UPDATE from the
Nearly five years ago, Western Growers launched its Center for Innovation and Technology (WGCIT), housed in the Taylor Farms building in downtown Salinas. WGCIT brings together the ag industry and firms operating in the technology space to actively work on some of agriculture’s most vexing problems. At any one time, there are about 50 firms operating in the Center. Following is a new feature in Western Grower & Shipper designed to keep the produce industry abreast of the work being done by the resident companies. Each issue of Western Grower & Shipper will feature quick updates from some of the resident companies.
AGTools was the winner of the San Diego Angel Conference 2020 and received an investment of $200,000. AgTools is a platform that provides real-time weather, pricing and logistics data in more than 500 specialty crops. The company has positioned itself to play a pivotal role in helping farmers and industry buyers leverage data-based insights with its real-time algorithm designed to offset volatility and improve decision making. The company now offers continually updated information via a customizable and highly efficient dashboard format. By simply looking at a monitor, users can get instant access to information needed to make mission critical decisions. ApisProtect won the “Start-Up Award” at the recent Annual Think Global Awards held virtually in Dublin, Ireland. ApisProtect was recognized by Think Global for its work using sensor technology and machine learning to monitor the strength of honey bees worldwide. The Think Global Awards recognize achievements and promote the awareness of thinking globally for individuals, communities, start-ups, small and medium sized businesses, global brands and large-scale international organizations. Bear Flag Robotics is currently serving California growers with autonomous tillage-a-service. Their white hooded machines can be seen helping growers meet their operation goals, through the pandemic uncertainty. Please reach out if Bear Flag can help you. ChrysaLabs, which has developed a portable, accurate and real-time soil data solution to assess agriculture soil health and fertility, is launching its soil analysis program in California and is looking for beta users to work with them this season. CSS continues in full production of its H2H fertilizer products during this period of disruption to all our lives. Its latest innovation is its K-plex 0-0-8 organic potassium product. Very recently it was registered for use in California on organic crops. K-plex 0-0-8 is a neutral form of potassium complexed with carboxylic acids which differentiates the efficacy of this product vs. other organic potassium products available. This product has been designed to be foliar or ground applied. It was developed to meet the needs of strawberry, hemp or other crops where increased levels of potassium are needed during plant maturation. A premier grower, marketer and distributor of fresh produce successfully concluded a grape quality trial with Hazel Technologies. With a proven track record of introducing innovative solutions to the market for decades, Oppy has completed a trial of a new shelf life extension technology from Hazel Technologies with South American red seedless grapes. The goal of the trial was twofold: to achieve greener and more turgid stems, with no signs of shriveled grapes, and to maintain superior storage life under transit and warehouse conditions.
HeavyConnect offers free paperless checklists, binders, and recordkeeping for produce growers and suppliers. FSMA (Food Safety Modernization Act) compliance is now easier than ever.
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MAY | JUNE 2020
Western Grower & Shipper | www.wga.com
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