The 2023 Irrigation Show and Education Week took place last week in San Antonio and featured 45 new products for the industry, dozens of educational seminars and plenty of opportunities to network with fellow irrigation professionals.
Mark Stuhlsatz, vice president of regional operations for Ryan Lawn & Tree, Merriam, Kan., said he attends the show about every other year. He described this year’s San Antonio show as ‘very good’ and said what he sees at the show is invaluable to the success of Ryan Lawn & Tree.
“Most of the big business gains we’ve made in the last 15 years come from products that we learned about at this show, almost all of them,” Stuhlsatz said. “It’s very educational and I’ve seen a lot of new products.”
Stuhlsatz told Landscape Management one of the most impressive products he saw this year was the new GeoRipper from MiniTrencher. The new GeoRipper has a two-stroke engine developed specifically to handle the rigors of digging into the earth. (Keep an eye on LM‘s YouTube channel for a video featuring the new GeoRipper soon.)
Simon Dirazonian, national sales manager for MiniTrencher was happy to hear Stuhlsatz’s review and said his 2023 Irrigation Show was off to a fast start based on steady traffic at the MiniTrencher booth.
“It’s a great show, a great time to network with people, meet new friends and see old friends and show them what’s good and what can make their jobs easier,” Dirazonian said.
Seeing and being seen
This was the first Irrigation Show for Leilanny Bujanda, a project engineer for Rain Bird. She said a highlight for her was attending many of the educational seminars at the show, including the Next Year is Now: 7 Key Industry Trends for 2024 panel.
“Knowing other people that do what you do — that work around the same area as you do is really important. It’s good to connect with people and understand other points of view on the same stuff,” she said. “I also got to see a bunch of products and companies.”
Dan Hymas, president of Smart Rain, echoed Bujanda’s sentiments. This year Smart Rain announced their new soil sensor that will be released in late spring or early summer of 2024. It’s completely wireless with about a mile of line-of-sight communication. Rather than one point of moisture reading, it does two levels and delivers pH reading and temperature. The company expects the battery to last about eight years.
“For us (the Irrigation Show) is about recognition, wanting people to know who we are because we are kind of the new guys. We’ve been around for about 12 years, but doing the product we have for only the last five or six years,” Hymas said. “We want people to know who we are and that we’re here to stay.”
During the IA General Session, Irrigation Association CEO Natasha Rankin thanked the attendees for their dedication to the industry and the association.
“I want to thank you for showing up and opting in. Each of you and your companies represent what’s best about the industry,” Rankin said. “Walking the show floor and seeing your products and the solutions you champion… visiting with you during our networking events… recognizing the incredible knowledge and passion you bring to ensuring long-term sustainability of our planet’s water and natural resources… it’s a reminder of the incredible honor I have in representing you and the essential role that the Irrigation Association plays in unifying our voices.”
The 2024 Irrigation Show & Education Week takes place November 4-8 in Long Beach, Calif.
