News

  Main Street Salinas will once again play host to the Forbes AgTech Summit, June 26-27, 2019. The summit will bring more than 600 global agriculture leaders and entrepreneurs together to analyze some of the most pressing challenges facing the industry. This year’s theme – The Future of Food – will explore ways in which...

This month, Fast Company touted agtech startup FarmWise – a resident at Western Growers Center for Innovation and Technology (WGCIT) – and its weedkilling robots that are helping save farmers billions of dollars in an article, “These giant robots are death machines for weeds.” In the article, Fast Company writer Adele Peters explores how FarmWise’s...

The Salinas Valley is home to major growers, industry veterans and serial entrepreneurs eager to share their land, resources and knowledge with aspiring agtech leaders. Among them include Raja Ramachandran, serial entrepreneur and co-founder of foodtech startup Ripe.io, a resident at Salinas-based Western Growers Center for Innovation and Technology (WGCIT). Ripe.io is making waves in...

  The Salinas Valley has long been home to innovation in the agricultural industry – from its claim to fame as the first region to successfully ship lettuce on ice across the country (iceberg lettuce), to the invention of bagged salad, to now integrating a host of technologies ranging from data sensors to blockchain into...

In celebration of Earth Day, we are looking at how Salinas farmers are turning to technology to solve a wide array of environmental challenges. As a key agricultural region in the United States, it’s no surprise that Salinas is home to many companies that are leveraging technology to become more sustainable. From solar-powered cooling facilities...

From startup incubators and business development programs, to apprenticeships, higher education institutions and classrooms in the field, Salinas, CA boasts a variety of resources tailored to help agriculture entrepreneurs succeed. Among them includes Salinas-based Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association (ALBA), an organization that helps aspiring farmers develop organic farming and management skills, pursue the dream...

Digital Journal last week highlighted agtech innovation in the Salinas Valley in an article titled, “Salinas, CA: Where startups are innovating in AgTech.” In his article, Digital Journal reporter Tim Sandle talks about how startups and major growers alike are working to solve agriculture issues related to production, transparency and safety by testing and advancing new technologies...

  Thanks to disruptive technologies like blockchain, AI and IoT, the food supply chain is today more intelligent than ever. And as industry leaders tap new, innovative concepts to solve challenges and improve practices in the agriculture industry, the Salinas Valley agtech ecosystem continues to grow and thrive. In 2018, we explored four tech trends...

On March 26 and March 27, Hartnell College will host its sixth annual Salinas Valley Agricultural Technology Summit on the Hartnell College Main Campus in Salinas. The year’s event will be hosted by the Agricultural Business and Technology Institute at Hartnell College in collaboration with the Monterey Bay Chapter of the California Association of Pest...