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What Every Ag Leader Needs to Know about Blockchain

Posted on November 14, 2018 14:00 PM by elyons

Western Growers hosted an invite-only workshop on Monday, November 12, entitled ‘What Every Ag Leader Needs to Know about Blockchain.’ Western Growers’ members were invited to the Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology (WGCIT) in Salinas. The speakers included: Raja Ramachandran, CEO & Co-Founder of ripe.io, and Todd Berg, Director of Product Management & Customer Service at the Harvestmark division of Trimble. WGCIT sponsor, ZAG Technical Services, participated in the panel and offered growers a private lunch session following the workshop to facilitate one-on-one conversation with industry experts. Dennis Donohue, consulting director of the WGCIT, moderated the panel discussion and Q&A. Hank Giclas, Senior VP of Science & Technology at Western Growers, welcomed the attendees and was on-hand throughout the morning as a food safety resource.

Blockchain is the latest buzzword in many industries today, and agriculture is no exception. With Walmart’s latest announcement on implementing IBM’s blockchain for food traceability, many questions surrounding this technology have arisen. Blockchain entrepreneurs, innovators, and farmers covered topics including: the basics of blockchain technology, its impact on the agricultural sector, how businesses and industries can successfully utilize this technology, the future outlook on blockchain, and more.

Due to the strong response from the Western Growers member community, the WGCIT had to host the workshop upstairs from the Center in the Taylor Farms Auditorium. Approximately thirty farmers and innovators collaborated in the discussion of ‘What Every Ag Leader Needs to Know about Blockchain.’