Irrigation Innovation Consortium

The Irrigation Innovation Consortium (IIC) is a collaborative research effort accelerating the development and adoption of water and energy efficient irrigation technologies.

Generating Agroecosystems Solutions
The Irrigation Innovation Consortium (IIC) is a collaborative research effort accelerating the development and adoption of water and energy efficient irrigation technologies.

Generating Agroecosystems Solutions

Program Contact

Dr. Kathleen Boomer
kboomer@foundationfar.org

Development Contact

Sarah Zoubek
szoubek@foundationfar.org

Why the IIC is Needed

Water is a crucial part of agriculture and we need innovations that preserve this precious resource.

We launched the IIC in 2018 with a $5 million contribution, which is matched by consortium participants to generate at least $10 million supporting pioneering irrigation research.

The IIC’s collaborative partnerships increase access to information and technical expertise. These strategic public-private partnerships catalyze technology development and enhance strategies for irrigation efficiency.

Through the IIC, industry and the public sector co-develop, test and prototype equipment, technology and information systems. This research is equipping farms of the future with cutting-edge technology that enhances irrigation efficiency.

Colorado State University manages the IIC. For more information, visit the IIC website.

Consortium Partners

The Consortium has five founding university partners and eight founding industry partners. The IIC currently includes the following participants:

Aqua Engineering Inc.*
Climate Corporation
Colorado State University*
Colorado Corn
Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute at the University of Nebraska*
Hunter
Irrigation Association*
Jain Irrigation*
Kansas State Research and Extension*
Kansas State University

Li-Cor
Lindsay Corporation*
Northern Water*
Rubicon Water*
Senninger Irrigation Inc.
Texas A&M AgriLife Research*
Toro
University of California, Fresno*
Valmont Industries*
Vertical Irrigation
Watertronics
Western Sugar

*Indicates a founding partner

Awarded Grants for the Irrigation Innovation Consortium

Irrigation Innovation Consortium Funds Seven Research Projects

Year Awarded  2021

FFAR award amount   $533,126

Total award amount   $1,512,550

Location   Fort Collins, CO

Matching Funders   The consortium, which is headquartered at Colorado State University, includes four other U.S. land-grant universities: University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Kansas State University, Texas A&M University and California State University-Fresno. The consortium’s founding and sustaining industry partners are: FFAR, Aqua Engineering, Irrigation Association, JAIN Irrigation, LI-COR, Lindsay Corporation, Northern Water, Valmont, Hunter Industries, Toro, Rubicon, Colorado Corn Growers Association and Senniger Irrigation Inc.

Grantee Institution   Colarado State University

See all Awarded Grants 

array(1) {
  ["latest"]=>
  array(3) {
    ["tax"]=>
    array(3) {
      [0]=>
      string(3) "129"
      [1]=>
      string(3) "200"
      [2]=>
      string(3) "206"
    }
    ["research"]=>
    array(3) {
      ["title"]=>
      string(0) ""
      ["image"]=>
      bool(false)
      ["promo_text"]=>
      string(0) ""
    }
    ["latest"]=>
    array(3) {
      ["title"]=>
      string(43) "More about Irrigation Innovation Consortium"
      ["sections_show"]=>
      array(4) {
        [0]=>
        string(8) "insights"
        [1]=>
        string(4) "news"
        [2]=>
        string(6) "events"
        [3]=>
        string(13) "breakthroughs"
      }
      ["additional_past_events"]=>
      string(0) ""
    }
  }
}

More about Irrigation Innovation Consortium

Insights

Our Insights highlight unique perspectives from across the food and agriculture community.

See all Insights

Using Artificial Intelligence to Calculate GHGs at the Individual Farm Level

Kaiyu Guan

Dr. Kaiyu Guan

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Data for Dairy: Research to Guide Farmers in Their Sustainability Journey

Reza Afshar

Reza Afshar

Vice President, Soil, Feed and Water Research at Dairy Management Inc.

Advancing Ecosystem Service Markets for Sustainable Farming

LaKisha Odom & DJ May

A Place for Everyone in Agriculture

Dr. LaKisha Odom & Jocelyn Hittle

Finding a New Way to Control Weeds in Cotton.

