World Ag Expo virtual seminars connect Fresno State to the world

(Feb. 1, 2021) -- Fresno State faculty, staff and students will partner with industry to host more than 30 virtual presentations Tuesday to Thursday, Feb. 9 to 11, at the 53rd annual World Ag Expo.

The campus Institute for Food and Agriculture has coordinated 22 seminars that cover a wide range of current agricultural trends and topics related to business, data, economics, education, employee soft skills, food insecurity, labor, production, restaurants, sovereign cultures, sustainability, technology and trade.

The California Water Institute will host six sessions in its ‘boot camp’ series that give an overview of natural hydrology, irrigation, water resource management and related topics.

The Center for Irrigation Technology will also showcase three seminars related to innovative irrigation products and practices. Its annual ag technology demonstration event, scheduled for 7:45 a.m. to noon on Friday, Feb. 12, will also be available through the World Ag Expo seminar listing.  

The Viticulture and Research Center will air its 2020 Grape Day event that featured presentations on innovative grape & wine management practices by faculty, students & area researchers.

More information on each presentation (and links to the actual seminar) are included in the schedule below (and most presentations are scheduled to remain active through Feb. 28).

In normal years, the world’s largest agricultural exposition welcomes more than 100,000 visitors to Tulare from around the world and nearly all 50 states to see the latest in farm equipment and technology. This year, the world’s largest agricultural exposition is entirely virtual and will still host over 100 seminars and a wide range of industry exhibitors and special events.

Fresno State World Ag Expo Virtual Seminars

Tuesday - Thursday, Feb. 9-11, 2021

Complete Seminar List: https://www.worldagexpo.com/attendees/seminars

Tuesday, Feb. 9

10 a.m. - 11 a.m. - Pathway to B-Corporation Sustainability Certification. B-Corp certified companies have been evaluated for considering the impact of their decision on their workers, customers, suppliers, community, and the environment. During this presentation, you will hear from a farming enterprise that is going through the process of obtaining B-Corp certification. You will learn why they are pursuing this, what the process has been like, and how the California Water Institute helped them with the development of an Environmental Management System as part of this process. (CWI / IFA)

 

11 a.m. - Noon - The Economy and Agriculture are Recovering. Is the Rebound Sustainable?  Daniel Kowalski, vice president and chief economist with CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange Division, will share insights on how the U.S. and global economies affect rural America as well as recent research findings on agriculture and related infrastructure industries. (IFA)

 

Noon - 12:15 p.m. - California Fruit Industry: Challenges and Policy Implications. Dr. Serhat Asci, Fresno State agricultural business faculty, will provide a quick look at the California fruit industry, emerging challenges, and current policy implications. (IFA)

 

12:15 p.m. - 12:30 p.m. - U.S.-China Trade War: Impact on Agriculture. Dr. Stephen Devadoss will speak to the current trade situation with China as well as what we might expect in the future. He currently serves as the Emabeth Thompson Endowed Professor in the Department of Agriculture and Applied Economics at Texas Tech University. (IFA)

 

12:30 p.m. - 1 p.m. Cultivate Your Pathway: ACRS21 Introduction (Part 1). Campus students, staff and faculty will introduce the new Agriculture Career Readiness Skills for the 21st Century pathway certificate program for high school, community college, and university students. Developed at Fresno State, ACRS21 is a soft skills certificate pathway program that brings together industry professionals, agricultural educators, and the community to prepare successful students to become future industry leaders through real-world experiences, soft skills development and career readiness for the 21st century. (IFA)

 

1 - 1:15 p.m. "Excuse me, could you please put on your mask?": An investigation into the influence of face covering regulations on restaurant customer attitudes and behaviors". Dr. Jamie Levitt, Fresno State food science and nutrition faculty, discusses the potential hesitancy by restaurant employees and customers to wear masks. This represents a challenge to an industry which needs to maximize the safety of their employees and customers while remaining economically viable. Yet, to date there is a dearth of research assessing restaurant customer attitudes and behaviors, and this study attempts to address this gap by testing a conceptual model grounded in reactance theory. (IFA)

 

1:15 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. Nocking Point Wines - Turning a hobby into a business into a passion. Nocking Point Wines has quickly become one of the largest direct-to-consumer wineries in the country. Company co-founder Andrew Harding has done it by leveraging technology, celebrity, social media, digital content, and delivering on their promise of producing ultra-premium wines. Their innovative and inclusive approach to the typically overly-sophisticated wine space has led them to produce wines alongside many household names, brands, teams, and organizations and has allowed them to make a giant impact by raising and donating over $2 million to date to people and causes in times of need. (IFA)

