Why Salinas? Food Geeks Travel Aug. 25th

“Fish where the fish are. There are some really big fish in the Salinas Valley that control the fresh produce industry,” claimed Dennis Donohue, former Salinas mayor at our Soil to Fork conference last month. Certainly, Salinas Valley big ag players played no small hand in the 4.3 billion dollar annual crop report released for Monterey County last year. But what does it take for the fast-paced innovation of Silicon Valley to connect with the largescale more conservative farming regimes of Salinas Valley?

We are meeting with Salinas farmers to understand data and tech development needs within organic and conventional agricultural production, processing, and distribution. Although the 28th largest crop report in the country is at our doorstep, Dennis Donohue states, we need logistics, updated technology, and improved communication. IT innovation can help Salinas Valley become a model for tech- supported, productive, and environmentally viable agriculture.

Monday August 25th we are leading a “Food Geeks Travel: Salinas Valley” day-trip bus tour from the Bay Area to the Salinas Valley. We will visit four premier and limited access farming operations including Taylor Farms, The Nunes Company (Foxy Fresh Produce), and Driscoll’s. Our tour will include transportation, lunch at a local winery or farm, and a wrap-up discussion over drinks. We expect to leave the Bay Area between 8-9a and return between 7-8p.