Two WGCIT Startup Invited to Coveted “Village Capital”
by WGCIT Western Growers Center for Innovation
Posted on November 29, 2016 11:33 AM
This week, Patrick Zelaya of HeavyConnect and Nathan Dorn of Food Origins head to Louisville, KY to participate in the Village Capital, a program that selects, trains and funds entrepreneurs.
Village Capital hosts four programs including Agriculture, People Ops Tech Competition, FinTech and Health; HeavyConnect and Food Origins have been selected for the Agriculture program which will take them through a process of identifying a problem - and ends with a unique peer-review model for investing in the best solution.
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New Faces in The Center: November 2016
by WGCIT Western Growers Center for Innovation
Posted on November 29, 2016 09:58 AM
Three new residents joined the Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology in November: Aeroptic LLC, AgTech Industries, and Tailwater Systems Inc.. Aeroptic LLC uses government-grade aerial remote sensing technology to improve crop yields and identify production trends. AgTech Industries is building a dealer network comprised of companies that local growers already know and trust, and training that network on ATI suite solutions, so that growers have one point of contact and support. Tailwater Systems manufactures devices that remove nutrients and contaminants from agricultural drainage areas.
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WG Insider: A 360 Degree View
by WGCIT Western Growers Center for Innovation
Posted on November 28, 2016 04:12 PM
Dennis Donohue presented “Ag 101: The Salinas Valley” to a group of residents at The Center, Tuesday, November 22, 2016. He discussed the difference between Growers, Grower-Shippers, and Processors. He spoke about some of the trends (i.e. brokers, consumer movements, value-added offerings) that have changed how the local agricultural industry does business.
He also explained the difference between Trade Groups: United Fresh, Produce Marketing Association, the California Farm Bureau, the Grower-Shippers Association, and Western Growers Association. Dennis highlighted the importance of Salinas to the global agricultural marketplace now, and the significance of WGA to the Salinas growing community.
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