Salinas Valley Agricultural Technology Summit

Register now for the 2020 Salinas Valley Ag Tech Summit and prepare to celebrate St. Patrick's Day on March 17 at the President's Reception, starting at 5:30 p.m. You'll meet Hartnell's new superintendent/president, Dr. Patricia Hsieh, hear from a trio of Irish ag entrepreneurs and enjoy plenty of deluxe hors d'oeuvres, craft beer and local wines. Register here: https://bit.ly/2uqZrbp Three experts from the Emerald Isle will share their outlook and expertise in a "Fireside Ch...at" to be held nearby in Hartnell's Mainstage Theater. The panelists are: Mareese Keane, growth strategy consultant for Fieldin, whose Smart Farming Platform is designed to cut costs with optimized spraying, harvesting and other cultural practices. (pictured) Dr. Padraig Whelan, chief scientist for ApisProtect, which uses innovative technology to help beekeepers prevent losses and increase productivity. Mick Heatherington, vice president of sales for Prophet, whose inventory-centric consignment accounting is designed for the fresh produce industry. (pictured)

The 7th Annual Salinas Valley Ag Tech Summit is coming right up! The 2020 theme is "Making Ag Tech Work for You," which organizers say means both applying new technology and methods while preparing for emerging innovation that's just over the horizon. The summit will begin on March 17, St. Patrick's Day, with an Irish-themed VIP reception, featuring a welcome from Hartnell's superintendent/president and a panel of Irish ag tech entrepreneurs, as well as craft beer, wine and ...deluxe hors d'oeuvres. March 18 will offer a full day of expert speakers, panels and exhibitors focused on technology, automation and workforce education. Also on March 18 the Monterey Bay Chapter of California Association of Pest Control Advisers (CAPCA)) will present a daylong series of professional workshops in all aspects of pest management, worth up to seven education units. At the March 17 VIP reception, starting at 5:30 p.m., new Hartnell Superintendent/President Dr. Patricia Hsieh (pronounced "SHEE-uh") will kick off the summit with a personal greeting. She has led the college since September 2019, following the retirement of Dr. Willard Lewallen. Dr. Hsieh has made workforce preparation, particularly in the Salinas Valley, a top priority for Hartnell. Attendees will enjoy food from Turf Club catering and quality beers and wines as they tour an Exhibitors Showcase inside and outside of the STEM Center, renamed last summer in Dr. Lewallen's honor. New at the reception this year will be the Fireside Chat panel of Irish entrepreneurs (soon to be announced), presented in the college's Mainstage Theater. The Main Day program on March 18 will start at 7 a.m. with breakfast, the Exhibitors Showcase and an IMAX movie showing in the Hartnell Planetarium, located in the STEM Center. Panels and speeches will start promptly at 9, with presentations by leaders from such companies as Taylor Farms, Driscoll's, Koppert Biological Systems, Ceres, FieldIn, Byer, Trimble, FarmWise, Bear Flag Robotics, AgWise and Hermanos Automated Services. New this year will be a panel tying ag tech to ag education, with a conversation on "A New Kind of Worker" aimed at driving a national dialogue on how to develop an ag workforce in tune with technology. The day will conclude with a 3 p.m. keynote address and Q&A from Mark Hanchett, CEO of Atlis Motor Vehicles, a start-up in Mesa, Ariz., focused on delivering the first battery-electric full-sized pickup truck for the U.S. market.

The #SVAgTech Summit is coming right up Mar. 17-18! The VIP Fireside Chat on the 17th will feature three experts from the Emerald Isle to share their outlook and expertise. Meet Dr. Pádraig Whelan, Chief Science Officer and co- founder ApisProtect. , which uses innovative technology to help beekeepers prevent losses and increase productivity. Dr Whelan is a former lecturer in the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, at University College Cork, Ireland. Pá...draig is an expert beekeeper who has been involved with beekeeping in Ireland for over 15 years. Pádraig works closely with our hosts to ensure they receive expert insight alongside the hive data collected by our ApisMonitor units. Pádraig is passionate about protecting honey bees and native plant species. He has supervised several research projects on honey bees including one in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He has travelled widely and is fluent in English and Spanish. He was the Chief Scientist at the Charles Darwin Research Station in the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador. phot credit: Shannon M. Carroll Alberici

