directory that acts a marketplace for agtech startups. By visiting www. agtechpages.com, users are able to see details about each startup including years in business, number of WG members using and acres deployed. Also, WG members are able to filter through desired startups by commodities served, issues addresses and solutions offered. • Expand Global Reach: The Center will continue to host delegates from foreign countries and formalize partnerships abroad in an effort to expand our global network. Additionally, WG will learn about technologies these partners developed to overcome labor, food safety and water obstacles in their respective countries and translate those into findings that will benefit WG members. “Our center is now in its third year, and we are more committed than ever to helping our members battle ongoing challenges such as labor shortages, water scarcity and kill-step validation,” said Hank Giclas, WG senior vice president, strategic planning, science & technology. “We are now working more strategically in a ‘ready, aim, fire’ fashion to ensure that the issues our members are facing are being solved with the right technology.”
development to market as quickly and effectively as possible. • Crop-Collaborative Initiative: Keeping in mind that an automated solution that works for one crop will not necessarily work for another, WG will launch a cross-collaborative initiative to accelerate automation for all crops. The initiative will include activities such as the following: Global Collaboration: Convening game-changing innovators from around the world to share labor-
saving technologies. Robotics Collaborative: Working with the robotics community to learn about inventions that can potentially emulate the human function. Road Show: Traveling to multiple key production areas within a couple of weeks to discuss automation needs and new labor- saving technologies. • AgTech Innovation Directory: WG has soft-launched an interactive
19
JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2019
Western Grower & Shipper | www.wga.com
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker