Irrigation Leader Magazine

07/10/2025

The July/August issue of the Wyoming state edition of Irrigation Leader is here!

In our cover story this month, we interview Kelsey Beck, the executive director of the Popo Agie Conservation District, which engages with water quantity, water quality, and watershed planning issues across 2.5 million acres in central Wyoming. The district aims to enhance storage capacity and address critical water challenges while strengthening the resilience of agriculture, recreation, and municipal communities.

https://bit.ly/4l9HO4d

07/09/2025

The July/August issue of the Washington state edition of Irrigation Leader is here!

In our cover story this month, we speak with Jon DeVaney of the Washington State Tree Fruit Association. He explains both why Washington State dominates the nation’s tree fruit industry—it has near-perfect conditions for growing apples—and why it faces challenges, mostly owing to drought and high costs. We review the potential for new technologies to aid the industry and discuss the possibility of public support for investments into these technologies.

https://bit.ly/4nyqc3M

07/08/2025

The July/August issue of the New Zealand edition of Irrigation Leader is here!

In our cover story this month, we speak with Jeremy Anderson, the general manager of the Maniototo Irrigation Company (MIC). He tells us about the history of how a partly finished irrigation scheme became three separate distribution companies that eventually merged into one organization, MIC, in 2024; explains the benefits that amalgamation has brought; and delves into the challenges and opportunities as agriculture grows in the Maniototo Plain.

https://bit.ly/44wS67u

07/07/2025

The July/August issue of the New Mexico state edition of Irrigation Leader is here!

This month, we are delighted to mark the centennial anniversary of the WFSMRG,Workforce Solution Middle Rio Grande (MRGCD). First, we talk with MRGCD staff—Jason Casuga, the district’s CEO and chief engineer; Casey Ish, the conservation program and special projects manager; and Doug Strech, the systems and data integration program manager—about current challenges, including drought, changes in land use and water rights, and workforce availability, and about major steps forward, such as infrastructure upgrades. Then, we interview John Fleck, a historian and writer in residence at the University of New Mexico, about the MRGCD’s past history and its success in representing and holding together a community built around the banks of the Rio Grande.

https://bit.ly/4khP6BP

07/04/2025

The July/August issue of the Nebraska state edition of Irrigation Leader is here!

In our cover story this month, we interview Congressman Adrian Smith of Nebraska’s Third Congressional District. A champion for the state’s irrigators, Congressman Smith emphasizes the importance of grasping each irrigation district’s and producer’s issues. We also touch on title transfer and the significance of federal funding for irrigation infrastructure. Rep. Adrian Smith

https://bit.ly/44Nm9Ju

07/04/2025

The July/August issue of the Montana edition of Irrigation Leader is here!

In our cover story this month, we speak with Jillien Streit, the new director of the Montana Department of Agriculture. As a farmer and the mother of future farmers, she brings out-of-the-box thinking to her position, encouraging Montana producers to think about often-overlooked issues such as soil health and consider alternative economic ventures, such as setting up their own processing operations. Montana Department of Agriculture

https://bit.ly/46q4x7C

07/04/2025

The July/August issue of the Arizona edition of Irrigation Leader is here!

In our cover story this month, we get a panoramic view of the issues faced by Arizona agriculture in our interview with Professor George Frisvold of the University of Arizona. Our wide-ranging conversation covers drought conditions, groundwater use, urban development, mechanization, and labor issues. Arizona Water Resources Research Center (WRRC)

https://bit.ly/4eyUQ8V

07/02/2025

The July/August issue of Irrigation Leader is here!

Pete Hronis is a partner and the chairman of the board of Hronis, Inc. a large family-owned agricultural producer in the Central Valley of California, and a member of the board of the Delano Earlimart Irrigation District (DEID). With one foot in private business and the other in an irrigation district, Mr. Hronis provides us a well-informed look at water issues in the area, highlighting DEID’s special accomplishments in groundwater stewardship. Thanks to its metered turnouts and expansive recharge facilities, DEID is one of the few water entities in California to have been granted an exemption to the requirements of the state’s 2014 Sustainable Groundwater Management Act.

https://bit.ly/3I2yLnl

06/30/2025

Check out our article on The Coalition for Urban Rural Environmental Stewardship's evaluation tool for irrigation efficiency and resource protection in a strict regulatory environment from our June issue.

Distribution uniformity (DU) evaluations measure how evenly water and chemical inputs are distributed across an irrigated production area. These evaluations have been performed since the 1980s and gained significant momentum after California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) was adopted in 2014 to safeguard groundwater resources. Amid water scarcity and stricter usage regulations, every drop counts, yet producers have been left high and dry in their efforts to resolve efficiency issues and improve DU. Parry Klassen is the executive director of the Coalition for Urban Rural Environmental Stewardship (CURES), a nonprofit dedicated to agricultural research and outreach programs promoting the responsible use of pesticides and crop nutrients. In this interview with Irrigation Leader, Mr. Klassen discusses a software that provides irrigators not only a DU value but also insights on cost savings and return on investment (ROI) through proper management and system improvements.

https://bit.ly/44swMBe

06/28/2025

06/26/2025

Check out our article on Matt Cultrera of Plott: mapping your next irrigated field from our June issue.

A relative newcomer to the irrigation industry, Plott is mapping a promising future in the field with affordable products that help landscapers and growers plot irrigation and drainage easily and accurately. Its Carta digital mapping wheel provides state-of-the-art, real-time mapping and measuring, and its rotary laser provides accurate leveling and grading that makes jobs such as drainage installation easier. In this interview, Irrigation Leader talks with Matt Cultrera, Plott’s marketing and product development director, about the company’s products and its plans to provide more solutions for agriculture.

https://bit.ly/4kW6Qnw