 

2:15 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. State of the Pistachio Industry. Mr. Richard Matoian, executive director for American Pistachio Growers, gives an "office chat" highlighting the 2020-2021 state of the pistachio industry. The non-profit trade association strives to increase global awareness of nutritious, American-grown pistachios, which are a "complete protein". (IFA)

 

2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Fresno State Grape Day. Campus viticulture and enology faculty, staff, students and industry partners present on innovative research and applied grape & wine management practices. Topics include: calcium sulfate amendment treatments in vineyard soil reclamation; novelty & resistant table grape breeding; deficit irrigation & mechanical leading effects on Cabernet Sauvignon grape yield & composition;  polysaccharide use in wine production; biopotential sensory stimulation demonstration to evoke wine aromas.

 

Wednesday, Feb. 10

9:30 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. Water Bootcamp Session #1: Hydrology. California Water Institute Interim Director Cordie Qualle and Programs Manager Laura Ramos give a statewide water science overview, including headwaters, watershed, aquifers and basins information. (CWI)

 

10:15 a.m. - 11 a.m. Water Bootcamp Session #2: Where Does My Water Come From? California Water Institute Interim Director Cordie Qualle and Programs Manager Laura Ramos cover California water conveyance (rivers, canals, and aqueducts) and how the Sacramento Delta affects water in the San Joaquin Valley. (CWI)

 

11 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. Water Bootcamp #3: Surface Water Rights. Dr. Thomas Holyoke, Fresno State political science professor, gives an introduction to the history of state surface water, riparian and appropriative rights. (CWI)

 

11:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Unlocking the Potential of Big Data in Agriculture. What is Artificial Intelligence and how is it applicable to Agriculture? Nishan Majarian, CEO of Agrian by Telus, shares his perspectives on the origins and future of big data applications in agriculture. (IFA)

 

12:00 p.m. – 12:55 p.m. Innovations in Agriculture, Part 1 of 3: Navigating the State of the Irrigation Industry. Aric Olson, president of Jain Irrigation, covers topics how new technology and irrigation practices can be utilized with permanent crops. (CIT / WET Center)

 

12:30 p.m. - 12:45 p.m. DASH: The Next Generation of Digital Solution Center for Agriculture in Higher Education. Max Tsai, Fresno State innovation architect and coordinator of digital transformation, introduces the campus DASH artificial intelligence application that matches food and ag industry research needs with faculty and student expertise and interests. DASH stands for Digital Agriculture Solutions Hub, and is being developed as a campus-wide hub within the Department of Computer Science and piloted with the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology. (IFA)

 

12:45 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. Fresno State: now a member of the United Nations Global Impact. Last November, Fresno State became the first university in the CSU and UC systems to receive this designation. In this session, Dr. Julie Olson-Buchanan, interim dean of the Craig School of Business, will outline the UN Global Compact and UN sustainability development goals, and then focus specifically on the goals related to food security. (IFA)

 

1:00 p.m. – 1:55 p.m. Innovations in Agriculture, Part 2 of 3. Sustainability of Irrigated Agriculture in the Central Valley of California. Dr. Isaya Kisekka, University of California Davis associate professor, uses several case studies to discuss new management practices and technologies necessary to manage the area's long-term sustainability that affects growers, coalitions, regulators and other stakeholders including environmental justice groups. (CIT / Irrigation Association)

 

1:15 p.m. - 1:45 p.m. Helping Feed Those Who Feed Us. Fresno State Plant Science Club leaders Tyler Armbrister, Alejandra Valdez and Desiree Madrigal tell the story of how students have transformed a campus farm plot and inspired the help of other student organizations to make a difference in the community. (IFA)

 

1:45 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. Food Security/Insecurity in Central California. Despite being the nation’s agricultural leader, food insecurity is very real in Fresno County. Kym Dildine and Natalie Caples, co-CEOs of the Central California Food Bank will share insights and data to describe the needs and solutions being pursued in California’s Central Valley. (IFA)

 

2:00 p.m. – 2:55 p.m. Innovations in Agriculture, Part 3 of 3: How Irrigation Automation & Telemetry Help Save Water. Darryl Hadlich, marketing and customer experience specialist at Wiseconn Engineering Inc., demonstrates potential water savings in almond orchards by using automated soil moisture sensor equipment. (CIT / Irrigation Association)

