John Farner serves as the industry development director for the Irrigation Association. With more than 15 years of experience in working with water, agricultural and landscape technologies and more than 20 years working in international government and public policy, Farner's expertise in government and public affairs is closely aligned with issues and technologies relating to water use in agricultural production and landscape management. After serving on staff for two members of Congress, the George W. Bush for President Campaign and as a special assistant to the United States Secretary of Commerce, Farner joined the IA in 2008 and currently oversees the advocacy and public affairs programs, focusing on water use technologies in agriculture, landscape, turfgrass and golf. He speaks regularly on issues such as drought, agricultural water use, water restrictions, agricultural productivity and groundwater/surface water use, as well as irrigation technologies, trends and best management practices for irrigation technology application and adoption.

As vice president of global technology strategy, Trevor Mecham leads Valley Irrigation technology strategy, assuring growers continue receiving innovative solutions and a strong ROI. Mecham brings a wealth of vision and experience in the ag tech space, including leadership positions at Leica Geosystems, Hortau, Uptake and CNH Industrial. He helped to develop advancements at Leica Geosystems, John Deere/Gem Equipment Inc. and Novariant (Integrinautics). Mecham has also earned his bachelor's in business marketing and worked on his family's 4,000-acre farm.

Inge Bisconer is a sales and marketing consultant. She became a managing member of Surf' N Earth after retiring from Toro Ag where she worked in ag irrigation sales, marketing and technical roles for nearly half of her 40-year career. She is passionate about helping farmers become better irrigators and leveraging her unique perspective as a farmer, environmentalist and urbanite to help agriculture become more profitable and sustainable through improved water and resource use efficiency. Her current focus is advocacy, education, project management, and content creation. Bisconer earned a bachelor's in agriculture from the University of California, Davis and an MBA in technology management from the University of Phoenix. She also taught soil science and landscape irrigation at MiraCosta College. She currently serves on the IA Board of Directors and was honored with the IA's Industry Achievement Award in 2016.

Rod Snyder has served as president of Field to Market: The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture since 2014. Field to Market is a diverse alliance working to create opportunities across the agricultural supply chain in the United States for continuous improvements in productivity, environmental quality, and human well-being. Prior to this role, Snyder held positions as Public Policy Director for the National Corn Growers Association and Government Affairs Leader for CropLife America. He is particularly recognized for his work at the intersection of agricultural and environmental issues. In 2015, Snyder co-founded the Sustainable Agriculture Summit, which has grown to be the largest and most prominent annual sustainable agriculture conference in North America. He has previously served on the board of directors of the Conservation Technology Information Center, on the steering committee of the Agricultural Nutrient Policy Council, on the executive committee of Field to Market, and as chair of the Pesticide Policy Coalition. He resides on his family's farm in Shenandoah Junction, West Virginia.