AZUSA, CA (December 18, 2025) – Michael Roberts, vice president of technology and innovation at Rain Bird, has been appointed as the 2026 Irrigation Association president, serving a one-year term. The announcement was made on the final day of the 2025 Irrigation Show and Education Week in New Orleans.
“I am honored to serve as president of the Irrigation Association in 2026,” says Roberts. “This is an exciting time to have this responsibility as the association is undergoing internal transformation to better serve its members, and as our industry’s need for advocacy and education is at an all-time high.”
Rain Bird is an active member of the Irrigation Association, and Roberts has been a board director with IA since 2020 and a member of the IA Executive Committee since 2023. As vice president of technology and innovation at Rain Bird, Roberts’ leadership is instrumental in bridging legacy irrigation technology with new and emerging innovations that advance the Intelligent Use of Water®.
ABOUT RAIN BIRD :
In 1933, Rain Bird invented the horizontal action impact drive sprinkler—a creation that changed agriculture forever. That was just the start of Rain Bird’s impact on irrigation, which has grown beyond agriculture to include more than 4,000 products spanning industries and applications. Nearly 100 years later, Rain Bird remains true to the purpose behind its very first innovation: to create irrigation technology that shapes the way your future grows, guided by a commitment to the Intelligent Use of Water®. Today, Rain Bird draws on nearly a century of expertise to serve a wide variety of industries, blending natural design and human ingenuity to make water work for everyone.
Read more : Here
ABOUT THE IRRIGATION ASSOCIATION :
The Irrigation Association is the leading membership organization for irrigation equipment and system manufacturers, dealers, distributors, designers, consultants, contractors, and end users. The IA is dedicated to promoting efficient irrigation technologies, products, and services. Together with experts and stakeholders from industry, academia, and the public sector, the IA works to define best practices for effective water management, establish benchmarks and guidelines for irrigation products and applications, promote efficient irrigation technology and practices, and advocate sound policies to ensure the availability, quality, and conservation of water supplies.
Read more : Irrigation Association Home Page
