Growers, industry members and government leaders urged agtech innovators to balance economic viability, novel solutions and efficacy development of biologicals during remarks at the 2025 Salinas Biological Summit, held June 24-25 at the Yolo County Fairgrounds in Woodland, Calif.

Demonstrating the efficacy of biological products emerged as a major theme of the summit. Several speakers stressed the importance of ensuring that product claims are backed by data and are true to label claims. Panelists also pointed out that while interest in biologicals is growing, investment in agtech, including biologicals, is currently down, increasing the pressure to show results and build trust quickly.

Dr. Pam Marrone, Co-Founder and Executive Chair of the Invasive Species Corporation, underscored the need for stakeholder education around developing reputable products. She presented on the emerging role of artificial intelligence (AI) in identifying microbes for use in biologicals product development, calling AI a “very successful tool” in accelerating discovery. Marrone also shared the emergence and need for a user-informed review platform. She noted the rise of companies focused on services for product manufacturing as support roles, such as refining the fermentation process or conducting segments of R&D.

A fireside chat included Woolf Farming President and CEO and Western Growers Board Chair Stuart Woolf with Dr. Karen Morrison, the new Director of the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR). This conversation highlighted the need for greater industry collaboration and the progress within DPR to improve the review process for product registrations due to new staff positions being filled.

When asked about the Sustainable Pest Management (SPM) Roadmap, Morrison noted, “We are looking for opportunities to provide credits to PCAs for SPM” and incentivize stakeholders to take SPM courses. Additionally, for products undergoing the registration process, “label claims will be critically reviewed,” and efficacy will look different for different product categories.

The 2025 Salinas Biological Summit in Woodland was produced by Western Growers. For more information, visit salinas-summit.com.