COVER STORY
GROWERS EVOLVE: EMBRACING BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS By Kara Timmins, Communications Manager
Farming is all about biology. It always has been. It always will be. With an expanding industry portfolio of biological products going to market, each with the hope that there’s a place for its utility and an industry looking for viable solutions to growing environmental, regulatory and consumer pressures, the movement in biologically cohesive systems is advancing. Growers are navigating biological complexities with dexterity and modesty, recognizing that these systems play by their own rules and still hold mysteries to be solved. Exploring the art and science of farming is a journey every grower has to take, but they have each other and industry support from organizations like Western Growers to help move them forward. “A farm is part of the environment it sits in,” said Joe Pezzini, Senior Director of Ag Operations at Taylor Farming, LLC. “So there’s always this interaction of the surrounding environment. That goes both ways. We are trying to integrate biological systems to grow plants, to grow a crop, to its maximum potential, to feed
us, to feed the world. We are dealing with biological systems to begin with, so it is all about biology. What’s emerging now is more of a focus on how to enhance that biology. Not just with nutrients, but really understanding the science, bacteria and fungi and the inner relationship and interaction of how to stimulate a really healthy crop.”
In 2023, Western Growers Center for Innovation and Technology co-hosted the Salinas Biological Summit with Wharf42. The inaugural event sold out. The collective conversation that included growers, business leaders, government representatives, investors, universities and startups explored the needs and goals of the many to synchronize the goal. Knowing that staying focused and effective would take more than an annual two-day event, Western Growers and Wharf42 launched Platform 10. Jeana Cadby, Director of Climate and Sustainability for Western Growers, is one of the experts participating in guiding the program. “There has been a lot of momentum since the previous Biological Summit,” Cadby said, “and we are so excited to share the progress that has been made in this space. Last year, Western Growers launched Platform 10, an international, multi-year collaboration to accelerate promising biologicals, rigorously assess products, enhance grower confidence and facilitate market development and adoption. The objective is to establish a global trial network to connect the Science to the Farmers.” At the 2023 Summit, many attendees shared their perspective on the need for implementing more biological products in growing fresh produce. For the growers who took the stage, they made it clear that not only are they open to the opportunities, they’re also looking for them. But the products have to work, and they have to be integrated into the growing process in a way that makes sense.
19 Western Grower & Shipper | www.wga.com May | June 2024
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