Irrigation industry mourns loss of industry champion

The irrigation industry recently lost one of its longtime industry pioneers. William “Bill” Pogue, former president of The Irrometer Company Inc. (1980-2003) and past president of the Irrigation Association (1988), passed away peacefully surrounded by family on May 27, 2021.   He is remembered as a wonderful husband, father, grandfather, mentor and colleague, but also as an irrigation champion who contributed to the advancement of the irrigation industry for over 40 years.

After graduating from the University of Notre Dame in 1961, Pogue went to work for a bank.  He then became involved in the irrigation industry in 1964, selling aluminum irrigation tubing with Reynolds Metals. He attended his first Sprinkler Irrigation Association meeting in 1969 and was active in the SIA (later renamed the Irrigation Association) for the remainder of his career.

In 1980, Pogue joined The Irrometer Company in Riverside, California, as a sales representative.  He went on to lead the company as president and board chairman. Through his involvement with Irrometer, he made the use and understanding of soil moisture sensors more common throughout the industry and around the world.  He was an advocate of soil moisture measurement and irrigation scheduling as best management practices.  His vison helped expand the company’s product offering by adding the now widely used Watermark soil moisture sensor to the original Irrometer tensiometer.

His contributions to the irrigation industry stretched throughout many different associations over the years, including the IA where he received the Industry Achievement Award in 2004 and the Outstanding Leadership Award. His work with the IA also included serving on the Executive Committee, the Awards and Honors Committee, as a trustee of the IA Education Foundation and assisting with the IA history publication: Water and the Land.  He also served on the boards of both the Idaho Irrigation Association and the California Irrigation Association.  Pogue not only endeavored to improve the efficiency of irrigation but worked to improve the professionalism and visibility of our entire industry.

Pogue was known by his peers as having the ability to bring people together and get them to set aside their own agendas and focus on industry issues. Those who knew him well said you never want to ask him for an opinion unless you’re prepared to hear exactly what he thinks.

Pogue was an ardent Notre Dame fan and is survived by his wife Pam, his daughter Erin, her husband Dan and grandchildren Madison and Nick.