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Picking strawberries – which is still done by hand – is a physically taxing occupation, which can lead to ailments throughout the body. This is about helping society, and Cal Poly is uniquely positioned to move automation forward.” Improving the Industry “This is not just about labor shortages or business efficiencies. “We are embracing automation at Cal Poly because we know that it will enhance human welfare,” said Andrew Thulin, dean of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences. Students also shared their involvement in advancing automation to improve facets of the industry. Cal Poly professors from the BioResource and Agricultural Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering and Agribusiness departments all shared their research findings from collaboration with the Cal Poly Strawberry Center. Industry representatives such as Dave Murray, vice president of Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce, and Michael Christensen, director of Americas forecasting at Driscoll’s, shared the stage at the Strawberry Automation Summit with an emerging group of Cal Poly scholars focusing on strawberry production automation. The goal of the event was twofold: to inform strawberry growers of the available technological tools, and to stimulate synergies amongst developers and to help the synergies keep moving forward, Lin said.
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More than $30 million in research and development was presented by some of the leading experts in strawberry production automation. More than 160 people attended, including members of the industry, students, faculty and automation experts from other industries. The California Strawberry Commission, which represents more than 400 strawberry growers, shippers and processors in the state, hosted the Strawberry Automation Summit in partnership with Cal Poly in January – making it the first commodityfocused ag tech event of its kind. “The commission’s partnership with Cal Poly to create the Strawberry Center demonstrates our ongoing commitment to innovation.” “Strawberry farmers have a long history of investing in research, innovation, and sustainable farming practices,” said Rick Tomlinson, president of the California Strawberry Commission. Lin said the trifecta of minimum wage and overtime changes and immigration pressures led the California strawberry industry to make investing in automation a priority in 2017. This is about helping society, and Cal Poly is uniquely positioned to move automation forward.
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This is not just about labor shortages or business efficiencies. We are embracing automation at Cal Poly because we know that it will enhance human welfare. “Automation in agriculture has become a pivotal focus in the last three years, specifically for strawberries and other specialty crops that produce highly perishable or delicate fruits,” said John Lin, production automation manager for the California Strawberry Commission, which is housed at Cal Poly’s Strawberry Center. The Cal Poly Strawberry Center, which operates in close partnership with the California Strawberry Commission, is leading the way in advancing agricultural automation. Computer technology, data processing and human ingenuity will soon replace and improve certain aspects of human labor with machines. Technology is revolutionizing farming, with automation playing a crucial role in meeting the demands of feeding a growing population.