company’s original mission was centered on improving freshwater security. After working closely with growers, that mission evolved. “I realized our real mission is improving both freshwater and food security,” Wright said. “Farmers are the best conservationists we have. They don’t want to waste water. They don’t want to harm their soil. These farms are generational.” He didn’t want the company to sound like it was wagging a finger at farmers about water, either. “Farmers don’t need lectures—they need tools. If you give them data and visibility, they will always make the right decisions,” Wright said. Barely three years since the company’s inception, Lumo has momentum as well as a growing reputation among Western Growers members for doing something surprisingly rare in agtech: listening. As Wright puts it: “I want farmers to want us because they’re already great at what they do. We just give them visibility so their irrigation plan always happens the way they intended.” As momentum builds, Lumo is now preparing to expand beyond its core markets, moving into new regions across the U.S. where growers are asking for more reliable, automated irrigation systems. “We’re excited to support growers in new areas. Every region has unique challenges, and we’re ready to build the local tools they need. We want growers to know we’re coming,” Wright said. He explained that Lumo is being deliberate about its expansion, focusing on regions where crop types and grower needs align well with the company’s current strengths while building toward a broader footprint. From a small orchard in Northern California to nearly 200 farms, Lumo is proving that innovation in agriculture doesn’t start with technology; it starts with the grower. For the AgSharks® audience this year, that authenticity—and the story behind it—was impossible to ignore.
Instead, Lumo did the opposite. It went deep with growers, not wide. That choice, Wright explained, is the difference between agtech companies that succeed and those that burn out. Under the Hood For those looking to better understand the company, Wright explains Lumo’s elevator pitch with this simple analogy: “We’re the world’s first smart irrigation valve. Think Nest, but for irrigation.” Lumo patented a technology where the brain of the system is built directly into every irrigation valve. Each valve measures flow, volume and performance in real time, and the valves communicate instantly with pumps and back-end systems. That means pumps become reactive—ramping up or down to maintain proper pressure, preventing failures and adapting automatically to conditions detected in the field. “It’s total accountability and visibility. Farmers know exactly what’s happening at every valve. No more guesswork. No more surprises,” Wright said. But despite the excitement around the technology, adoption isn’t always automatic, as is the case facing so many agtech innovations today. “Budgets are the number one barrier,” he said. “Farmers are in one of the hardest periods they’ve ever faced.” Wine growers have told Wright they’re seeing the worst market since Prohibition. Some apple growers are earning lower prices today than in the 1980s—before inflation. And even well- performing crops, such as berries and citrus, are battling the high costs of labor, inputs, logistics and uncertainty in global markets. “In that environment, even great ROI doesn’t always matter. Change is just hard,” Wright said. A Mission that Grew with the Growers Lumo launched in 2022, during what was widely reported as California’s worst drought in 1,200 years, Wright explained. The
39 Western Grower & Shipper | www.wga.com January – March 2026
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