“Agricultural innovation is a long fuse leading to a big bang,” Prof. Andy Hargardon, director of the UC Davis Sustainable Ag Innovation Center, recently told the AgTech Roundtable, a pro bono convening of ag representatives, tech developers, educators and regulatory executives. Its mission is to accelerate the creation of ag tech for farmers and next generation jobs in rural areas, according to co-founder Robert Gore of The Gualco Group, Inc., which hosts the meetings in Sacramento.
Hargadon, who authored a best-seller on innovation, said ag tech is entering that “boom” period — particularly with the drought-driven need for precision irrigation. Roundtable members can help by steering entrepreneurs in the right direction and by ensuring they understand farmers’ needs and s
tate regulations. Ag innovation and the conversion to on-farm applied technology is multi-faceted, Hargadon explained, involving research in plant science, health, nutrition, engineering, chemistry – the list is lengthy.
New technology is essential for emerging precision agriculture, Brian Leahy, director of the Department of Pesticide Regulation, added. This means close and effective management of the application of water, nutrients and pesticides, he said. Leahy, a former rice grower in Butte County, said the efficient use of inputs requires more and better technology, especially now that consumers seek increased information about how their food is grown.
Robert Tse, a US Dept. of Agriculture economic development official who works with farmers and tech developers, said the Roundtable can help “explain both worlds to each other — software coders need to know farming is more complex than it looks, and farmers need to know that writing lines of code is tough work. They both share the same work ethic.”
The Roundtable in the fall will hold meetings for tech firm owners to present their products and receive guidance from farmers and regulators.
The AgTech Roundtable recently produced “Apps for Ag,” a successful hackathon at West Hills College Coalinga’s Farm of the Future, where young farmers stated needs, and te
ams of coders competed to create useful cell phone apps. About 60 people participated. The AgTech team is exploring a second Apps for Ag at UC Davis College of Ag in the fall, said Patrick Dosier, member of the California Association of Pest Control Advisers.
Other Roundtable members include senior officials from the California Farm Bureau Federation, California Dept. of Food & Agriculture, Dept. of Conservation, Public Utilities Commission, Dept. of Technology, AgraLogics, San Joaquin Valley Partnership, Valley Vision, TechWire and legislative consultants.