Sarah Chu

Sarah Chu

FFAR Fellow, Texas A&M University

Irrigation’s Role in Ensuring Global Food Security

Luke Reynolds

Irrigation Association

The “Good Soil Discount” — A Game Changer for U.S. Agriculture

Harley Cross

Harley Cross

Land Core Co-founder & Director of Strategy

Global Agriculture Leaders See How Maryland Farmers Use Land-based Tools to Benefit Waterways

Ernie Shea

President, Solutions from the Land

Organic Ag Podcast Features Innovative Industry Topics

Kathleen Delate

Professor, Organic Agriculture Program, Iowa State University 

Building Bridges Between Academics & Farmers

Elizabeth Ellis

FFAR Fellow, Elizabeth Ellis

Manure – Waste or Resource?

Manny Sabbagh

University of Minnesota

Diversifying the Future of Venture Capital

The first cohort of the HBCU Kirchner Fellows are Bryana Pittman, Kwame Jackson and Martin Adu-Boahene who co-wrote this Insights piece to share the value of this fellowship and its potential impact.

What Do We Call Innovation? Looking for Common Cause in a Sea of Needs

Susie Hutton

Can Adding Carbon to the Soil Help us Manage Weeds?

Maria Gannett

2019-2022 FFAR Fellow

Gene Editing is a Real Solution for Climate Change

Nicholas Karavolias

FFAR Fellow 2020-2023

Taking Science Beyond the Bench: Critical Reflections for Change-Oriented Research

Krista Marshall

2019-2022 FFAR Fellow

Soil is Not Dirt

Aaron Prairie

2020-2023 FFAR Fellow

Farmers & Ranchers Can Help In The Climate Crisis

Dan Glickman and Bob Stallman

Fine-tuning photosynthesis

Dhruv Patel

2019-2022 FFAR Fellow

Can biochar help adapt agriculture to a hotter, dryer climate?

Shelby Hoglund

2018-2021 FFAR Fellow

News

The latest news and updates from FFAR.

See all News

Grant Promotes Clean Water Through Performance-Based Financing

FFAR Seeding Solutions Grant Evaluates the Benefits of Converting Row Crops to Perennial Forage Systems

Grant Provides Decision Support Tool for Extreme Weather Events

Grant to Preserve Groundwater and Economically Benefit Growers

FFAR & Eight Member Organizations Commit $8.45 Million to Efficient Fertilizer Consortium

Grant Develops Cotton-Based Precision Irrigation to Improve Sustainability

AgMission Grant Evaluates Successful Incentives for Persistent Cover Crop Adoption

FFAR & FoodShot Global Announce GroundBreaker Prize Winners in Water Research

U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef & FFAR Announce Focus Group Series to Develop Sustainable Beef Research Roadmap

AgMission & PepsiCo Grants Bolster Climate-Resilient Farms & Value Chains

AgMission™ Funds Global Youth Consultation to Co-Create Agricultural Solutions with Young Farmers

FFAR Awards Savanna Institute a Grant to Inform Agroforestry Adoption

FFAR & The Organic Center Invest $632,000 into the Future of Organic Farming

FFAR Grant Provides Data on Nitrogen Management Practices in the Great Plains

FFAR Grant Reduces Nitrogen Inputs, Lower Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Grant Transforms Wastewater to Crop Fertilizer

Climate-Smart Agriculture: Key Findings from WFO and AgMission™ Producers’ Consultation

$16 Million Grant Increases Crop Yields, Improves Sustainability & Profitability

GroundBreaker Prize to Fund Critical Water Research

Working with Farmers to Increase Adoption of Water Conservation Practices

Breakthroughs

Tools, technologies and strategies from the research we fund.

See all Breakthroughs

New Study Shows AI & Supercomputing Can Quantify Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Individual Farms

Breakthrough for FFAR Grant Quantifies Organic Carbon to Improve Agricultural Productivity

Developing an Extensive Database of US Groundwater Wells

Breakthrough for Achieving Sustainable Groundwater Management Through Innovative Governance & Optimal Agricultural Water Use Under Conflicting Objectives

Building Collaborations for Technology-Driven Solutions in Agriculture

Breakthrough for Open Technology Ecosystem for Agricultural Management (OpenTEAM)

Documenting Adaptive Multi-Paddock Grazing’s Benefits

Breakthrough for Quantifying the Advantages of Multi-Paddock (AMP) Grazing in the U.S. Southeast & Northern Great Plains

RIPE Researchers Prove Bioengineering Better Photosynthesis Increases Yields in Food Crops for the First Time

Breakthrough for Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE) Reinvestment

The Irrigation Innovation Consortium & Parallel 41 Network: Building a path to data-driven management

ID: 554772