Latest News From TECHNOLOGY

Companies with ideas on how to automate planting, harvests and other farming tasks can compete for a minimum of $250,000 through The Radicle Automation Challenge from Western Growers and Radicle Growth.

Driscoll’s has introduced a six-part “miniseries,” called “Pursuit of Flavor” that highlights four berry varieties, the company’s family heritage, and the work behind developing proprietary varieties.

The United Fresh Produce Association is honoring two industry members, one for advancing indoor growing technology and another for marketing/merchandising unique produce products.

Chiquita Brands International is purchasing 2,500 Maersk Container Industry containers for ocean shipping, including 1,000 with special controlled-atmosphere units to preserve banana freshness.

A new smartphone weather app allows growers and other users to set custom weather alerts.

Sweet potato company Southern Produce Distributors has a new packing line that doubles efficiency, with a computerized sizer that ensures consistent shape and weight.

What do you do when an airport gives you green space? Grow vegetables, of course!

Companies with robots that can harvest apples and urban/automated/vertical greens growers that supply local retailers made the Thrive Top 50, an annual list of the world’s best agriculture technology.

Following the lead of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Canadian federal agencies have approved the marketing of the non-browning Arctic Fuji.

This edition of Packer AgDay TV features the U.S. citrus crops, water rights issues and Amazon's new checkout-free store in Seattle.

A company specialized in modified-atmosphere packaging has introduced new equipment for produce.

Genetic editing to produce trees and fruit resistant to citrus greening is one way researchers at the University of Florida plan to use a $10.5 million in grants to fight the disease.

Fifteen startups focusing on agriculture, water, and energy technology will be eligible to pitch their ideas to possible investors through the Fresno State Valley Venture Accelerator.

Retail analyst Bill Bishop expects grocers to go beyond analytics in 2018.

After years of investment, harvest automation is getting closer for the Florida strawberry industry.

Santa Cruz, Calif.-based Simplied Software has released two upgrades to its Broker Advantage and Produce Advantage software packages.

The creators of the Weathermelon app are celebrating six months since launching the app as the subscriber base continues to grow.

Hy-Vee is testing Zest Fresh, a technology designed to calculate and communicate the freshness of produce items as they move through the supply chain.

“Scientific studies have overwhelmingly demonstrated that foods obtained from GE (genetically engineered) crops are as safe and nutritious as foods obtained from conventional crops.”

More produce companies are joining the digital world, buying and selling fruits and vegetables online.

Foodservice and retail supply chain services provider McLane Co. has opened a distribution center in Ohio with a focus on technology.

Canadian retailer Loblaw Cos. Ltd. has signed a multi-year agreement with analytics company Precima.

A 2014 Top Producer of the Year honoree, producer Jay Myers is continuously seeking out new equipment and technology to improve operational efficiency.

Fairbanks Scales Inc. has made upgrades to its FB6000 weighing machine, allowing technicians to calibrate it wirelessly on a mobile device.

The fourth annual Forbes AgTech Summit will return to Salinas, Calif.

Weighpack Systems Inc., Montreal, is introducing an automatic bagging machine designed for vacuum sealing large packs of produce.

Turns out, Amazon’s not so fresh after all. The Seattle-based company notified AmazonFresh customers in select markets that it would no longer serve them, effective Nov. 30.

NEW ORLEANS — Pittsburgh, Pa.-based Inteligistics is commercializing a new service that provides real-time monitoring of remaining shelf life for fresh produce.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has scheduled two public meetings in November on its Agricultural Biotechnology Education and Outreach Initiative.

California Agricutlture Secretary Karen Ross will be among the presenters at the 36th Annual Agribusiness Management Conference.

Carrier Transicold’s newest refrigeration unit is specifically designed for smaller trucks and large cargo vans that transport perishables and frozen food.

NEW ORLEANS — DuPont Pioneer promoted its gene-editing tool CRISPR-Cas9 at Fresh Summit and acknowledged that a key hurdle facing the technology is consumer acceptance.

Giro Pack Inc. has a new box filling machine that automates the last step in the packing process, filling boxes with net bags.

McAllen, Texas-based Fox Solutions has added a “soft fill” capability to its Pouch Bagger machine so that it can better handle apples, pears, peaches and plums.

Third-party logistics and supply chain management company C.H. Robinson is adopting the use of Omnitracs Virtual Load View to track loads.

Brambles Ltd., the parent company of CHEP and IFCO, recently published its annual sustainability review.

Gabe Patin, a former seed industry executive, has received the Award of Distinction by the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at the University of California-Davis.

Growers can learn about technology that can aid them in optimizing data to forecast yields and manage their operations better, through Western Growers’ next Tech Talk.

CHEP has been awarded the IGD John Sainsbury Learning and Development Award.

Cincinnati-based Total Quality Logistics recently launched TQL Carrier Dashboard, a web portal and free mobile app for carriers and dispatchers.

Compac is launching its Inspectra2 internal inspection system for fresh produce.

What is the biggest challenge for the produce industry in the next 10 years?

Members of the Ontario Berry Growers Association are the newest users of Croptracker, a traceability software for the agricultural industry.

Worcestershire, England-based Sparc Systems launched in North America through a partnership with Sesotec during the Pack Expo in Las Vegas.

The International Economic Development Council honored the city of Salinas, Calif., with a Gold Excellence in Ecomonic Development award during its annual conference Sept. 19 in Ontario, Canada.

Mother Nature always likes to have her own way but farmers can now have more say over how much water stays in or out of their fields, thanks to the use of controlled drainage technology. The basic concept with controlled drainage is that a water-control structure attached to traditional tile can be used like a dam in farmers’ fields, says Crop-Tech agronomist Isaac Ferrie. When gated with stacked baffles, the structures allow you to release water when you don’t want it in the field, like during planting or harvest, or to hold it back for a crop’s use when rainfall is sc

Handling grain can be a risky business. According to Nationwide, workers compensation claims from grain elevators has doubled in the past seven years. Meantime, far too many workers are trained on outdated VHS tapes. But now – there’s an app for that.

For the past four years, the California Air Resources Board, the Environmental Defense Fund and others have been working behind the scenes to develop protocols that allow farmers to offset carbon emissions.

An American farming story: When Mike Wagner spliced a vertical business approach with ultra-conservation, he created one of the most unique agriculture operations in the United States.