IA announces 2011 Awards

FALLS CHURCH, VA. – The Irrigation Association presented its annual awards at the 2011 Irrigation Show’s General Session on Nov. 7 in San Diego, Calif.  The awards recognize individuals and organizations for their exceptional efforts to further irrigation practices, technologies and the industry overall.

The Industry Achievement Award, which honors individuals who display outstanding contributions to the irrigation industry in both landscape and agriculture, was given to George Sesser of Nelson Irrigation Corp. in Walla Walla, Wash., and Rene Evelyn-Veere of the Rain Bird Corp. in Tucson, Ariz.

The National Water and Conservation Award, which honors significant achievement in the conservation of water and energy in irrigation practices, was given to the USDA-ARS Water Management Research Unit in Fort Collins, Colo., for its research in irrigation methods contributing to dam development and irrigation control structures, among many others.

IA’s longest-awarded honor, the Person of the Year, which recognizes a person outside of the commercial irrigation industry that has made great contributions toward the acceptance of efficient irrigation practices, was given to Howard Wuertz, of Sundance Farms, Inc. in Collidge, Ariz.  Known as the “father of subsurface drip irrigation,” Wuertz has also developed a cropping system that manages soils and nutrients as well as water and energy.
The Crawford Reid Memorial Award, which recognizes an individual’s outstanding contributions to the irrigation industry techniques and procedures outside of the U.S., was given to Jack Keller of Keller-Bliesner Engineering of Logan, Utah.  Keller has provided advisory services in irrigated agricultural development and water management in more than 60 countries.

For more information on the IA and the IA Awards, visit www.irrigation.org.