Effective water management and irrigation are essential to productive, sustainable and profitable farms. The North Carolina Irrigation Society promotes sound irrigation management principles and provides its members with education and special training associated with modern agricultural irrigation equipment and practices. It also hosts an annual irrigation conference to encourage and establish connections between various irrigation sectors and groups. As part of their mission to promote education, they became a founding funder of the North Carolina Plant Sciences Initiative (N.C. PSI). We caught up with the society’s president Michael Shepherd to learn more about their work and why it supports N.C. PSI.
Please tell us about the North Carolina Irrigation Society.
The North Carolina Irrigation Society was established in 1964 for the purpose of promoting irrigation through sound practices and to promote good understanding of irrigation. Since then the society has provided a forum for addressing irrigation-related issues in North Carolina through annual conferences and business meetings. The organization desires to keep interested parties informed and to promote education and special training for everyone associated with the manufacture, distribution, installation and application of modern agricultural irrigation equipment.
Why was the North Carolina Irrigation Society interested in funding the N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative?
The objectives of the NC Irrigation Society closely mirror the N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative’s mission. The Society strives to:
promote the development, proper design, use and acceptance of irrigation in the state;
promote soil and water conservation to increase yields and improve the quality of crops;
collect and disseminate information regarding irrigation to members of the society, allied industries, organization, agencies and the general public through workshops, field days, tours, shows and the distribution of educational materials; and
promote a spirit of cooperation among organizations, institutions and agencies concerning problems confronting the irrigation industry, making sure not to compromise the interests of irrigators and the policies of the Society.
What are you hoping will come out of the partnership?
The NC Irrigation Society hopes to continue to partner with the N.C. Plant Science Initiative to promote and develop sound irrigation practices to meet current agricultural challenges.
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Dinah Schuster
Senior Director of Development, Plant Sciences Initiative
P: 919.513.8294
daschust@ncsu.edu
