Make it personal

In every job, there are a series of responsibilities and requirements set to accomplish. In a perfect world, you’ve got the resources and time to manage them. But no matter what your occupation is, big issues come along that you could have some impact on, but are too much for you to shoulder without support.

Irrigation professionals are experts at handling a lot of pressure, both literally and figuratively. Especially during the growing season, the stresses of the work are always mounting, whether it’s managing inputs correctly or collecting and interpreting soil moisture data. And that’s before having to consider issues such as water scarcity or industry regulation. It feels like too much to take on for just one person.

Just remember: You have experience and insight that are worth sharing.

I’d like to take a minute to suggest that it feels that way because it is, especially for those larger, more systemic issues. Some of them aren’t meant to be solved on an individual level. But that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t play a part in the solution.

That’s part of what the 2024 theme for Smart Irrigation Month, “We are smart irrigation,” is all about. While the annual July initiative always celebrates the importance of and hard work that goes into efficient irrigation practices, this year’s theme is making it personal. We’re all dealing with enormous issues that face the industry like supporting global food security or managing resources in scarcity. No one expects a grower to single-handedly reshape the landscape. But we should always celebrate the innovations and efforts that come from the people who are doing the hard work in the field. At the end of the day, this industry is made up of people, and that’s a message we can be excited to share despite the challenges.

From your perspective, Smart Irrigation Month might be a time to do some outreach on social media and share some of the insight with the general public about what makes effective water management so important. But just remember: You have experience and insight that are worth sharing.

Find out more about how to get involved in Smart Irrigation Month at smartirrigationmonth.org.

Irrigation Today Editor-in-Chief