Organic Grower Summit Next Week Showcases WGCIT Startups & WG Leadership

The Organic Grower Summit, which will be held next week in Monterey, California, will include a Western Growers-sponsored “Tech Alley,” as well as an educational session led by WG’s Hank Giclas.

If you plan to attend the OGS Conference on December 12 and 13, WG-highlighted events include the following:

• Tech Alley: For the second year in a row, WG will serve as the Ag Technology Sponsor for OGS. As the tech sponsor, WG will be hosting “Tech Alley” where budding entrepreneurs will line the exhibit hall and demonstrate their cutting-edge technologies that will significantly help farmers reduce issues faced on the farm. Numerous start-up companies housed in the Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology (WGCIT) will be exhibiting throughout OGS and in Tech Alley.
• Technology is not Just for "Big Ag" Education Session: WG’s Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning, Science & Technology Hank Giclas will host an educational session on the progress of agtech. Panelists include WGCIT startups and graduates including: Brian Dawson (Harvestport); Raja Ramachandran (ripe.io); and Diane Wu (Trace Genomics).
• Thaddeus Barsotti Honored as Grower of the Year Award Recipient: Thaddeus Barsotti of Capay Organic (a WG member since 2012) will be honored as this year’s Grower of the Year. California Certified Organic Farmers and the Organic Produce Network selected Barsotti for the award based on his ongoing commitment and dedication to excellence in organic production and organic industry leadership and innovation.

To learn more about WG’s participation in the 2017 OGS, read “ORGANIC GROWER SUMMIT: First-time Event Draws Enthusiastic Crowd” in a recent edition of WG&S Magazine.