F3 Innovate Wants to Develop The Agrifood Technology Workforce

This is Tim Hammerich of the Ag Information Network with your Farm of the Future Report.

About half of the country’s fresh fruit, vegetables and nuts are produced in California’s Central Valley. And in recent years, F3 Innovate has emerged as the nation’s hub for climate-smart agrifood technology and engineering in the region. F3 Innovate supports industry-university research partnerships to commercialize agrifood technologies and develop the workforce. Fresno State College of Agriculture Rolston St. Hilaire spoke at FIRA USA about some of the work being done.

St. Hilaire… “Just to give you a few things that are happening, for example, in a viticulture and enology program, we do have autonomous tractors that we can use to automate some of our practices. In the classroom and in the research centers, we do have some research at the cutting edge. We do have what's called a JARC which is the Jordan Agricultural Research Center where three colleges: College of Science and Math, the College of Ag, and also the College of Engineering, get together to solve thorny problems all related to agriculture. And F3, alongside with our university partners, alongside with our faculty, and alongside with what our industry partners are doing, brings together all the technologies that emerge on our particular farm.”

That’s Fresno State College of Agriculture Dean Rolston St. Hilaire speaking at FIRA USA. Learn more about F3 Innovate at f3innovate.org.