As COVID-19 continues to impact the country, Western Growers and our members have come together, both as an association and as an industry, to provide an essential service to the nation: access to healthy and nutritious food. Our dedication to the success of our members and farmers across the West has never been stronger. The ...
Yesterday, Western Growers’ Field Harvest Acceleration Steering Committee gathered virtually to embark on Phase 2 of its Automation Initiative—an industry-led initiative designed to accelerate field automation progress with a primary focus on field harvesting. During the meeting, the committee discussed in-depth strategies and tactics for mechanization adoption as well as identified a…
Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology expands global reach with partnership from Canadian Government IRVINE, Calif. (July 30, 2020) – The Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology (WGCIT), a California-based incubator dedicated to accelerating the development of agricultural technologies, is pleased to announce the Government of Canada as its first international…
War, by definition, is a sustained effort to deal with or end a particularly unpleasant or undesirable situation. With war, inaction is not an option. This is especially true in agriculture, where inaction puts the nation’s food supply in jeopardy. There is a myriad of passionate agri-warriors across the United States who are fighting for ...
While driving down the road through the iconic Salinas fog, all looks normal in Monterey County at first glance. Endless rows of lettuce, strawberries, and broccoli line the fields; farmers survey the grounds, meticulously checking on the crops, soil and equipment; and farmworkers span the fields, rapidly preparing for planting and harvesting. But then a ...
“Hoarders” quickly went from a popular television program to a stark reality earlier this year when states around the nation urged residents to “shelter-in-place” to flatten the curve and prevent the spread of COVID-19. When the quarantine orders started rolling into effect, citizens flocked to their local supermarkets buying food items in mass quantities. As ...
The latest episodes of the Voices of the Valley (VOV) podcast feature two prominent thought leaders who speak about innovation as a solution to coronavirus and where the agtech industry is headed. Episode 61 of the VOV podcast interviews Rodrigo Nieto Gómez, a geostrategist and defense futurist focused on the consequences of the accelerating pace ...
On Friday, a “USDA Demonstration: RPA Assay Detection of Spinach Downy Mildew in Leaves” webinar where Dr. Steve Klosterman will reveal his findings on powdery mildew will be available for producers to tune in. Downy mildews, which are widespread and very destructive diseases on spinach and lettuce in California, are caused by the obligate oomycete ...
Phase II of the Field Harvest Acceleration Initiative has begun. After reviewing the recommendations from the Maestro Consulting Group, the Field Harvest Acceleration Steering Committee has begun implementing the five suggestions on how to best define an acceleration strategy specifically geared toward field harvest automation. Two different subcommittees are meeting to identify a Sentinel…