Today, two of Western Growers’ own shared the stage during a luncheon presentation at the Association of California Water Agencies’ (ACWA) 2016 Spring Conference & Exhibition in Monterey, Calif.

Hundreds of local water leaders were on hand to witness a joint-keynote address given by Hank Giclas, Western Growers Senior Vice President, and Bruce Taylor, Taylor Farms Chairman/CEO, titled, “Agriculture: Embracing Technology in a New Era.”

Giclas began the presentation with an overview of Western Growers and the Center for Innovation and Technology (WGCIT), which aims to accelerate the availability of new technologies to address the current and emerging resource challenges facing the fresh produce industry. According to Giclas, the four defining purposes of the WGCIT are to connect, collaborate, educate and innovate.

Taylor rounded out the presentation with a discussion of the major challenges facing the industry, touching specifically on the growing demand to produce more using fewer resources. The former WG Chairman concluded his portion of the speech by detailing his original vision for the WGCIT and the need for a more proactive, adaptive and cooperative approach to solving the industry’s collective problems.

The luncheon presentation was a keynote address as part of the ongoing four-day annual ACWA event at the Monterey Marriot and Portola Hotel. An array of panel discussions, forums, presentations and keynote addresses were designed to explore California’s current water challenges as well as its long-term water resiliency. 

For more information, contact, Hank Giclas at (949) 885-2205.