UPDATES FROM THE WGCIT The Western Growers Center for Innovation and Technology was created to link Western Growers members with innovators in the agtech space. Below are news updates from the Center’s startups:
U.S.-based CHONEX manufactures StrongSoil® to increase soil and plant resiliency. StrongSoil® is an easy-to-use, water dispersible granule (WDG) that can be applied in-furrow, sprayed with pre/post-emergent applications and foliar applied during critical periods of growth. StrongSoil® contains naturally occurring beneficial rhizobacteria, peptides and enzymes collected through a patented process. CHONEX has conducted over 350 replicated and field-scale trials in a variety of crops over the past four years with exceptional results for use rates from 1-3 oz/acre. This fall, CHONEX is focused on helping growers plan for the 2026 season, showing how StrongSoil® can fit into strategies for healthier production systems. CHONEX’s mission is to improve farm profitability and make agriculture more resilient for the future. Learn more at chonex.ag. Fieldin has released a new version of its Mobile App for iOS and Android. The update brings the app in line with the desktop version and introduces several new features for monitoring and reviewing field activity. Highlights include: • Unified Live & History Mode - view a current shift in progress or review a past shift. • Flow Output Tracking - monitor actual spray rates in real time. • Timeline Breakdown - see travel, breaks and machine pacing across a shift. • Updated Date Picker - navigate between shifts more quickly. • Interactive Statistics Drawer - access efficiency and progress metrics by block, machine or activity. The goal of these changes is to make it easier for managers to follow work in real time, review completed shifts and keep operations aligned across teams. For more details, or to learn how this update can support your operation, please contact info@fieldin.com. This season, the HeavyConnect team has been visiting our growers and farm labor contractors across the West, especially in California and Hawaii. We prioritize spending time alongside the people who use our app every day, seeing firsthand how they manage compliance documentation like Food Safety & Worker Safety records as well as employee timesheets in the field and facility. Our focus in these visits is on listening and collaboration. By working directly with field crews, supervisors and compliance managers, we learn what’s working well and where improvements can be made. These conversations often lead to small but meaningful refinements that make the compliance app more intuitive and better suited to each operation’s workflow. What stands out most from these visits is the value of personal connection. Technology plays an important role in compliance, but it’s the trust and shared problem-solving between our team and our customers that make it truly effective. We’re grateful for the hospitality of the growers who welcome us into their fields and for the opportunity to keep improving together. At Impello Biosciences, we’re upgrading biologicals so growers no longer feel like they’re settling. This fall, we’re proud to announce the launch of Consequence™, a next-generation chitosan product. Unlike most chitosan products on the market — typically derived from shellfish, dark in color, odorous and carrying allergen and heavy metal risks — Consequence is sourced from fungi, making it allergen-free and remarkably clean. Registered as a 25B pesticide, and with 0-day PHI and no REI or MRL, chitosan has proven efficacy against nematodes as well as a wide spectrum of bacterial, fungal and viral diseases. Consequence works by carrying a natural positive charge that disrupts pathogens directly while also priming plants’ systemic acquired resistance, strengthening cell walls with added lignin and callose. It can be applied throughout the season on high-value specialty crops, such as berries, tomatoes, citrus, leafy greens and tree nuts to reduce pressure and strengthen resilience. With no vinegar in the formulation, virtually no odor, exceptional stability and the lowest heavy metal levels in its class, Consequence sets a new standard for chitosan. And because it’s produced in our U.S. facility, growers can count on reliable supply and superior quality. Inteligistics is a technology company that uses real-time data to reveal and address previously unforeseen bottlenecks and inefficiencies. From harvest to pre-cool, packing to cold storage, loading to shipping, we capture data that gives you the real-time visibility needed to uncover issues that contribute to high energy costs, poor product quality, poor fill-rates and inefficient operational practices.
CHONEX
Fieldin
HeavyConnect
Impello Biosciences
Inteligistics
46 Western Grower & Shipper | www.wga.com November | December 2025
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