The California State Board of Food and Agriculture will be hosting two public meetings next week to discuss agricultural innovation and food waste and has tapped Western Growers’ industry experts to serve as speakers.

Western Growers Senior Vice President, Strategic Planning, Science & Technology Hank Giclas and companies participating in the Western Growers Center for Innovation and Technology –TerrAvion and HeavyConnect— will be providing insight on agricultural technology and innovation. Additionally, three Western Growers members—Joe Pezzini of Ocean Mist, Tim York of Markon and Lynne Figone of Ag Against Hunger—will focus on the issue of food waste, discussing potential solutions to a growing global problem.

Meetings will be held on Tuesday, May 31, and Wednesday, June 1. The meeting on May 31st will focus on agtech and innovation and will be held at from 9 a.m. to noon at Amyris, 5885 Hollis Street, Ste. 100, Emeryville, CA 94608. Giclas and the Center’s resident companies will be among speakers from Amazon, AT&T and Joint BioEnergy Institute. The meeting on June 1st will focus on food waste and will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Mitchell Park Community Center, 3700 Middlefield Rd, Palo Alto, CA 94303.

All meetings are open to the public and attendance is welcome. For more information, visit https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/.