. In Arizona, the Agribusiness & Water Council of Arizona (ABWC) and Arizona State University’s Fulton Schools of […]
The Next Generation of Nebraska Water Leader
The Nebraska Water Leaders Academy, founded in 2011, is a professional leadership program that trains water resources professionals in leadership skills and technical knowledge. Over the course of six sessions, participants learn about the different geographical areas of the state of Nebraska and about a variety of water subjects and leadership skills, all while building […]
The High-Tech Way to Fight E. Coli
Ecoli-Sense is a startup company that has invented a nanomaterials-based device for instantaneously checking water supplies for E. coli contamination. Working either on the basis of a hand-held testing device or buoys that stay in a water body continuously, Ecoli-Sense’s system is both high tech and more affordable than traditional methods. In this interview, Ecoli-Sense’s […]
Why Solar Is an Intelligent Investment for Irrigators
As a state with cool weather and a lot of sun, Nebraska is an ideal location for solar-energy installations. Michael Shonka, the founder and president of Omaha-based Solar Heat and Electric, has been in the solar industry for over 30 years. In 2013, he installed a 25-kilowatt solar power installation on a center pivot for […]
Aiding Groundwater Recharge in Central Nebraska
For many irrigation districts throughout the United States, groundwater recharge has become an increasingly important element of water management. Such is the case with the Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District (CNPPID), which is partnering with the Platte River Recovery Implementation Program (PRRIP), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Tri-Basin Natural Resources District, […]
Improving Water Supply in the Columbia River Basin
Tom Tebb is the director of the Office of Columbia River at the Washington State Department of Ecology. His office is tasked with several major water management projects designed to increase water flows in central and eastern Washington, both for instream and out-of-stream uses. In this interview with Irrigation Leader Editor-in-Chief Kris Polly, Mr. Tebb […]
New Expertise at UPI
UPI Aquatics is an agrichemical manufacturing company with over 3,000 employees worldwide. It is perhaps best known to irrigators for its aquatic chemicals Cascade and Teton. In October of this year, Cory Greer joined UPI as an account representative with responsibility for all or part of nine western states. In this interview with Irrigation Leader Managing […]
Fremont Madison Irrigation District
Fremont Madison Irrigation District (FMID) serves 285,000 acres of land in Eastern Idaho, and is also responsible for groundwater recharge and surface water management in its area. In this interview, Irrigation Leader’s editor-in-chief, Kris Polly, speaks with Aaron Dalling, the executive director of Fremont Madison Irrigation District, about his district’s role in managing the region’s […]
Volume 9 Issue 10 November/December 2018
In this last issue of 2018, Irrigation Leader takes a look around the U.S. irrigation industry. Our articles cover aquifer recharge, surface water management, agrichemical sales, branding and design, pipeline construction, solar power, pathogen detection, and security. If the U.S. irrigation industry has it, you will probably find it in this issue. In our […]