"As labor challenges continue, regulations evolve, water
Why We Built the Western Growers Case Study Program One of the reasons Senior Vice President of Innovation Walt Duflock and I launched the Western Growers Innovation financial case study program was because we saw a disconnect between how technology companies presented their products and how growers evaluated investments. Too often, I heard statements like: “This technology saves labor,” “It improves efficiency,” “Our customers love it” and “It increases yield.” While those statements may all be true, they don’t answer the questions growers ask before writing a purchase order. How much labor does it save? How many acres can it realistically cover? What does implementation cost? What is the annual operating expense? How long is the payback period? What is the return on investment? Who will fix this technology when it breaks? Working alongside our most innovative growers willing to share operational and financial information, we’ve developed case studies that document technology adoption under real commercial farming conditions. We evaluate labor requirements, implementation costs, equipment utilization, operational efficiencies, reliability and financial performance—not to promote one company over another, but to provide credible information that growers can use to make informed decisions. For technology developers, these case studies provide another valuable benefit. They offer direct insight into the financial metrics growers actually care about—helping companies better understand how to position and improve their products for commercial success. Quantitative Data Builds Confidence One of the biggest takeaways from our work is that not all evidence carries equal weight. Qualitative information absolutely matters, and so does ease of use, operator experience, customer support, reliability and training requirements. These all influence adoption. But when growers prepare to make a significant capital investment, quantitative information becomes the deciding factor, such as measured labor savings, documented productivity improvements, verified operating costs, machine utilization, acres covered per day and return on investment. These are the numbers that transform curiosity into confidence. Every additional piece of measurable data reduces uncertainty. And reducing uncertainty makes adoption easier. becomes more constrained and production costs rise, innovation will play an increasingly important role in the future of specialty crop agriculture."
27 Western Grower & Shipper | www.wga.com July – September 2026
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