WG&S: What is your three-to five-year- plan? What does your company look like in 10 or 20 years? There’s some uncertainty with the economy right now, but Fieldin recently closed a major round of funding and our company is as strong as it has ever been. We currently work in specialty crops in California, Israel and Australia, and are expanding rapidly. We’re coming off our best quarter in company history, and we have emerged as the market leader in terms of remote farm management platforms for specialty crop growers. As far as in the United States, in the next three to five years, we see our smart farm services going beyond specialty crops in California and serving growers nationally. We will also be able to help out managers across the supply chain to improve transparency and operational efficiencies. We’re excited to see just how far we can take the company and provide additional value to the agriculture and food industry.
WG&S: Can you discuss examples of your technology in the field? Have you demonstrated any positive return on investment—or ROI? BB: During the almond harvest season this past fall in California, Fieldin’s Smart Farm Control Center helped a grower identify inefficiencies that reduced labor and harvest operation costs by more than 30 percent. Because of that quick ROI (in just two weeks in this example), customers are relying on Fieldin data to make operational decisions, make their schedules and cut back on rising costs such as chemicals and labor. WG&S: Tell us about your experience as a resident of the Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology. I can’t stress how important it is to have boots on the ground and partner with growers to determine their needs rather than push your technology on themwithout user feedback. Joining the Center three years ago has given us a better understanding of the vegetable market in the Salinas region and has helped us interface with more growers
and partners throughout the area. It’s also inspiring to see all of the great technology coming out of the Center. We feel it’s important to give back and help the industry and the next wave of startups as often as possible. We thank the Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology for all of the support and innovation they’ve harnessed over the years! WG&S: Do you have anything else you would like to share with Western Growers members about your company? BB: In a recent survey with our customers, every respondent said we had made a significant difference on their operation over the past year. That’s a pretty powerful statement because your technology needs to not only be good, but it needs to show a clear and fast ROI for growers to adopt it—especially at the size and scale of the companies we’ve been fortunate to work with. It’s exciting to hear we’re making a difference on farm operations here in our own backyard!
Fieldin tracks data from an almond harvester, providing the grower with shake times, drive times, and more.
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MAY | JUNE 2020
Western Grower & Shipper | www.wga.com
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