2018 Riverside County Ag Expo Planned Wednesday

From Riverside County: Cutting-edge experts in agriculture technology and a best-selling author will be among the featured guests Wednesday (3/14) at the 2018 Riverside County Ag Expo, which draws entrepreneurs from across the country to the County Fairgrounds in Indio.

The event is expected to attract at least 200 attendees and will feature major agriculture equipment companies such as RDO Equipment Co. and Quinn Company who will display drones, tractors and other high-tech devices. Entrepreneurs will demonstrate a diverse array of products such as software that helps manage water consumption using remote sensors and powerful cameras that can scan soil nutrients and determine which fertilizers are needed.

“We’re excited to see the caliber of speakers and exhibitors who are bringing tremendous expertise and incredibly innovative products to our agriculture community,” said Janell Percy, executive director of Growing Coachella Valley, an advocacy organization for agriculture. “This Ag Expo will give farmers a chance to see and learn about the latest developments in AgTech and to get their questions on a host of other issues addressed.”

The keynote speaker for the Ag Expo lunch will be best-selling author Michele Payn, who wrote “Food Truths from Farm to Table” and “No More Food Fights!” and who is sought after across the country to speak as a champion for agriculture. The catered buffet lunch is free, as is the continental breakfast.

The Ag Expo will feature six panel discussions with renowned experts such as Henry “Hank” L. Giclas, senior vice president science & technology, strategic planning at Western Growers, which runs the Western Growers Center for Innovation and Technology based in Salinas. Giclas will be joined by representatives from FarmWise, a San Francisco-based startup that has created a weeding robot, and Ganaz, a new technology company from Seattle that uses a mobile app to connect farmers to workers.

Other panels will provide information about the latest advances in water and irrigation technology, workforce and labor issues, how to export and more.

Students from the La Quinta High School Culinary Academy will prepare and serve hors d’oeuvres mid-morning, and students from Indio High School will provide guests with a tour of the school’s Technical Education, Animal Science Horticulture Pathways. Students from both Indio High School and Coachella Valley High School will attend the event and provide information about the agriculture programs at their schools.

Exhibits by the College of the Desert, the Export-Import Bank, the Small Business Administration and dozens more also will be on display at the Fullenwider Auditorium on the County Fairgrounds, 82-503 Highway 111, Indio. Doors will open at 7:30 a.m., and the program gets under way at 8:30 a.m. The panel discussions will take place in the morning, and the outdoor expo area and visit to Indio High School will occur after lunch. The Expo ends at 4 p.m.

The entire schedule can be found at the following link: https://www.rivcoeda.org/oft/2018AgExpo/TabId/1796/Default.aspx

Registration for the free, one-day event is available here: https://2018agexpo.eventbrite.com

Image via Shutterstock