Ag Tech Summit

2019.03.26 - 27 in Salinas, California - The Epicenter of AgTech

The Ag Tech Summit at Hartnell College showcased people's passion for agriculture and the ability to integrate new technologies for improved quality and production. It was a chance for growers, researchers and technology providers to connect and reimagine an better future for propagating industry, providing to our world population and everyone's concern with making food healthier and more organic.

Some Topics covered included:

• Remote Sensing
• IPM Approaches
• Managing Virus Spread
• Automation for SGMA Groundwater Management
• Traceability for Managing Food Safety Risk
• Big Data in Ag

[Below Image: Morning Keynote - Bob Whitaker, Produce Marketing Association]

Remote Sensing

The remote sensing panel included researchers and industry from companies like Ceres Imaging, AirSpace Integration and CSU Monterey Bay. It was insightful to hear how RS, especially those using drones as a platform, have been used in the Agriculture sector and in what ways Ag is benefiting from it.

Traceability for Managing Food Safety Risk

New systems are being explored and adoptions from companies like UPS that help track food found at the supermarket back to its origin. This is useful in cases of food related outbreaks which can be mitigated its impact on the consumer and the industry. This panel explained that even a simple note taking application in field has high reward for targeting reasons for outbreak.

Big Data in Ag

This panel covered how big data can speed up agronomic decisions through analysis of traceability systems, remote sensing and other technology in correlation with market analysis. A very notable company was Project Athena that is using artificial intelligence to analyze big data and turn it into information.

Gabe Youtsey - UC ANR

Gabe attended the Ag Tech Summit as a keynote speaker and panel member. During his keynote, he spoke about the progress of VINE and UC ANR's commitment in improving California's Ag. He was part of the "How California is Strategizing to Meet the 2020 Workforce Needs" panel sitting in with other members from Cal Poly, CSU Monterey Bay and Ca Community College Chncellor's Office.

[Below Image: Afternoon Keynote - Gabe Youtsey, Chief Innovation Officer, UC ANR]

Given all these outlooks, I'm looking forward to 2020's Ag Tech Summit.