BOISE—Gov. Butch Otter has announced a first-ever AgriTech summit, where leaders of Idaho’s agricultural and technology sectors will explore ways to work together to innovate and create jobs.
The Governor’s AgriTech Summit will take place June 16 from 1-4 p.m. at the Boise Center in downtown Boise.
The event is the initial step in Idaho Department of Commerce Director Jeff Sayer’s vision to make Idaho a Silicon Valley of agricultural technology by bringing the two leading sectors of the state’s economy together.
Sayer said Idaho is already a leader in the ag tech marketplace but he believes the state has a chance to take that position to the next level.
The venture capital market is starting to pour billions of dollars into agricultural technology and it’s important for Idaho to position itself so it can capitalize on that investment, he said.
“This summit is an opportunity for Idaho to initiate the conversation around the state on how we can solidify a leadership position in the ag technology marketplace,” he said.
The summit will allow the state’s technology sector to learn what agriculture’s challenges are and for the technology sector to educate agriculture about its capabilities to solve those challenges, Otter said.
“By bringing the two sides together, it’s going to answer some questions the ag sector has never thought of and it’s going to raise some questions the technology sector has never thought to ask the ag sector,” Otter said. “I think it’s a huge opportunity.”
Chanel Tewalt, assistant to the Idaho State Department of Agriculture director, said many summit attendees may not even know what the other side does or is capable of.
“We want to start the conversation and get them talking to each other,” said Tewalt, who is helping organize the event. “We want to see if there’s an opportunity for the two sides to work together.”
ISDA Director Celia Gould will moderate a panel discussion on agriculture that will address topics such as unmanned aerial systems, genetic engineering and on-farm production technology.
A technology panel discussion will address data collection and analysis, mobile technology, sensors and storage technology.
Donn Thill, associate dean of research for University of Idaho’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, will be part of a research panel discussion about bio-sciences, computer sciences and engineering.
“This is the first time I’ve ever been involved in this kind of endeavor and I’m pretty excited about it,” he said.
Cost to attend the summit is $30 before June 9 and $35 after that date, including on-site registration.
People can register online at https://www.accessidaho.org/ai/payport/online/ag/index.html
For more information about the summit, contact Tewalt at chanel.tewalt@agri.idaho.gov or Kallen Hayes at kallen.hayes@commerce.idaho.gov
Source: www.capitalpress.com