The first inaugural FIRA USA event took place in Fresno last year, with a tremendous response from industry members. Senior Vice President of Innovation for Western Growers, Walt Duflock said the idea was to do the event “bigger and better” for 2023. The three-day agtech event in Salinas attracted more than 1,500 people to learn about innovative agricultural equipment and what’s on the horizon for the future of farming. Attendees were able to get a firsthand look at what some of the new technologies are capable of.
“We have three and a half acres of veg demo. We have an acre of vineyard demo. And we have a half-acre of tree demo for orchards. You can see demos every day for hours at FIRA USA 2023 in Salinas by design,” Duflock explained. “We put you in a room for a couple of panels. But for the most part, we want you outdoors seeing the equipment, talking to the equipment operators, figuring out what’s going to work for your operation and when you can get it started and when you can get it tested.”
Duflock moderated one of the panels that highlighted the underlying purpose of the event and a theme that continued throughout. Bringing the tech sector and farmers together to work through challenges. The California strawberry industry was featured as a prime example of what collaboration can achieve when working towards a common goal. The relationship between the Cal Poly Strawberry Center, industry leaders, and tech innovators was emphasized as a workable model for more effective development and implementation of new technologies.
“It turns out that’s where the real math comes. Not from improving the technology, not from building new technologies, but for getting existing technologies out there and tested,” Duflock explained. “So, it’s a three-way effort. The industry rallying behind the Strawberry Commission, Cal Poly rallying to build the Strawberry Center, and then the joint funding of efforts to basically say, ‘let’s make sure these strawberry solutions can get in the field and get in the field the right way. Where the economics are positively impacted.’ That’s been a win-win-win for the whole strawberry business all the way across.”
Looking ahead to next year, Duflock announced that FIRA USA 2024 will be held in the Sacramento area. The event is co-organized through a partnership between the French non-profit association GOFAR, Western Growers, and the VINE/University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources. Beginning next year, all verified growers will be able to attend the event free of charge. FIRA USA will be returning to Salinas in 2025.
Brian German
Ag News Director / AgNet West