In this series, learn more about the 25 recipients of the Irrigation Association’s 2022 E3 Program, sponsored by The Toro Company and the Carolinas Irrigation Association, awarded to college students studying and pursuing careers in the irrigation field.
The Irrigation Association created the E3 program to focus on providing irrigation students (E3 learners) and faculty members (E3 leaders) with exposure, experience and education that revolves around the irrigation industry. The program shows that the “three e’s” are the best way to actively engage the next generation of irrigators.
The sponsorships include an education and travel award to attend the 2022 Irrigation Show and Education Week Dec. 5-9 in Las Vegas.
I’m the seventh generation on my family’s small farm in Eastern Nebraska, so it’s easy to say agriculture has always been a large part of my life since I was a kid. I was very fortunate to be able to be around agricultural equipment and learn about modern practices growing up, so creating a career path in the agriculture space to preserve and encourage the experiences I had as a kid for others who may not be as familiar with agriculture is incredibly meaningful to me.
While I grew up around agriculture and learned the basics of modern practices, my experience isn’t limited to that. As a graduate student, I have been able to act as an irrigation manager for over 300 acres of irrigated crop production dedicated to research, both maintaining the irrigation systems and scheduling irrigation events.
One accomplishment within the agriculture industry I’m proud of is serving as a collaborator on multiple Nebraska Extension publications aimed to simultaneously provide producers who irrigate a resource to improve their operations and conserve irrigation water resources. Producers are one of the most important pieces of the puzzle in improving overall irrigation water use efficiency and being able to provide them with the proper resources to do so is an opportunity and accomplishment I’m proud to have contributed to.
Currently, I am pursuing a Master of Science degree in agriculture and biological systems engineering with a water resources planning and management specialization. With the skills and experiences from the course, research and outreach work that comes along with that degree, I’m hoping to continue my work in the agriculture space to develop new and innovative technologies for agricultural irrigation scheduling that both are intuitive for producers to work with, value for the producer’s investment and improved crop yields with more efficient timing of irrigation applications.
To me, smart irrigation is the combination of industry solutions, expert knowledge and producer familiarity with their operation to use new practices and technology to conserve water and more efficiently irrigate in both agricultural and landscape applications. With the combined efforts of stakeholders across the irrigation space, we can use more “smart” irrigation practices such as utilizing technology and taking advantage of existing knowledge to reduce pumping, properly implement water quality and quantity conservation plans, and improve the performance of existing irrigation systems.
Right now, I think the most exciting advancement in the agriculture industry is the increasing feasibility of variable rate application technology, and the numerous platforms being developed to better support the decision-making process behind those application rates. Every field is unique and having the ability to control inputs on a sub-acre level will greatly increase economic output of a farm. Particularly in the irrigation space, variable rate technology can significantly increase water use efficiency and reduce the potential for chemical runoff or leaching into groundwater.
My family is involved in farming. I have been assisting my parents in agriculture since my school days. Later, I got interested in the technological advancement in agriculture which led me to pursue my study in the same.
Apart from working with my parents on their farm, I am working part-time as a graduate research assistant in the department of agricultural and biosystems engineering in a drip irrigation project where we are applying different irrigation treatments on watermelon, muskmelon and squash.
I am glad that I am able to contribute to the agriculture sector by either conducting experiments or encouraging farmers to adopt an efficient method of farming with the latest equipment and use my knowledge as a tool to implement my deep-rooted altruistic philosophy of being able to contribute to a higher motive, i.e., to sustainability on this planet.
I am working to stay in the irrigation industry, either in an irrigation firm or in a university as a PhD candidate and continue my research. In the long run, I want to establish my own company that will help make irrigation easier and more efficient.
I have seen people applying water in their field as much as they want resulting in unwanted energy consumption and reduced quality and quantity of production and affecting the availability of water resources in the long run. So, I feel irrigating in a smart manner is immensely important so as to conserve water, enhance productivity and improve the overall economy.
The recent technological advancement in agriculture always fascinates me, which has made farming much easier than before. The machinery and controllers, along with sensors to perform various farming operations like field preparation, plantation, irrigation, weeding and harvesting, help to increase agricultural production with the application of less human labor and resources, leading to a sustainable future.
Read more about the E3 program.
Luke Reynolds is the content editor for Irrigation Today and can be reached via email.
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