#189 - PART 3, Rain Bird Irrigation Pro Summit: Inside Rain Bird Innovation
Release Date: 03/27/2026
#209 - Technology Is Not The Answer
The Sprinkler Nerd Show
Try MODURA for FREE: In this episode of the Sprinkler Nerd Show, Andy reflects on a lesson that has taken decades—and a whole lot of technology—to understand: technology is not the answer. Inspired by Jimmy Buffett’s Life Is Just a Tire Swing, Andy goes back to where much of his curiosity began: riding in a truck with Paul Bassett, asking questions and getting honest answers about how irrigation really worked—and how it could work differently. After a career surrounded by controllers, sensors, flow meters, soil moisture, LoRaWAN, analytics, and AI, Andy is more convinced...
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#208 - IrriVoyeurism
The Sprinkler Nerd Show
What if you could spy on an irrigation system without ever touching the controller? Welcome to Irrivoyeurism. In this quickie episode, Andy explores how a simple soil moisture sensor can reveal the hidden behavior of an irrigation system—from how often it waters and how long it runs to how quickly the soil dries down between irrigation events. For decades, if you wanted to understand an irrigation schedule, you went to the controller. Now you can go straight to the soil. Because every irrigation event leaves a signature. The soil becomes the diary of the irrigation system, recording what...
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#207 - Are You One Of Them?
The Sprinkler Nerd Show
Every episode, Andy ends with the same invitation: "Reach out anytime." Thousands of people have heard those words. Only a handful have ever acted on them. What separates the people who send the email, make the phone call, introduce themselves, or ask the question? In this five-minute Quickie, Andy reflects on a story from Steve Jobs about calling Bill Hewlett at just 12 years old and how one simple question changed the course of his life. The biggest opportunities often begin with a single act of curiosity. Sometimes all it takes is the courage to ask. So... are you one of them?
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#206 - Be Real
The Sprinkler Nerd Show
What does it really mean to be real? In this short solo episode, Andy shares why authenticity has become one of the most important ideas shaping his life, business, and leadership. From admitting you don't have all the answers to trusting data over assumptions, this episode is a reminder that curiosity and honesty often build more trust than certainty. Andy also reads a heartfelt message from a young irrigation professional whose journey perfectly captures the spirit of the Sprinkler Nerd community—a group of people committed to learning, improving, and raising the standard together. Whether...
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#205 - The Best Navigators
The Sprinkler Nerd Show
What if the goal isn't to have your life perfectly mapped out? While listening to Jimmy Buffett's Don't Chu-Know, one lyric stopped me in my tracks: "The best navigators are not quite sure where they're going until they get there." Whether it's an old sailing saying or simply a brilliant lyric, the idea has stayed with me for years. In this short solo episode, I share why I believe the best leaders, entrepreneurs, and even the best versions of ourselves aren't defined by having the perfect plan. They're defined by their ability to pay attention. Life gives us new information every single day....
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#204 - Professionalism Is the Smartest Irrigation Tool
The Sprinkler Nerd Show
It's easy to focus on technology. Smart controllers. Sensors. Weather data. Flow meters. Soil moisture. Automation. All of that matters. But in this episode of The Sprinkler Nerd Show, Andy Humphrey and Dustin Nihsen bring the conversation back to the person behind the system. Because even the best irrigation technology in the world is only as good as the operator. Dustin Nihsen, owner of Sprinkler and Irrigation Services in Gretna, Nebraska, has spent more than 30 years in the irrigation industry. He started in the dirt, digging holes and learning the trade the hard way. Since then, he has...
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#203 - Beyond Sprinkler Repair, Conserva Irrigation: Scott Bowen
The Sprinkler Nerd Show
In this episode of The Sprinkler Nerd Show, Andy talks with Scott Bowen, Commercial Irrigation Manager for Conserva Irrigation, about what happens when irrigation becomes more than service calls and sprinkler repair. Scott shares his 30-year journey through golf irrigation, sports turf, distribution, manufacturing, consulting, design, and commercial water management — and explains how that background shapes the way he sees irrigation today. The conversation explores Conserva’s move into commercial irrigation, water management, training, site assessments, flow sensing, smart controllers,...
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#202 - When The Lights Went Out
The Sprinkler Nerd Show
Brent Garrett, The Skilled Trades Coach In this episode of The Sprinkler Nerd Show, Andy talks with Brent Garrett, owner of Sirius Plumbing & Air Conditioning, founder of The Skilled Trades Coach, and author of 30 Days to a Better Business. Brent has lived the skilled trades from the inside. He has built companies, sold companies, rebuilt companies, coached contractors, trained technicians, and learned some of the hardest lessons a business owner can learn. One of those lessons came when the lights went out in his own office because the electric bill had not been paid. That moment...
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#201 - Every Win Counts, with Olympian Doug Lewis
The Sprinkler Nerd Show
Doug Lewis is a two-time Olympian, World Championship bronze medalist, coach, speaker, and founder of Elite Team. In this episode, Doug shares what skiing, ultra-running, failure, team culture, and doing hard things can teach us about becoming the best version of ourselves. We talk about why people avoid failure, how confidence is built, why the best teams share what they know, and why every win counts. Say yes to the challenge.
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#200 - Taking A Chance On Being Real
The Sprinkler Nerd Show
For 200 episodes, The Sprinkler Nerd Show has explored irrigation, technology, entrepreneurship, innovation, and curiosity. This episode is different. Not because we're leaving those topics behind, but because we're widening the lens. Behind every irrigation system, business, truck, project, and career is a person. And people are complicated. In this milestone 200th episode, Andy reflects on a difficult season of life, what it means to lose yourself, and what it takes to find yourself again. He shares why the hardest challenges are often not technical, but internal—and why the future of the...
info_outlineBehind every irrigation controller, valve, and system component is a team of engineers and product managers working to improve the tools contractors rely on every day.
In the final episode of this three-part series from the Rain Bird Irrigation Pro Summit, Andy Humphrey talks with members of the Rain Bird team about how irrigation products are designed and how contractor feedback shapes the future of irrigation technology.
Steve, a Rain Bird product manager, shares insights into the development of modern controller platforms, two-wire systems, and connected irrigation management tools.
Maggie and Matt from Rain Bird discuss valve technology, integrated valve modules, and how product innovation happens within one of the irrigation industry’s most recognized manufacturers.
This conversation highlights how collaboration between contractors and manufacturers continues to drive innovation in irrigation.
In This Episode
- How Rain Bird develops irrigation controllers
- Two-wire technology and system diagnostics
- Valve innovation and integrated valve modules (IVM)
- How contractor feedback influences product development
- The future of irrigation technology
Featured Guests
Steve Barendt— Rain Bird Product Manager, Controllers
Maggie Saulsby — Rain Bird Product Manager, Valves
Matt Cooper — Rain Bird Contractor Account Manager (CAM), Mid Atlantic