by Erik Barton
On Monday February 21st, the AgTechLogic team descended upon the Southwest Ag Summit (SWAG) held in Yuma Arizona, the region’s premier agricultural industry show. The event was overshadowed by clouds and the promise of rain but instead the mornings remained crisp and the afternoons incredibly windy. World renowned experts presented on topics such as weed management, crop protection, energy conservation, and irrigation management. This event provides both continuing education as well as an opportunity to learn what others are doing in the industry and how to work together.
This summit has been held for over six decades and has provided a platform for the agriculture industry to discuss techniques, technology, and strategic action with regards to problems that face the industry. The Southwest area includes farms from Southern California, Arizona, and New Mexico as well as a few from Northern Mexico. Farms in this area grow diverse crops ranging from cotton, lettuce, and alfalfa to cantaloupes, grapes, onions, and fruit trees. All are heavily dependent upon irrigation and require special management; these were major topics of conversation during the summit.
On the first day of the event, AgTechLogic performed a visual demonstration (for the farmers and other attendees) of our IPS (Intelligent Precision Spraying) system. The demonstration was held at Arizona Western College where the tractor drove down rows of mock weeds, the spray tank loaded with water and a biodegradable dye to show efficacy of the sprayer. Our technology performed flawlessly, effectively targeting and spraying 100% of the weeds. A big thank you to our client at Armistead Farms from Mesa, AZ who generously loaned us their orchard sprayer to perform the demonstration.
The second day of SWAG was more interactive with the attendees and other vendors. We received quite a bit of interest at the AgTechLogic booth, talking to many students who were interested in sustainable agtechnology, allowing us to share more about our goals to the newer generations.
In comparison to alternate technologies at the demonstration, AgTechLogic’s IPS system continues to sit in a category of its own in terms of price, performance, and reliability in targeting weeds. Weeds are a considerable nuisance for areas such as this that are heavily dependent on irrigation from water that this region is lacking. The SWAG event was a great opportunity for AgTechLogic to continue our mission of outreach and education to the agricultural regions near our headquarters. Sharing the successes of our groundbreaking technology always brings a smile to our faces as we make tracks towards a healthier more sustainable planet through clean agriculture.