What are you most excited to see at this year's #SVAgTechSummit? Make sure to see the Keynote Industry Leader Panel, moderated by Brie Reiter Smith, Director of Quality Systems Design and Technology, Supply Chain at Driscoll's. It will also include Driscoll CEO Miles Reiter and David Gill of Rio Farms, LLC and Gills Onions. Register TODAY

Register TODAY for the CAPCA Continuing Education 7 UNITS happening at the #SVAgTechSummit on March 18th. EARLY BIRD PRICING until March 11th $80.00 ~ Price changes to $110 on March 12th. Register TODAY: https://bit.ly/2uqZrbp The schedule of speakers and topics for the day are below: 8-8:45 (.75) Chrissie Davis, Koppert Biological Systems... Topic: Mechanized Applications of Beneficial Insects & using Compatible Pesticides for Integrated Pest Management 8:45-9:30 (.75) Richard Smith, Monterey County Weed Farm Advisor Topic: New Technology in Pest Management for Weed Control 9:30-10:00 (.50) TBD Monterey County Ag Commissioner Office Topic: Update on Laws & Regulations & common Non-Compliances in Monterey County 10:-10:15 BREAK 10:15-11:00 (.75) Mark Bolda, Santa Cruz Strawberry and Cane Berry Farm Advisor Topic: Disease and Insects on Strawberries and Cane Berries 11-12:00 (1) Dale Rush, Forensic Agronomy, Rush, Marcroft and Associates Topic: Common Mistakes Made by Advisors & Applicators that lead to damage claims 12:- 1:00 PM LUNCH 1-2:00 (1) Christian Nansen, UC Davis Topic: Using a Phone APP to perform Quality Controls of Insecticides Sprays 2-3:00 (1) Alejandro Del Pozo, Area IPM Advisor Entomology, UC Cooperative Extension Topic: Integrated Pest Management techniques to manage pests in lettuce and Cole crops 3:-3:15 BREAK 3:15-4:00 (.75) Kelly Amodeo, CDPR Topic: Understanding Pesticide Laws and Regulations for use on cannabis and hemp in California

Thank you Gold Star Buick GMC for being a Sponsor at the #SVAgTechSummit happening on March 17-18!

The Salinas Valley Agricultural Technology Summit at Hartnell College is March 17-18, 2020. Meet one of our Panelists, Iftach Birger, COO of Fieldin A former multi-generation grower, Iftach Birger is the COO of Fieldin, which he co-founded in 2013 in Israel along with current CEO Boaz Bachar. Based out of Fresno, Calif., Fieldin’s smart farming control center helps specialty crop growers manage and optimize spray applications, harvest activities and all other field operations.... Fieldin’s award-winning platform seamlessly connects tractors, machinery and in-field sensors to provide managers with actionable data that improves production, transparency and efficiency across all operations. To learn more, visit fieldin.com. #SVAgTechSummit #AgTech2020

Dr. Pádraig Whelan of ApisProtectan Irish company that recently opened its first U.S. office at the Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology explains how this agtech startup uses the Internet of Things (IoT) to help beekeepers manage colonies more effectively on the ‘Voices of the Valley podcast, listen here: https://soundcloud.com/westerngrowers/apisprotect

REGISTER TODAY for the 2020 Salinas Valley Ag Tech Summit Mar. 17-18! Get your tickets on Eventbrite here: https://bit.ly/2uqZrbp The summit will begin on March 17, St. Patrick's Day, with an Irish-themed VIP reception, featuring a welcome from Hartnell's superintendent/president Dr. Patricia Hsieh (pronounced "SHEE-uh") and a panel of Irish ag tech entrepreneurs, as well as craft beer, wine and deluxe hors d'oeuvres. March 18 will offer a full day of expert speakers, panels ...and exhibitors focused on technology, automation and workforce education. Also on March 18 the Monterey Bay Chapter of California Association of Pest Control Advisers (CAPCA) will present a daylong series of professional workshops in all aspects of pest management, worth up to seven education units. #SVAgTechSummit #AgTech2020