On Thursday, Western Growers will officially launch its Global Harvest Automation Initiative, a series of groundbreaking projects dedicated to accelerating harvest automation across the fresh produce industry. The launch event will be livestreamed at: www.wga.com/feb1121-live.
The global initiative is comprised of several key projects uniquely designed to solve the ag industry’s labor woes while simultaneously helping harvest automation start-up companies commercialize and scale at a more rapid pace. This includes creating a Harvest Automation Cohort, Top Harvest Automation Roadmap, annual impact reports and a Tech Stack Project to help startups apply existing technology to future robots. The goal of the initiative is to automate 50 percent of harvest within 10 years.
Full details about the Global Harvest Automation Initiative will be revealed during a special WG event on February 11, 2021, at 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. PT, in Tulare, Calif. The event, which will follow all COVID-19 safety precautions including masks and social distancing, will include the following:
- Update from tech giants like Microsoft, Trimble and Finistere on harvest tech development
- News of mechanization effort from global partners in France, Israel, New Zealand and the UK
- Growers Panel on Automation Needs on the Farm: Don Cameron (Terranova Ranch), Drew Ketelson (HMC Farms), Neill Callis (Turlock Fruit Company), Vic Smith (JV Smith Co)
- Tech Panel on Automation Updates: Bayer Crop Science, Citrus Research Board
- Discussion on robotics applications for harvesting with FarmWise (who was recently listed in TIME’s Best Inventions of 2020)
All are welcome to tune in virtually at: www.wga.com/feb1121-live.