 

2:15 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. Food Sovereignty Initiatives with Tribal and Indigenous Peoples. Dr. Nancy Van Leuven,  Fresno State media, communications and journalism assistant professor, will present her research findings addressing food sovereignty initiatives specific to Tribal and Indigenous Peoples. She offers critical insights into the current situation and suggestions for improvements.  (IFA)

 

2:45 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. Sustainable Engineering for Resilient Food Security. Dr. Fariborz Tehrani, Fresno State Lyles College of Engineering associate professor, and Dr. Maryam Zamani-Alaei, visiting scholar at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, will share perspectives on domestic and international solutions to promote food security. (IFA)

 

3:15 p.m. - 4 p.m. Providing The Food Experience in 2020. Gain insights into the 2020 food experience from the perspectives of experts involved in food retail, marketing and public relations. Fresno State alumnus Vincent Ricchiuti leads two of his family's businesses: ENZO Olive and ENZO's Table. Wayne Doleski is an experienced marketer and entrepreneur with his firm, Black Bee Marketing. Alison Seibert, also an entrepreneur, started The James Collective, a public relations firm catering to small- and medium-sized food and wellness businesses. (IFA)

 

4 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Workshop: Cultivating Your Pathway with Soft Skills (Part 2). Agriculture Career Readiness Skills for the 21st Century pathway certificate program (ACRS 21) is a certificate pathway that brings together industry professionals, agriculture educators, and the community to boldly prepare successful students to become future industry leaders through real-world experiences, soft skills development, and career readiness for the 21st century. This session is specifically designed for high school, community college, and university students looking for ways to boost their employability skills and enhance internship and career opportunities. (IFA)

 

 

Thursday, Feb. 11

9:30 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. Water Bootcamp #4: Groundwater. California Water Institute Interim Director Cordie Qualle and Programs Manager Laura Ramos discuss state groundwater topics, including contamination, new legislation, recharge and subsidence. (CWI)

 

10:15 a.m. - 11 a.m. Water Bootcamp #5: CV-SALTS. Karl Longley, former chair of the regional water quality control board, introduces the Central Valley Salinity Alternatives for Long-Term Sustainability (CV-SALTS) program that addresses long-term build-up of salts and nitrates in the Central Valley. (CWI)

 

11:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. Water Bootcamp #6: Blueprint for Water in the San Joaquin Valley. California Water Institute Interim Director Cordie Qualle and Programs Manager Laura Ramos introduce the area’s water infrastructure blueprint and future water need strategies. (CWI)

 

11:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Artificial Intelligence and Big Data in Agribusiness. Dr. Jiaochen (Jason) Liang, Fresno State agricultural business faculty, outlines the applications and potential for big data and artificial intelligence within the agribusiness sector. (IFA)

 

12:30 p.m. - 12:45 p.m. DASH: The Next Generation of Digital Solution Center for Agriculture in Higher Education. Max Tsai, Fresno State innovation architect and coordinator of digital transformation, introduces the campus DASH artificial intelligence application that matches food and ag industry research needs with faculty and student expertise and interests. DASH stands for Digital Agriculture Solutions Hub, and is being developed as a campus-wide hub within the Department of Computer Science and piloted with the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology. (IFA)

 

12:45 p.m. - 1 p.m. Nut Orchard Post-harvest Pest Management. Dr. Jacob Wenger, Fresno State plant science entomology faculty, shares highlights of his research investigating the use of silica-based alternatives to phosphene for the management of postharvest insect pests of almonds and pistachios. (IFA)

 

1 - 1:15 p.m. Animal Science Sustainability: Consumer Ideals in Broiler Chicken Markets. Dr. Katy Tarrant, Fresno State poultry science faculty, shares research on animal health and welfare and her vision for broiler chicken production. (IFA)

 

1:15 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. Dairy Sustainability and Technology Innovations. Dr. Kyle Thompson, Fresno State dairy science faculty, shares new technologies being adopted in dairy operations and how they contribute to overall dairy sustainability. (IFA)

 

Friday, Feb. 12

7:45 a.m. - Noon Ag Technology Demonstration Day. Sessions will cover innovative technology demonstrations by AgMonitor, Jain Irrigation, and Wiseconn on the University Agricultural Laboratory; the Advanced Pumping Efficiency Program, and staff and industry expert presentations related to nitrogen management, the sustainable groundwater management act, and area soil salt topics. (CIT)