From the Apps for Ag website:

Apps for Ag is a series of agriculture focused hackathons. Our purpose is to bring together the seemingly disparate worlds of software development and commercial farming into a collaborative event.

Our mission is to develop useful technology to address the needs of today’s grower, and to seed new enterprises in the AgTech and FoodTech sectors which will create new jobs.

The series will travel throughout the agricultural production areas of California and beyond. We welcome developers with diverse backgrounds, levels of experience and specialties to our events.

Our next event (July 15-17 at UC Davis) is going to be hosted by University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR), with the final round of judging to take place at the California State Fair.

Hackathons are a time tested Silicon Valley tradition. The purpose is not at all to “hack” into computer systems for malicious purposes. Rather, the term is based on the positive connotation of the word “hack”: to write clever software programs that solve an old problem in a new and optimal way.

Hackathons are typically 24-48 hours long and are an endurance challenge of ideation, iteration, collaboration and focus. Participants will put in long hours, some don’t even sleep, as they rush to develop as much of the concept as possible before judging. The event culminates in a judged contest, or “Pitchfest”.

The makeup of the judging panel reflects all of the respective industry stakeholders. It will include experienced growers, software engineers, entrepreneurs and investors. Judges are asked to rate each team on 1.) the impact of the concept, 2.) a compelling story of collaboration and 3.) the technical merit of the concept. Participating growers benefit by giving voice to their needs during the “Industry Panel” that kicks off each event.

The growers and industry representatives who participate may very well realize a purpose-built software application to address their stated challenge. They also get to observe what software development looks like, to see how challenging it can be, to learn a new vocabulary, to try something different and to discover many commonalities with another industry. Developers benefit by showing off their skills, networking within their industry, obtaining domain expertise in a new industry, learning about the technology that already exists in agriculture and, ideally, making a productive impact on the nation’s food chain.

Link to more information

Secretary Ross at the Financial Innovations Lab at the Milken Innovation Center in Israel. State Board of Food and Agriculture president Craig McNamara is at the far left.

Secretary Ross traveled through Israel this week with a California delegation interested in adaptation strategies for climate change and drought

Yesterday, as our travels through Israel neared their conclusion, our delegation participated in the Financial Innovations Lab of the California-Israel Global Innovation Partnership, sponsored by the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies Milken Innovation Center.  The topic of the day was accelerating the growth of agricultural technology in Israel and California, a focus resulting from the 2014 M.O.U signed by Governor Brown and Prime Minister Netanyahu.

Given our week of travels learning about Israel’s water solutions, the subjects of technology, increased efficiency, and recycled water utilization were all top of mind for us Californians!  But the discussion was much broader – identifying the conditions, barriers and opportunities facing agricultural producers, and the range of technologies that could be deployed to ensure global food security in the face of climate change.  Meeting future global demand will require investments in a combination of yield improvements, resource optimization and loss reduction.

A discussion about the barriers to Ag tech financing really focused on the issue that Ag tech doesn’t generate the rate of return compared to other elements of the tech industry, and the discussion touched on the need for patience due to the seasonality of production agriculture.

In addition to talking about the need for investment to stimulate accelerated and wide-spread adoption of Ag technologies, there was a spirited discussion about infrastructure: the importance of objective third-party-generated data and demonstration projects; the value of publicly funded research; new opportunities for public-private-philanthropic partnerships; the critical role of getting government policies right; and the proven success of offering incentives to accelerate the adoption-curve of new technologies.

Over and over again, we stressed how important it is to clearly understand problems from the growers’ point of view and develop technology solutions in concert with growers to shorten the cycle for commercialization. Too often in recent years, technologies have been presented that are disconnected from the realities in the field and time is lost to screening the sheer number of new technologies being offered. This is where the value of incubators and the example of the Western Growers Innovation Center were offered as solutions.

It was a stimulating discussion, and I look forward to a report on the session and draft recommendations. Following all that, our final afternoon in Israel ended with a tour of Old City Jerusalem before our 9 p.m departure for Ben Gurion Airport.

