Six AgTech Companies Selected to Compete for Up To $250,000 Equity Investment, Farmland in New AgSharks™ Competition

October 20th, 2017

IRVINE, Calif. (October 20, 2017) – Western Growers and S2G Ventures have selected the six finalists who will be competing in AgSharks™ for equity investments totaling up to $250,000 to support the development and growth of their businesses, as well as for acreage to pilot their technologies. These start-up companies will pitch their ideas to a panel of AgSharks who will decide on the spot whether and how much to invest. The entrepreneurs must then accept the offer, negotiate or decline. This live event will take place on Tuesday, October 31, 2017, during the Western Growers Annual Meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The following are the six start-up companies—who are all developing technology to help solve agriculture’s most pressing challenges—selected to compete in the AgSharks event:

  • AgVoice: AgVoice is a mobile voice-interaction service designed for food and agriculture professionals to capture insights on the go. By using proprietary analytics and processing of raw voice files—including captured time stamps and location data—users can improve productivity and workflow management, increase documentation accuracy and gain valuable insights to optimize the use of resources in production.
  • Augean Robotics, LLC: Augean Robotics builds Burro, a robot that follows pickers and functions as virtual conveyor belt between pick points and collection points, allowing hand pickers to pick continuously rather than wasting up to 30 percent of their time shuttling produce.
  • Farm Dog: Farm Dog is an end-to-end pest and disease management platform that helps growers optimize pesticide use, increase yields and promote environmental sustainability. The mobile-cloud software solution with artificial intelligence-enabled analytics ensures that fields get the right treatment, at the right time, at the right amount and at the right location.
  • Food-Origins Inc.: Food-Origins provides cloud data services to hand-picked crops through a hand held, low cost scanner. With unprecedented precision, Food-Origins can trace value from harvest to table, allowing new levels of transparency and traceability.
  • Hazel Technologies Inc: Hazel Technologies’ products are inserts that time-release active ingredients into the storage atmosphere of commercially-packed produce. The active ingredients biochemically fight spoilage by slowing the aging process and fight the proliferation of disease.
  • iFoodDecisionSciences: iFood is a software and database solutions provider that partners with companies to build customer specific secure portal site applications for efficient data management, reporting and process improvement. The software is used to manage day-to-day food safety, quality control and a growing number of business processes.

Additionally, Western Growers and S2G Ventures collaboratively selected a panel of judges comprised of leaders and pioneers from the agriculture, technology and business industries. The six judges who will be offering feedback, equity investment offers, acreage for use in pilot programs or a combination of the three are as follows:

  • Edwin Camp, President at D.M. Camp & Sons,
  • Sanjeev Krishnan, Managing Director and CIO at S2G Ventures
  • Ryan Talley, Farm Manager and Co-Owner at Talley farms
  • Chuck Templeton, Managing Director at S2G Ventures
  • Matthew Walker, Principal at S2G Ventures
  • Rob Yraceburu, President at Wonderful Orchards LLC

The event will be moderated by Vic Smith, president and CEO at JV Smith Companies. For more information on the AgSharks competition, visit the Western Growers 2017 Annual Meeting website.

About Western Growers:
Founded in 1926, Western Growers represents local and regional family farmers growing fresh produce in Arizona, California, Colorado and New Mexico. Our members and their workers provide over half the nation’s fresh fruits, vegetables and tree nuts, including nearly half of America’s fresh organic produce. Some members also farm throughout the U.S. and in other countries so people have year-round access to nutritious food. For generations, we have provided variety and healthy choices to consumers. Connect with and learn more about Western Growers on our Twitter and Facebook.

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Western Growers Hires Drew Triplett as Vice President of Insurance Services Operations

October 25th, 2017

IRVINE, Calif. (October 25, 2017) – Western Growers is pleased to announce the recent hire of Drew Triplett, who will join the Insurance Services team as Vice President of Operations. Triplett will be responsible for developing innovative processes and models that integrate cutting-edge technologies to help Western Growers further provide tailored insurance solutions for clients. Additionally, Triplett will plan, direct and coordinate operational needs while improving and enhancing the efficiency of internal procedures.

“Drew’s impressive track record of implementing successful strategic initiatives and operational improvements combined with his extensive background in healthcare provides a unique skill set to help expand and bolster the insurance services Western Growers offers to the agricultural and food industry,” said Jeff Gullickson, senior vice president of Western Growers Insurance Services.

Triplett comes to Western Growers with nearly 10 years of experience streamlining management processes and restructuring methodologies for health entities throughout the Pacific Northwest. He most recently served as chief operating officer and acting chief financial officer at PPGWNI Health Clinics, where he oversaw operations for numerous health centers and surgical sites; recruited new providers and staff members; and revamped training and education that led to change in organizational culture.

“I am thrilled to be part of the Western Growers’ team,” said Triplett. “My entire career has been dedicated to refining standard processes using lean management techniques, and I look forward to continuing that tradition by devising and instituting innovative solutions that will help our team better serve the ag community.”

