Patrick Zelaya is the founder and CEO of Heavy Connect. HeavyConnect, one of the first residents of the Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology, prides itself on creating diversity in the workforce by offering youth opportunities and careers in technology. The startup builds mobile workflow platforms that automate and simplify many of the tasks that consume a farming manager’s day. In this episode of Voices of the Valley, Patrick shares how his agtech start-up company stays attuned to the needs of the industry and details the steps of how he got his company off the ground and into the agtech space.

Drew Ketelsen is Ranch Operations Manager of HMC Farms. In this episode of Voices of the Valley, Drew highlights the water issues farmers in the Central Valley face and what types of innovations and technology available to help ease those woes. As a stone fruit grower, Drew speaks about the changes HMC Farms is making to their orchards and groves to allow for the possibility of automation.

© 2018 Western Growers

Drew Ketelsen is Ranch Operations Manager of HMC Farms. In this episode of Voices of the Valley, Drew highlights the water issues farmers in the Central Valley face and what types of innovations and technology available to help ease those woes. As a stone fruit grower, Drew speaks about the changes HMC Farms is making to their orchards and groves to allow for the possibility of automation.

© 2018 Western Growers

Robert McBride is Co-Founder of Boost Biomes and a biotechnology veteran. In this episode of Voices of the Valley, Robert describes how Boost Biomes' proprietary DNA sequencing-based discovery platform uses high-throughput next-generation sequencing, selective enrichment and advanced informatics to identify microbial products with important commercial roles. He goes into detail about Boost Biomes' first two products, which are focused on improving yield in the field and reducing spoilage after harvest, and are being evaluated in commercially relevant trials. Boost Biomes is a start-up company working out of the Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology.

Robert McBride is Co-Founder of Boost Biomes and a biotechnology veteran. In this episode of Voices of the Valley, Robert describes how Boost Biomes' proprietary DNA sequencing-based discovery platform uses high-throughput next-generation sequencing, selective enrichment and advanced informatics to identify microbial products with important commercial roles. He goes into detail about Boost Biomes' first two products, which are focused on improving yield in the field and reducing spoilage after harvest, and are being evaluated in commercially relevant trials. Boost Biomes is a start-up company working out of the Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology.

Colby Pereira is currently the Chair of the Monterey County Farm Bureau and Manager at Costa Farms. In this episode of Voices of the Valley, Colby shares with Dennis the most important aspects of technology that gets farmers to “buy into” a certain piece of software or hardware. Colby also speaks about some of the innovations that her farm had already started implementing on the farm and how it has helped make operations more efficient.

Kevin France is the CEO of SWIIM® System. In this episode of Voices of the Valleys, Dennis and Kevin speak about SWIIM’s easy-to-use technology that enable farmers, ranchers, municipalities, businesses and conservation groups to plan, manage and track their crop-water budget. They delve into SWIIM’s turn-key solution that allows it to act as its client’s on-farm water accountant, allowing agricultural water users to optimize water rights, monitor the crop water budget, conserve water and increase net income for agricultural operations.

Sean Duncan is the Supply Chain Manager at Duncan Family Farms, based in Arizona. In this inaugural episode of Voices of the Valley, Dennis and Duncan discuss how to adapt technology to different growing regions around the nation. They also discuss what Duncan Family Farms looks for in new technologies and provide tips on how agtech startups can start partnerships with farms of all sizes.

Kevin France is the CEO of SWIIM® System. In this episode of Voices of the Valleys, Dennis and Kevin speak about SWIIM’s easy-to-use technology that enable farmers, ranchers, municipalities, businesses and conservation groups to plan, manage and track their crop-water budget. They delve into SWIIM’s turn-key solution that allows it to act as its client’s on-farm water accountant, allowing agricultural water users to optimize water rights, monitor the crop water budget, conserve water and increase net income for agricultural operations.

Sean Duncan is the Supply Chain Manager at Duncan Family Farms, based in Arizona. In this inaugural episode of Voices of the Valley, Dennis and Duncan discuss how to adapt technology to different growing regions around the nation. They also discuss what Duncan Family Farms looks for in new technologies and provide tips on how agtech startups can start partnerships with farms of all sizes.