AgTech There was a lot of progress on the Global Harvest Automation Initiative with key strategic partners in 2025. With Western Growers as a key strategic and capital contributor, the first Reservoir Farms location in Salinas is up and running. This creates the world’s first on-farm robotics incubator, which will save startups a lot of time and capital as they conduct research and development and iterate their robots in a shared workspace with commercially grown acreage right outside the shop, including shared equipment, demos and field trials available whenever they want. Our friends at John Deere recognized the strategic and business impact that Reservoir Farms could have on specialty crop agtech and joined the partnership with a commitment of equipment, maintenance and capital. The next two Reservoir Farms locations will be in Merced and Sonoma, and both should be underway in 2026. Salinas Biological Summit The 2025 Biological Summit was held in Woodland, California. The event brought together innovators, manufacturers and growers and was an opportunity to continue to feature the international aspects of biologicals. An MOU was signed with the Biological Products Industry Alliance to help develop trial protocols. The Summit will return to Salinas in June 2026 at the California Rodeo Grounds.
Investment Western Growers Innovation has watched the precipitous drop in venture capital of the last four years (from $53 billion in 2021 to $10 billion in 2025) and noted that most of the success in the automation segment is in non-harvest activities like weeding, thinning, spraying and planting. Yet harvest labor represents two-thirds of the farm labor hours, according to Cal Poly. We are taking a new approach to fund harvest automation with collaborative grower capital and an R&D effort that will be open sourced and available to all once it’s completed. Stay tuned for details as we head into 2026.
Case Studies Western Growers has now published three Case Studies: Carbon Robotics, Stout Industrial and Cal.Net. A big thanks to WG members Braga Fresh, JV Smith and Terranova Ranch for providing the key economic details that drive the value of the case studies, providing a framework for growers and agtech startups to evaluate the impact solutions are having on grower economics.
Innovation & Technology Accelerating the Advancement of Agricultural Technology for the Fresh Produce Industry.
Scan to learn more about our case studies or visit: wga.com/innovation/case-studies
Platform 10 The trial program began this past year in California, with an initial focus on citrus, table grapes, strawberries, leafy greens and tomatoes. International trials are scheduled for 2026. The global trial network is focused on grower-identified priorities and alternative solutions to chemicals likely to face regulation. The Platform 10 network continues to expand internationally with MOUs being signed with
New Zealand and Australia. Work on a collaborative governance structure is now underway.
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