Triplett holds a Master of Business Administration, Healthcare Administration from Gonzaga University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and economics from Washington State University. Originally from Vancouver, Washington, Triplett currently lives in Irvine, California, with his wife and one-year old daughter.

High-resolution image of Drew Triplett is available here.

About Western Growers:
Founded in 1926, Western Growers represents local and regional family farmers growing fresh produce in Arizona, California, Colorado and New Mexico. Our members and their workers provide over half the nation’s fresh fruits, vegetables and tree nuts, including nearly half of America’s fresh organic produce. Some members also farm throughout the U.S. and in other countries so people have year-round access to nutritious food. For generations, we have provided variety and healthy choices to consumers. Connect with and learn more about Western Growers on our Twitter and Facebook.

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Western Growers Applauds Passage of Goodlatte AG Act by House Judiciary Committee

October 25th, 2017

IRVINE, Calif., (October 25, 2017) —  Today, following the passage of the AG Act by the House Judiciary Committee, Western Growers’ President and CEO Tom Nassif issued the following statement applauding the action:

“We applaud Chairman Goodlatte and the Committee for advancing this legislation.

During the committee process several changes were made to the legislation that would make this bill unworkable particularly when coupled with expedited mandatory E-Verify. We must ensure practical and reasonable solutions are achieved for both the current and future workforce that American farmers depend on in order for our industry to remain competitive.

In the coming days, we will continue to work with House Leadership, Chairman Goodlatte and every member of the House to secure improvements to this legislation.”  

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Keep Up To Date with Conference Happenings with Western Growers App

October 24th, 2017

Forget you conference schedule in the hotel room? Don’t know what time a breakout session starts? Want to read the bio of an upcoming speaker with a click of a button? No problem. The official mobile app for the 2017 Western Growers 92nd Annual Meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada, is now available for download.

This mobile app allows you to:

  • View schedules and explore breakout sessions and keynote events.
  • Access event locations and speaker information at your fingertips.
  • Personalize your own schedule and receive event reminders.
  • Network with other meeting participants.
  • Interact with workshops and events with a real-time feed of all activities; engage in popular discussion topics and post and view photos.

To download, search for “Western Growers” in the app store on both iphone and Android.

ANNUAL MEETING CONTEST

For those attending the conference, engage with Western Growers on the app or on social media to win premium, tender steaks! There are two chances to win:

  • Best Photo: Take pictures during the Western Growers Annual Meeting and post them on the app or social media using #wgAM. The best photo will be chosen by Western Growers staff.
  • Most Interactive: Earn the most points by checking in, posting, liking, commenting, and tagging on the app. Be on top of the leaderboard!

The winner of each competition will receive four 24oz Bone-in Ribeye Steaks from Harris Ranch.

Check the Annual Meeting website or contact Cheryl Hall at (949) 885-2268 for the latest information on featured speakers, conference agenda and activities. For questions about downloading or accessing the app, contact Tim Vu at (949) 885-2255.

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Technology that Forecasts Yields Weeks in Advance Revealed in Oct. 24 Tech Talk

October 17th, 2017

Join us for the October 24 Tech Talk® as Cyrille Habis, CEO and co-founder of AgriData, reveals new technology that allows growers to forecast yields several weeks prior to harvest.

AgriData, one of 48 agtech startups housed in the WG Center for Innovation & Technology, provides yield estimation and management technology with unmatched accuracy for farmers of permanent crops.

During the Tech Talk, Habis will explain how the data and imagery collected from cameras mounted on a farm’s ground vehicles enables variable rate farming and significant business optimizations. AgriData guarantees that their technology will allow growers to do the following:

  • Measure Crops with Precision: Receive yield forecasts up to three months prior to harvest, including analysis of fruit quantity, density and size to help optimize farming operations.
  • Evaluate Attributes: Select customized qualitative attributes—such as maturity, defects, diseases and pests—for inclusion in field scans. This allows growers to better allocate resources.
  • Better Manage Operations: Maximize revenue by remedying low yield areas. Minimize costs associated with future contract settlements, labor, chemicals and crop insurance.

Tech Talks, which are offered at no cost, was launched in March 2016 to introduce WG members, potential stakeholders and the community to the latest innovations. Now, the Center has revamped the Tech Talk format to be a more collaborative forum between innovators, growers, investors and stakeholders.

EVENT INFORMATION

AgriData Tech Talk®

Date: Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Time: 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM PDT

Location: Online or in-person.

  • Online: You will be emailed a link when you register.
  • In-person: Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology (150 Main Street, Suite 130, Salinas, CA 93901)

RSVP: To attend, please register here.

For more information about the Tech Talk Series or the Center, contact Hank Giclas at (949) 885-2205. Share your thoughts about Tech Talk or agtech on Twitter with @WG_CIT or join the conversation: #agtech.  

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