Proof of proficiency

With the heightened focus on water conservation and the preservation of natural resources, it’s become increasingly apparent that certification plays a critical role for irrigation professionals who serve the U.S. agricultural industry.

From an industry’s global perspective, irrigation insiders stress that certification for professionals, in general, is a critical designation, a clear stamp of professional validation. Certification is more than just a rubber-stamped piece of paper. Instead, this designation demonstrates competency and a high-level understanding of fundamental irrigation principles, industrywide best practices and ever-evolving — and increasingly complex — technology.

In addition, certification recognizes that professionals are proficient in irrigation design, installation, maintenance, system auditing and water management.

For those professionals focused on agricultural clients, irrigation certification further plays a vital role within that industry sector. And while they share many fundamental principles with standard certifications like Certified Irrigation Contractor and Certified Irrigation Designer – Landscape, agriculture-specific certifications provide irrigation professionals and water management system designers with the specialized knowledge and validation necessary to serve the unique and complex needs of crop- and produce-growing clients effectively.

Sierra Orvis Layous, a senior engineer with the Irrigation Training and Research Center at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, California, emphasizes the significant value of agricultural irrigation certifications, particularly in demonstrating technical proficiency specific to the farming sector. While individuals may enter fields specializing in systems like drip irrigation design without formal agricultural training, Layous stresses certifications with an agricultural emphasis serve as crucial validation of the irrigation pro’s expertise.

“Without [an advanced] degree that specifically says ‘agricultural engineering,’ certification shows [irrigation professionals] have obtained a high level of proficiency in this area of expertise,” Layous says. “And this is very important for people [in agriculture] to know and understand that the irrigation professional they are working with has the necessary training, whereas someone without the certification may not.”

In the U.S., the Irrigation Association, a nonprofit trade association that promotes efficient irrigation technology and practices, oversees and manages nationally recognized certifications tailored to agriculture. These address myriad sound water-management principles that are important to agricultural producers. Those include the following.

CAIS

The Certified Agricultural Irrigation Specialist certification is for irrigation contractors who manage and operate on-farm systems. These professionals understand surface irrigation methods and pressurized systems (including microirrigation and sprinklers), evaluate crops and water availability and use requirements, understand soil-plant-water relationships and salinity effects, select effective irrigation methods and equipment, and work with ag pros to develop efficient irrigation schedules.

“Irrigation specialists need to understand hydraulics and how efficiency and uniformity apply within the agricultural irrigation world,” Layous says. “They need to demonstrate [that] they understand the terminology and equations that are specific to irrigation [in agriculture].”

CID – Agriculture

The Certified Irrigation Designer – Agriculture (CID) credential recognizes professionals who have proven their ability to create high-performing, efficient irrigation systems for agricultural applications. Those who earn this certification demonstrate the skills to evaluate site conditions, determine water availability and crop needs, and select the most effective irrigation equipment, materials and methods. Certified designers develop cost-effective irrigation plans that meet plant requirements, complete with construction details, schedules and specifications. They also ensure that system installation aligns with the design intent and provide guidance to end users on proper use, scheduling and maintenance.

This distinction between sprinkler and drip irrigation design underscores how important ag-specific certification is in recognizing these fundamentally different disciplines, Layous says. Consequently, achieving certification in either sprinkler or drip irrigation necessitates demonstrating specific knowledge relevant to each distinct design methodology.

“In agriculture, these are two completely different types of designs,” she says of CID Sprinkler and CID Drip/Micro. “So, an irrigation contractor must show the knowledge needed for each of those different types of designs to earn those certifications.”

Armed with one or more of these certifications, irrigation professionals are equipped to assist agricultural pros with a wide variety of water management issues, often more proactively than their colleagues who specialize in residential and commercial irrigation systems.

Layous explains that, in agriculture, the certified irrigation designer’s role involves working with clients seeking expert design services to implement new irrigation systems. In contrast, the certified agricultural irrigation specialist functions both proactively and reactively. While they may be involved in planning and optimization, their expertise is particularly valuable in reactive situations, such as troubleshooting existing irrigation system issues. In these instances, a certified professional’s broad understanding of irrigation systems in agricultural settings enables them to diagnose and resolve water-management problems effectively.

Joshua Hansen, CID, the principal at Hansen Irrigation Design, has worked as an irrigation designer since 2010 and has been drip/micro certified for the last decade. He serves clients in California’s agriculturally diverse San Joaquin Valley, as well as throughout Northern California, Oregon and Washington. He specializes in micro sprinkler, drip and buried tape irrigation systems for permanent and row crops. In addition, Hansen serves as a member of IA’s Certification Board, helping to develop testing questions.

Hansen says certification is essential when dealing with agricultural clients. Certification significantly elevates professional proficiency by requiring individuals to acquire essential knowledge in areas such as soil structures, interrelationships and efficiency calculations. While a formal degree is not mandatory, he believes the dedicated study and successful completion of the certification examination demonstrate a substantial level of technical expertise crucial for competent design or consulting work.

“Without a doubt, [certification] not only shows you possess standard knowledge in irrigation systems, but you’ve put in the effort required to be prepared to do good, solid work for your customers,” Hansen says. “As far as that goes, working with the principles you learn for the certification exam are the things you’re going to be using to interface with the NRCS [Natural Resources Conservation Service, focused on protecting and improving natural resources on private lands, including agriculture] or the USDA to prevent runoff from farms and to promote efficient irrigation. And there are some states that require [certification] to be a designer or to have designs installed.”

In an agricultural setting — a farm, greenhouse complex, etc. — certification cultivates a critical understanding of crop-specific watering needs, particularly regarding irrigation frequency and application rates, Hansen says. Certification provides the essential skills to calculate application rates (inches per hour) and determine optimal irrigation durations. This knowledge allows for informed recommendations on run times, preventing issues such as excessive deep percolation beyond the root zone and detrimental surface runoff, he adds.

Irrigation runoff is a significant concern in agriculture, and Hansen underscores that proficiency in these calculations, gained through certification, is an invaluable asset. Furthermore, certification empowers irrigation professionals to provide farm managers and property owners with clear, data-driven guidelines for efficient water management, thereby mitigating the risks associated with overwatering and runoff.

“Having a clear understanding of what an ideal [ag-based irrigation] system looks like is critical,” he says. “Knowing what symptoms of problems — like a leak underground or plugged emitters — look like at a measurement point. What kind of pressures would you see? What kind of flow rate changes would you see in those situations? I mean, really, what you can measure and what you can infer in those situations are what you’re looking for in those troubleshooting environments.”

Mike Zawacki is a Cleveland-based journalist and frequent contributor who has covered various aspects of the green, horticultural, sports turf and irrigation industries for the last 20 years.