An impact beyond the industry: The 2025 Irrigation Show

By Emma Peterson. 

Irrigation Association’s work with the Plant for Life program is helping give back to vital communities 

This year, the OutdoorCoffeeShop™ crew had the chance to attend the Irrigation Show for the first time! Our team had a great time exploring the expo floor, attending informative sessions and chatting with other professionals in the outdoor industry. The show is hosted by the Irrigation Association (IA), a not-for-profit 501(c)(6) organization dedicated to promoting efficient irrigation that fuels healthy stewardship of water and the planet’s other resources for the benefits of all.   

One standout event that caught our attention during the show was the Plant for Life initiative. This is a community support program organized by IA that gives Irrigation Show attendees the chance to make a lasting difference for the community hosting the show each year.  

To learn more about Plant for Life, Karol Weyman spoke with Anne Blankenbiller, the senior communications manager for IA. She shared, “Our main reason for doing this is to give back to the community that's supporting us by hosting our show. So, every year we try to find some partner organization that we can contribute to and provide some sort of way to give back to that community.” 

For the show, IA partnered with organizations to help local communities in the city of New Orleans, choosing to work with  Edible Schoolyard New Orleans (ESYNOLA) and FirstLine Schools. Anne shared, “After talking with these great groups, we decided that one of the best things we could do is provide some take-home garden kits for them to give to their kids. So, while the show is running, we’re having attendees help fill 300 garden kits with some watering cans, towels, seeds, pots – everything these kids need to go home, plant some flowers/seeds and watch them grow.” 

This is not the first year that IA has implemented the Plant for Life program. When the show was in San Antonio, Texas, they created backpacks of school supplies for kids. Looking ahead, Anne is excited to see how this program grows. She shared, “We're really hoping to continue to do it, and we love the idea of connecting it with our industry by doing something garden related.” 

Learn more about Plant for Life by watching the full interview with Anne.