#194 - Hard on Process, Soft on People with Erik Dyba
The Sprinkler Nerd Show
What does it actually take to turn around and grow an irrigation business? In this episode, Andy sits down with Erik Dyba from The Bruce Company to talk about his journey through the industry. From learning irrigation in the mountains of Colorado to rebuilding and scaling a department at David J. Frank from a few hundred thousand dollars to over $1.5 million. We get into what really moves the needle: building the right team, investing in training, creating systems that actually work, and leaning into partnerships with organizations like the Irrigation Association. Erik also shares his...
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#193 - My Design Landscape Beta w/ Scott Allison
The Sprinkler Nerd Show
In this episode of The Sprinkler Nerd Show, Andy Humphrey is joined by Scott Allison from Hunter Industries to talk about My Design Landscape Beta, Hunter’s new contractor-focused design platform for irrigation and landscape professionals. Scott shares how Hunter has been building digital tools for contractors for years, from runtime calculators and site recommendation tools to lighting design software. Now, with My Design Landscape, Hunter is bringing that experience into irrigation design with a tool built to help contractors create better layouts, proposals, hydraulic plans, as-builts,...
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#192 - Let The Grass Grow
The Sprinkler Nerd Show
What if the most important action is no action at all? In this solo episode of The Sprinkler Nerd Show, Andy explores the idea that patience is not something standing in the way of the process… patience is the process. From wanting to get ahead when you are young, to waiting for a customer to sign a proposal, to standing in front of a 150 zone 2-wire system that just will not work, this episode is about the moments when doing more is not the answer. Sometimes the grass does not need more water. More fertilizer. More adjustment. Sometimes, it simply needs time. This episode is a reminder that...
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#191 - Where Is All The Water Going?
The Sprinkler Nerd Show
What happens when you try to answer one simple question: Where is all the water going? In this episode of the Sprinkler Nerd Show, Andy sits down with longtime friend and collaborator from to tell the story of one of the most complex irrigation and water management projects they have ever worked on—a massive retrofit at a government military base. What began as an irrigation upgrade quickly became something much bigger: more than 1,000 water meters, 225 irrigation controllers, 7 million square feet of irrigated landscape, and over 25 million gallons of monthly water use. Together, Andy and...
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#190 - Contractors Are The People Who Make Irrigation Work
The Sprinkler Nerd Show
At the Hunter Industries Contractor Training Event hosted in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Andy sat down with irrigation contractors and technology leaders to explore one big question: What is the future of irrigation going to look like? In this documentary-style episode, you'll hear from contractors with decades of field experience, including three generations of Grapids Irrigation, contractors adapting to smart controllers and cloud-based monitoring, and the people building the next generation of tools at Hunter. Featuring conversations with: Aaron Katerberg of Grapids Irrigation, Brandon Dietrich...
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#189 - PART 3, Rain Bird Irrigation Pro Summit: Inside Rain Bird Innovation
The Sprinkler Nerd Show
Behind 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...
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#188 - PART 2, Rain Bird Irrigation Pro Summit: The Modern Irrigation Contractor
The Sprinkler Nerd Show
Today’s irrigation contractor does far more than install sprinklers. Modern irrigation companies are managing water, integrating technology, and running sophisticated service businesses that combine field expertise with connected systems and data. In this second episode of the Rain Bird Irrigation Pro Summit series, Andy Humphrey speaks with several contractors working in the field today about how the role of the irrigation contractor is evolving. Steve from Quench Irrigation discusses water management, smart controllers, and the growing role of sensors and connected technology. Travis and...
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#187 - PART 1, Rain Bird Irrigation Pro Summit: 50 Years of Irrigation Innovation
The Sprinkler Nerd Show
In the first episode of this three-part series from the Rain Bird Irrigation Pro Summit, Andy Humphrey sits down with Walter Mugivan, owner of Aqua Mist Irrigation, who has more than 50 years of experience in the irrigation industry. Walter installed his first irrigation system in 1968 — digging trenches by hand and working with early hydraulic valves long before modern irrigation technology existed. In this conversation, Walter shares how the industry has evolved over the decades, from early sprinkler systems to today’s advanced controllers, flow management systems, and large-scale pump...
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#186 - The Service Business is The People Business
The Sprinkler Nerd Show
In this episode of The Sprinkler Nerd Show, Andy Humphrey sits down with Justin Wilson, founder of American Irrigation in Georgetown, Texas. With nearly three decades in the irrigation service business, Justin shares how he built a company that now runs 17+ service trucks and completes thousands of irrigation jobs each year. Justin explains why “the service business is the people business,” emphasizing that successful companies must care for both their customers and their team members. The conversation dives into practical lessons from the field—how quality inspections and training help...
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#185 - The Power of NOT Knowing
The Sprinkler Nerd Show
TXT Andy and say what's up? 208 908 3229 -- Hey friends, welcome back to The Sprinkler Nerd Show. Today, I want to take you down a slightly different path. This one’s not about technology. Not about sensors. Not even about irrigation. It’s about something more fundamental… something that shapes how we lead, how we teach, and how we grow. It’s about the power of not knowing. Have you ever noticed what happens when someone asks you a question? What do you do? You probably give them an answer. That’s what we’ve been trained to do. We associate knowledge...
info_outlineWhat happens when you try to answer one simple question: Where is all the water going?
In this episode of the Sprinkler Nerd Show, Andy sits down with longtime friend and collaborator Paul Bassett from ENVOCORE to tell the story of one of the most complex irrigation and water management projects they have ever worked on—a massive retrofit at a government military base.
What began as an irrigation upgrade quickly became something much bigger: more than 1,000 water meters, 225 irrigation controllers, 7 million square feet of irrigated landscape, and over 25 million gallons of monthly water use.
Together, Andy and Paul share how they used wireless technology, LoRaWAN gateways, smart irrigation controls, weather stations, soil moisture sensors, and utility-grade water meters to build a system capable of tracking every drop across an entire military base.
But the real challenge was not installing the hardware. It was learning how to trust the data.
They discuss:
- How to discover and estimate a project of this size
- Why some properties are unknowingly use twice as much water as they need
- How missing meter data, duplicate reporting, and underground leaks complicated the project
- Why “gallons per square foot” may be the most important number in irrigation
- How water bills can reveal more about a property than most people realize
- Why contractors should start with the math before they start replacing sprinklers
Paul also shares practical advice that any contractor can use immediately, whether they manage a military base or a five-zone residential system.
If you want to understand how data, water, and technology are reshaping the future of irrigation, this is an episode you will not want to miss.