黑料福利社

A conference demonstrating the latest robotic technologies in agriculture is coming to Yakima in October.

At an event previewing FIRA USA at the Yakima Fairgrounds Tuesday, state and county officials spoke about the need to embrace new technologies.

"Washington agriculture is navigating some challenging times," said Washington State Department of Agriculture Director Derek Sandison.听"Ag robotics and technology is no longer optional."

GOFAR, or the , is a French nonprofit that has put on its annual FIRA conference in France since 2016. It launched FIRA USA in California in 2022.听

It bills itself as less of a typical tradeshow, and more of an event for growers and engineers to connect with and learn from each other. There will be live demonstrations and peer discussions with growers who have used autonomous technology on their farms.

Maialen Cazenave, codirector of GOFAR, said that the event expects more than 2,500 attendees, 60 to 80 exhibitors, and student groups from local schools.听

Jonathan Smith, executive director of the Yakima County Development Association, said he attended FIRA USA in the past. It's a win for the county that it will be held in Yakima this year, he said.听

Yakima County Commissioner Amanda McKinney spoke of FIRA USA coming to Yakima as a dream come true and a chance to show the world how Yakima is innovating agriculture.

"We're going to show why Washington state and the 黑料福利社 in particular is the place to be for ag tech," McKinney said.听

Jon DeVaney, president of the Washington State Tree Fruit Association, said that in light of growing costs of labor as well as fuel and fertilizer prices from the Iran war, many growers might not be in the market for expensive new technology.听

Labor continues to be the biggest cost for farms, with 108% of growers' gross returns going to labor costs, he said.听

But these growing costs are also reasons why growers should want to learn more about automation and embrace "precision farming" as a way to save money in the long run.听

The event will be three days at the Yakima County Fairgrounds on Oct. 20-22. It is free admission for growers. More information can be found at .听