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Cool Careers: Technology in Irrigation by Wolf Creek Company
Cool Careers
TECHNOLOGY IN IRRIGATION
The Green Industry is in dire need of technically savvy people – Scott Knowles, CEO of Wolf Creek Company, reflects on the state of the Green Industry and the importance of technical education.
“Many young people and their parents do not know or understand how important a role that technology is already playing in the Green Industry, and all the signals point to a future of more technology. If they want a ‘cool job’ there are not only opportunities, but there is a need.” Scott Knowles, CEO of Wolf Creek Company and ONLA Board Member.
IRRIGATION TECHNOLOGY
For the past six years, Scott Knowles has taught irrigation in the agricultural engineering program at Clark State Community College. Their two-year agricultural engineering program includes both agricultural and horticultural students because the mechanical principles of irrigation are the same for any industry. The equipment may be different—bigger for agriculture and smaller for landscape—but the mechanical principles are the same.
THE PRINCIPLES OF HYDRAULICS
The principles of hydraulics are the same no matter which industry you apply them. First, it depends on pressure, or, the energy necessary to move water. It is critical that the pumps and pipes are properly sized. However, water application, or how much water to deliver, depends on other variables. For example, understanding the concept of water application ‘uniformity’, which is a statistical property describing the distribution of water as applied from an irrigation system. Next is knowing botany and recognizing that different crops require different water applications because corn grows different from wheat or grass. Also, water application involves determining how water moves through soil types and the availability of groundwater from aquifers. Soil can function as a water piggy bank, and one can learn to take water out when needed. Weather and climate play an important role in the amount of rainfall, evaporation speed and types of plant species that will thrive.
CAREER OPTIONS
Someone who can plan irrigation cycles against many environmental variables provides tremendous value. Farmers want to maximize the amount of crop they can grow on an acre. Golf course managers do not want to over- nor underwater their grounds. Our industry wants to eliminate a trial and error mentality. With many environmental variables at stake, we can no longer blindly copy what our predecessors have done.
Irrigation is a critical and valuable skill for a professional in the Green Industry. Knowing how to prune trees or mow a lawn is the more visible and obvious side of landscaping but being able to calculate the amount of water pressure and managing it well, takes an engineer’s mind and approach. Irrigation technology provides job opportunities in many industries, such as agriculture, landscaping, golf, sports, municipalities, business parks, and hotels.
FILLING A SERIOUS TECH NEED
By paying much attention to education, we hope to turn the light on for some bright aspiring people and help them realize that irrigation is going to become even more crucial. Scott says his generation is going to phase out and “we need to fill a serious gap in the Green Industry, a gap of technical expertise and leadership“. This is also true for farming; the agricultural industry employs only 1-2% of our population and is in need as well. This Ag Professional article A Need For Tech-Savvy Farmers Plagues The Agriculture Industry states “Farming today is a beautiful blend of modern and ancient technologies working in harmony… but the U.S. simply doesn’t produce enough skilled workers”.
Scott emphasizes that we now have access to technology and control. He and Wolf Creek Company aspire to continue teaching the technology of control. He is excited to show the next generation that there are hip, high-paying technology careers available in the industry. “I never thought I would need to know about IP addresses for irrigation control. But here we are, and there are more cool jobs to come” Scott Knowles. B
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