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FAR & WIDE
INDUSTRY NEWS
Irrigation Leader Calls for Conservation
Making the most of finite
water supplies is
crucial to the future of
the irrigation industry,
<strong>and</strong> the Irrigation Association (IA)
must continue to lead the way in
water management, according to the
IA’s newly elected president, Ken Mills.
He sees water management, certification
<strong>and</strong> education as key areas.
“The initiatives to assure our industry
manages the use of water for
irrigation for agriculture, l<strong>and</strong>scape
<strong>and</strong> golf irrigation will be critical to
the success of our industry going forward,”
Mills said. “The IA has been
very active in that effort in the last
few years. We need to continue this
leadership to assure the viability of
the industry, as well as to manage a
finite resource.”
The IA’s certification program,
which along with IA Education has
earned significant credibility in the
industry, provides professionals with
a way to differentiate themselves,
Mills said, adding that he would like
to see certification for all professional
groups in the industry.
Grassroots involvement through
affiliates is important to making sure
the industry is seen as acting responsibly
with natural resources <strong>and</strong> making
sure water is available for irrigation.
In addition to providing a voice in
Washington, the IA supports its affiliates
on local <strong>and</strong> state legislative issues.
“We can’t do it all on a national
basis,” Mills said. “Many of the issues
are local. Trying to do it from a national
base is nearly impossible.”
Reardon Named
to RISE Post
Karen Reardon was recently named director
of communications <strong>and</strong> public relations
for Washington-based Responsible
Industry for a Sound Environment
(RISE).
Reardon has 10 years of experience
<strong>work</strong>ing on behalf of crop protection
<strong>and</strong> pest management. She most recently
was the internal communications
leader for RISE sister organization
CropLife America.
She is now responsible for the development
of communications strategies
that promote <strong>and</strong> defend the interests
of RISE members.
“Karen knows <strong>and</strong> underst<strong>and</strong>s the
issues of our industry,” says Allen
James, president of RISE. “She brings
great value <strong>and</strong> skill to the job.”
Clevel<strong>and</strong> Named New Director
Neil Clevel<strong>and</strong> is the new director of
the U.S. Green Business for Bayer Environmental
Science. He will assume
the position April 1, 2006.
Dan Carrothers, previous director
of U.S. Green Business, resigned to
become chief operating officer of
Datacore, a company based in Kansas
City, Kan., that specializes in database
marketing <strong>and</strong> customer relationship
management (CRM) initiatives. He
was with Bayer in various positions
for nine years.
Josh Weeks, vice president, Professional
Products North America for
Bayer Environmental Science, has assumed
management of U.S. Green
Business on an interim basis through
March 31.
Carrothers’ new position will
allow him to continue his relationship
with the green industry on programs
such as Project Evergreen <strong>and</strong>
with companies such as Bayer.
“His leadership, energy, optimism
<strong>and</strong> passion for people have been a
big part of the consistent business
success Bayer has experienced,”
Weeks said.
Weeks will <strong>work</strong> closely with
Clevel<strong>and</strong>, who currently holds the
position of global portfolio manager
of Green Business, based at the global
headquarters for Bayer Environmental
Science in Lyon, France.
Previously, Clevel<strong>and</strong> was regional
sales manager for the lawn <strong>and</strong> l<strong>and</strong>scape
market <strong>and</strong> northern regional
sales manager, golf, for Bayer Environmental
Science. Before that, he
was area sales manager for Bayer
Corp. from 2001 through 2002 <strong>and</strong>
marketing br<strong>and</strong> manager from 1997
to 2001.
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