West

Sakata appointed Colorado ag water policy advisor

The Colorado Department of Agriculture has hired onion grower Robert Sakata to serve as the state's first agricultural water policy advisor. Legislators approved the funding for the position to engage with Colorado farmers and ranchers... more »

FIRA USA demos, exhibits give growers close-up views of new tech

Allowing growers to watch the latest AgTech products operate in the field was a big part of FIRA USA. Through demonstrations and static displays at the Sept. 19-21 event in Salinas, California, technology providers focusing... more »

FIRA USA AgTech innovations focus on mainstreaming automation

Despite a limited number of robots and automated machines being deployed in some grower fields, more buy-in is needed by venture capital (VC) firms that fund AgTech products. The challenge of making robotics and smart... more »

WAVEx webinar to highlight spotted lanternfly threat

The Washington State Wine Commission (WSWC) and Washington State University invite winegrape growers to register for an upcoming webinar on the havoc that can be caused by the spotted lanternfly, an invasive species that continues... more »

Daniel Hartwig to lead California Fresh Fruit Association

Daniel Hartwig is the new president of the California Fresh Fruit Association (CFFA). Hartwig, who begins role Dec. 4, succeeds Ian LeMay, the new president and CEO of the California Table Grape Commission. LeMay became... more »

Western Growers appoints Stuart Woolf to chair

Stuart Woolf, president and CEO of Woolf Farming & Processing, is the new chair of the Western Growers board of directors. Woolf was first elected to the Western Growers board in 2015; his new role... more »

FPAA inaugural SWIPE expo hailed as success

The Fresh Produce Association of the Americas’ (FPAA) inaugural expo has been deemed a success. A recent enhancement to their FPAA’s popular yearly convention, the Nov. 2-4 Southwest International Produce Expo, or SWIPE, attracted more... more »

Finalists named for 2023 AgSharks pitch competition

Three AgTech startups will vie for exclusive access to produce leaders and win funding during the sixth annual AgSharks Competition. Western Growers and S2G Ventures have announced the three finalists that will compete in the... more »