Strawberry Automation Summit Held at Cal Poly
Cal Poly hosted the Strawberry Automation Summit on Jan. 11 at the Performing Arts Center. The all-day conference, put on by the California Strawberry Commission, attended by more than 169 strawberry growers, processors and shippers representing 80 percent of California’s strawberry industry, showcased the latest advances in production automation, highlighting on-farm robotics and integration of digital technologies in strawberry production agriculture. Twenty-five production automation experts including researchers, entrepreneurs, and private companies shared diverse perspectives on successes, challenges and opportunities on the horizon in robotics and production horticulture.
Cal Poly Professor Peter Livingston, head of the BioResource and Agricultural Engineering Department, Computer Science Professor David Janzen, Electrical Engineering Professor Jane Zhang, and Agribusiness Professor Timothy Delbridge were among the presenters. In addition, junior Jack Wells, senior Jack Stobaugh and senior Luke Rossi, all majoring in bioresource and agricultural engineering, presented on their ongoing projects with the Strawberry Center.
“Hosting this prestigious event at Cal Poly was a great opportunity for us,” said Gerald Holmes. “Automation in strawberries is getting a lot of traction and Cal Poly and the Strawberry Center will play an important role in its development.”
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