SALINAS, CA — After the successful first edition of FIRA USA in Fresno last year, 2,000 participants and ag leaders will gather at the Salinas Sports Complex from September 19-21 for the greatest event on ag robotic solutions in action – with in-field demos!
The official agenda of panel discussions is already promising: Grimmway Farms, Duda Fresh, D’Arrigo Brothers and Taylor Farms for the production side and John Deere, GUSS, Naïo Technologies, Bluewhite from the industry side. Safety, market, investors and tech experts will also join the discussions.
2023 Official Agenda and Ag Robots experts
FIRA USA is delighted to welcome VIPs on stage: CDFA Secretary Karen Ross, California State Senator John Laird and UC Agriculture and Natural Resources VP Glenda Humiston.
High-profile panel discussions and speakers on the latest developments in robotics will also be a key feature of FIRA USA 2023. We’re assembled a range of panelists who will share their unique perspectives on agricultural robotics. Here is a glimpse of the agenda:
On Wednesday, September 20th:
8:30 a.m. – Ag Robots: How do you know when robots are ready to start working in your fields?
● Andrew HOLTZ, Director of Mechanized Equipment Development, D’Arrigo Brothers of California
● Rob TRICE, Founding Partner, The Mixing Bowl
● Todd FITCHETTE, Associate Editor, Farm Progress
9:35 a.m. – Things you should know before you decide to buy an AgTech automation solution
● Bartley WALKER, President, Pacific Ag Rental
● Josh ROBERTS, President, Triangle Farms
● Chrissy WOZNIAK, Founder, North American Ag
1:00 p.m. – Automation: Does safety meet regulation’s expectations?
● Christina SHUPE, Executive Officer, Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board
● Jay SEIDEL, President, AUVSI California Chapter
● Ben ALFI, CEO & Co-Funder, Bluewhite
● Nick TINDALL, Regulatory Affairs, Association of Equipment Manufacturers
1:50 p.m. – Data Rush, the new Gold Rush?
● Jackson JEFFRIES, Sales Lead, US & EMEA, Leaf Agriculture
● Zack Shelly, Partner, Kingman Ag
● Vasanth GANESAN, Partner, McKinsey & Company
On Thursday, September 21st:
8:30 a.m. – Manufacturing and distributing together to scale up
● Sean SUNDBERG, Division Sales Manager, John Deere
● Gary THOMPSON, COO, GUSS Automation
● Gaëtan SEVERAC, Co-founder, Naïo Technologies
● Danny ROYER, Co-founder, Growers Insight
9:20 a.m. – How can robot convert farmers’ instincts into data?
● Jeff MORISSON, Director of innovation & new technology, Grimmway Farms
● Arthur CHOW, Investment team, S2G Ventures
The largest in-field demo zone for robots in the U.S.
From weed control to picking and harvesting robots, FIRA USA will be THE place to get the latest advances in terms of automation for farming. With over 20 demos and 35 robots on display, manufacturers from all around the world will showcase their solutions to tackle the labor and environmental challenges faced by farmers today.
More information and registrations: www.fira-usa.com
FIRA USA is organized by GOFAR – FIRA, Western Growers, UCANR and The VINE.
About GOFAR
The GOFAR non-profit organization undertakes to promote and develop the agricultural robotics sector at international level. Like RobAgri, whose objective is to facilitate the technical development of agricultural robots, GOFAR meets the increasing need for visibility and networking of the agricultural robotics sector.
About Western Growers
Founded in 1926, Western Growers represents local and regional family farmers growing fresh produce in Arizona, California, Colorado and New Mexico. Our members and their workers provide over half the nation’s fresh fruits, vegetables and tree nuts, including nearly half of America’s fresh organic produce. Some members also farm throughout the U.S. and in other countries, so people have year-round access to nutritious food. For generations, we have provided variety and healthy choices to consumers.
About The Vine, UC ANR
The VINE, an initiative of University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources, is California’s agriculture, food, and biotech innovation network. Our mission is to harness the power of open innovation to help industries and entrepreneurs grow and scale globally while catalyzing technology innovation and commercialization for productive, sustainable, and equitable food systems. We connect entrepreneurs to a vast network of public and private sector resources, build collaborations that accelerate technology solutions to solve industry challenges, and grow regional capacity to support global innovation as an economic opportunity.