Secretary Ross with members of the delegation for the California Climate-Smart Agriculture Policy Mission

An experimental vineyard in the Negev Desert

Secretary Ross is traveling through Israel this week with a California delegation interested in adaptation strategies for climate change and drought

Yesterday we visited the Ben Gurion University Desert Research Institute. Ben Gurion was Israel’s first prime minister. He believed in the potential of the Negev Desert and said, “If the state does not liquidate the desert, the desert may liquidate the state.” (He is buried here overlooking a vast desert valley.) The Desert Research Institute was established specifically to address dry land issues and how to make the desert suitable for humans to live in. The Negev represents 60 percent of Israel’s land mass and contains 8 percent of its population.

The delegation discusses water and climate change on the bus to the Negev Desert

The California Department of Food and Agriculture and the Ministry of Economic Affairs in the Netherlands will co-host a joint webinar on Climate Smart Agriculture on July 7, 2016. The webinar will feature discussions and presentations addressing salinity in specialty crops within California’s Central Valley and along coastal areas.

“Climate Change is furthering collaboration around the globe among farmers and researchers to address strategies for improving agricultural production and sustainability,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. “The Netherlands is a good example for practices and approaches on climate smart agriculture that can be beneficial to California.”

The webinar will be held on July 7th from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. in California and individuals can register for free at – https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/climatesmartag/ The webinar can also be viewed live at the California Department of Food and Agriculture, 1220 N Street – Main Auditorium, on the day on the event.

Saline agriculture, the ability to produce crops with brackish water and in high salinity soils, could potentially be of interest to California farmers who encounter these growing conditions.  This webinar will feature an overview by Arjen de Vos of Salt Farm Texel, a producer of saline agriculture in the Netherlands, as well as perspective from California State Board of Food and Agriculture member Don Cameron, of Terranova Ranch, a diversified farming operation in the Central Valley. Researchers from Wageningen UR and University of California will also provide perspective.

The Climate Smart Agriculture webinar is the first in a series of online discussions on Climate Smart Agriculture to be hosted in the coming months in collaboration with the University of California’s World Food Center.

California State Board of Food and Agriculture president Craig McNamara (far right) in New Yavne, Hamerkaz, Israel.

Secretary Ross is traveling through Israel this week with a California delegation interested in adaptation strategies for climate change and drought

Yesterday we started with an excellent overview of agriculture in Israel presented by Oren Shaked, a senior agricultural specialist with the U.S. Embassy. Oren described water in ag like a bike ride, “you can never stop pedaling!” They continually look at how they can do more with every drop they get. He noted the Field Advisory Service of Israel plays a vital role in the adoption of ag technology.

The list of challenges facing farmers here was almost identical to a list for California with the exception of BDS (boycott divestment sanctions). We heard about real world effects of BDS later in the day from a young farmer who has suffered loss of markets in the EU.

Our meeting with Mekorot, Israel’s National Water Company, was fascinating and could have easily lasted a half day! The Israel Water Commission makes the decisions on all water allocations and pricing. Waste water is a resource and water for ag is priced by type of treatment. Mekorot is the engineering and knowledge mechanism for its delivery. Mekorot’s 30 years of experience in seawater and brackish water treatment has improved energy efficiency, reduced consumption of chemical products, and minimized water loss (to leakage and evaporation). Mekorot prides itself on being a world leader in water technology that has turned an arid desert into a “flowering garden,’ and seawater into drinking water.

The Volcani Institute, the research arm of the Ministry of Agriculture, has 200 scientists, 800 support staff and 300 students working on a broad agenda with a focus on arid-zone agriculture in a changing climate. We heard about their special wheat breeding program to develop varieties to cope with climate change; efforts to combat the impact of rainfall on soil erosion and run-off; lysimeters used to study plant nitrate uptake and deep percolation for different water qualities and crops; the use of plant sensors to measure water flow in citrus trees as well as stem growth and contraction; thermal imaging and drones to detect real time irrigation needs; automatic traps to monitor pests and real time changes in their behavior; and, new technology that enables simultaneous temperature and humidity control in greenhouses for optimal yield production.

