IA gears up for annual trade show
Registration open for 2022 Irrigation Show and Education Week
The 2022 Irrigation Show and Education Week, hosted by the Irrigation Association, Fairfax, Virginia, from Dec. 5-9 in Las Vegas, is now open for registration. The early bird registration deadline is Oct. 31.
The annual show will feature the green industry’s most comprehensive list of education offerings, hands-on access to the latest products and technologies, and the opportunity to network with industry peers and find new suppliers.
Attendees will be able to tour the exhibit hall, where they will come face to face with all products and companies related to irrigation and water management. Come connect with company professionals, receive answers to questions and learn more about the products and systems that are featured on the show floor.
Additional events and programs that are part of the 2022 show include IA University, the new product contest, Viva Las Vegas Reception, a Craft Brewfest, Industry Insights presentations, a pitch competition for tech startups and numerous other networking events.
IA University to take place Dec. 5-7
From Dec. 5-7, IA University will be available for irrigation professionals to expand their knowledge during the Irrigation Show and Education Week. The classes offered every year seek to provide the fundamental and practical skills necessary to design, install or maintain an irrigation system, as well as the business skills to manage a small irrigation company. Classes will be offered in five categories, including agriculture, landscape and golf, landscape business basics, pumps and soils, and a math tutorial. Classes will also be divided into beginner, intermediate and advanced levels.
From Dec. 6-9, the Irrigation Association’s Select Certified program will be available for industry professionals to take exams and earn certifications. Offered certifications include CGIA, CIC, CID-Landscape/Turf, CIT and CLIA. IA University is sponsored by Senninger and SiteOne Landscape Supply.
New product contest returns for 20th year
The Irrigation Association, Fairfax, Virginia, is accepting applications for the 2022 New Product Contest sponsored by Rachio. The event, in its 20th year, spotlights new products, technologies and services hitting the irrigation market between Jan. 1, 2022, and Oct. 10, 2022.
This year’s program will be a hybrid event, with virtual and live portions. Contest presentations and judging will be done virtually, while the announcement of the winners will be done live on the show floor during the 2022 Irrigation Show and Education Week held in Las Vegas Dec. 5-9. The format gives irrigation professionals more access to view the products and watch the presentations online, culminating in the live announcement of the winners at the show.
Applications were accepted in three categories: agriculture irrigation, landscape irrigation and landscape lighting.
Exhibitors entering the 2022 New Product Contest had their product displayed in the online product showcase on the Irrigation Show website. All products will also be on display in the new product contest area on the show floor at the Irrigation Show.
New for this year, awards in each category will be presented in gold, silver and bronze tiers.
Smart Irrigation Month observed in July
In July, the Irrigation Association, Fairfax, Virginia, celebrated Smart Irrigation Month, an annual event intended to promote and encourage efficient water use industry wide. To recognize this year’s Smart Irrigation Month sponsored by HydroPoint, Irrigation & Lighting magazine highlighted the industry’s sustainability champions through a series of Q&As spanning through July.
Spotlighted participants from the landscape irrigation industry included Calsense, OptConnect and K&D Landscaping.
“We do not have to sacrifice what we do as an industry to save water, but we can change our best practices around irrigation to enable better products and services for our industry,” says Justin Nichols, national sales executive at OptConnect, Kaysville, Utah. “Ultimately, we feel that the more knowledge and tools irrigation professionals have, the more we can emphasize the need for smart irrigation and water management to support water conservation.”
“We’re all in this together, and our job is to make it as easy as possible for our customers to implement smart irrigation,” says Mike Haldane, director of commercial operations at Calsense, Carlsbad, California.
The Irrigation Association also encouraged irrigation professionals to take part in Technology Tuesday, held July 5. Participants were asked to wear blue and share a selfie or staff photo with #SmartIrrigationMonth to show their support.
Read the Smart Irrigation Month Q&As.
IA announces 2022 awards
The Irrigation Association named the winners of the 2022 Irrigation Association Awards, who will be recognized at the 2022 Irrigation Show and Education Week. Jack Buzzard, formerly of Rain Bird, Azusa, California, received the Industry Achievement Award, and Bradley Jakubowski of Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania, was one of two recipients of the Excellence in Education Award.
The Irrigation Association Industry Achievement Award recognizes an individual employed by or retired from an irrigation-related company whose career demonstrates outstanding contributions to the advancement of the irrigation industry and its products and programs. Buzzard served as the vice president and director of the Rain Bird International Strategic Business unit for 40 years, where he contributed to the construction of Rain Bird’s international brand. He introduced irrigation into areas of the world that needed a faster, more efficient way to keep crops and landscapes healthy with less water. He served as president of the Irrigation Association in 1995 and retired from Rain Bird in 2004.
The Irrigation Association Excellence in Education Award recognizes a person who is actively teaching or has formerly taught irrigation, water management or water conservation in affiliation with a two- or four-year institution, where they have provided efficient irrigation solutions that protect water and the environment.
Jakubowski started as an instructor of plant and turfgrass science at Penn State University in 2017. He has developed entire courses around irrigation, water management and water conservation. Jakubowski is a regular presenter for trade associations and academic institutions and organizes three turfgrass conferences in Pennsylvania in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Turfgrass Council. Jakubowski has attended and presented at the IA landscape Faculty Academy events and currently serves on the Faculty Academy Planning Committee.
Read the IA awards Q&As.
Irrigation E3 program accepting applications
The Irrigation Association is now accepting applications for the 2022 Irrigation E3 program.
The E3 program, lead sponsored by The Toro Company in 2022, provides students and educators with exposure, experience and education in the irrigation industry. Winners will receive an education and travel award for the 2022 Irrigation Show in Las Vegas Dec. 5-9. At the Irrigation Show, E3 winners are given the chance to walk the trade show floor, take education classes and network with industry professionals.
Student and faculty applications are due by Sept. 23 with notification of status by early October. Learn more about the student and faculty program requirements and the application process for each at irrigation.org/E3.