A greenhouse in Israel

Our last stop of the day was at Hishtil Ashkelon, a family business started in 1974 to provide premium plants to produce growers in hot climates. The company is GLOBALG.A.P.– certified and adheres to strict protocols for uniform, reliable plants. Its grafted plants are suited for mechanical planting.

The evening ended with sunset on the Mediterranean and a fun dinner in old-town Jaffa. I am traveling in great company!

The California Climate-Smart Agriculture Policy Mission is funded in part by the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program

Tel Aviv

Greetings from  Tel Aviv! This was the first modern city built in Israel. The city itself has a population of about 200,000 but the entire metropolitan area is home to 3.5 million of the country’s 8.2 million inhabitants.

Agriculture in Israel

Israel is regarded as perhaps the most climate-smart agricultural region in the world. It has to be, with annual rainfall of about 17 inches (source: World Bank). By comparison, portions of the Sierra Nevada, the source of much of California’s water, can receive more than four times that amount.

However, the drought and the prospect of climate change has us challenging our long-held assumptions. That’s why I am pleased to be leading a delegation to Israel (June 17-25) to learn more about the country’s climate smart strategies, especially irrigation technologies and extensive use of recycled water.

Our travels will include a tour of a water management facility in Jerusalem, a visit to a nursery just north of Gaza, and a trip to Netafim, an Israeli Ag technology company in the Negev Desert that also does business in California.

The delegation furthers a relationship between California in Israel that was cemented in 2014, when Governor Brown and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed a memorandum of understanding to develop joint projects and conduct mutually beneficial research.

Israel innovates with technology, efficient irrigation, recycled water, and plant breeding for drought conditions and salinity.  And it all works – the country is able to produce the most of the food it requires to feed its citizens, yet its per-capita water use is only one-third of California’s. Eighty-five percent of the country’s wastewater is recycled for agricultural use, compared to just 9.5 percent in California.

We’ll be providing updates during our trip. I hope you’ll follow along. I see this as just the beginning of a more extensive and fruitful Climate Smart Ag relationship between Israel and California.

The California Climate Smart Delegation to Israel

-Jason Sharett, California Strawberry Commission

-Robert “Bob” Curtis, Almond Board of California

-Don Cameron, Terranova Ranch, Helm, CA; member, California State Board of Food and Agriculture

-Craig McNamara, Sierra Orchards, Winters, CA; president, California State Board of Food and Agriculture

-Sean McNamara, Sierra Orchards, Winters, CA

-Hank Giclas, Sr. , Western Growers Association

-Timothy A. Jacobsen, Center for Irrigation Technology, CSU Fresno

-Khaled M. Bali, Ph.D, Irrigation/Water Management Advisor, University of California – Cooperative Extension

-Steven Moore, Board Member, State Water Resources Control Board

-Kamyar Guivetchi, P.E, Manager, Statewide Water Planning, California Department of Water Resources

-Brooks D. Ohlson, Director, Sacramento Center for International Trade Development

-Alvar Escriva Bou, Public Policy Institute of California

-Dillon L. Hosier, National Director, Israeli-American Council

-Carlos Suarez, State Conservationist for California, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

-Abby Browning, Governor’s Office of Emergency Services

– Karen Ross, Secretary, CDFA

-Amrith Gunasekara, Ph.D, Science Advisor to Secretary Ross, CDFA

-Josh Eddy, Executive Director of California State Board of Food and Agriculture

The California Climate-Smart Agriculture Policy Mission is funded in part by the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.

CDFA is placing new electronic signs at each of its 16 Border Inspection Stations. This sign is at the Topaz station, along Hwy 395 southeast of Lake Tahoe. Messaging on the signs can be updated and customized to inform the public about Amber Alerts, fires, flooding, traffic conditions, local events, and targeted seasonal pests.

Watch this video from CDFA’s Growing California series about Border Inspection Stations as California’s first line of defense.