The Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology
2025 Fresno State / World Ag Expo Schedule
Dates: February 11-13, 2024
Address: 4500 S Laspina St # 214, Tulare, CA 93274
Official Website: www.WorldAgExpo.com
Tuesday, February 11
9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Information Booth
Students, alumni, community and industry members can learn more about exciting Fresno
State, Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences Technology, 1,000-acre campus farm
and research programs from Ag Ambassador students, faculty, and staff. (Ag Careers
& Education Pavilion Booth 7002-03)
PRESENTATIONS (Seminar Trailer 1, near Gate 16, southeast entrance)
10-10:55 a.m.
Innovating Agriculture: Insights from Ag Tech Startup Founders
Join Fresno State Water, Energy and Technology Center staff for a dynamic panel discussion featuring visionary founders from leading ag tech startups. Discover first-hand how these innovators are revolutionizing agriculture with groundbreaking technologies. Gain insights into their entrepreneurial journey, challenges faced, and the future landscape of ag tech. Whether you're a seasoned industry professional or an aspiring entrepreneur, this session promises to inspire and educate on the forefront of agricultural innovation.
11-11:25 a.m.
Consumption of Fresh Produce and its Correlation to Food Insecurity in the Central
Valley
Agricultural business student Mallory Sutherland will present her honors research investigating fresh fruit and vegetable consumption patterns in California's Central Valley, with a focus on the impact of a Comprehensive Nutrition Intervention Program (CNIP). Using survey data from Fresno State students and secondary data from agencies like USDA-ERS and CalFresh, the research aims to identify factors limiting fresh produce consumption. The project hypothesis suggests that increasing fresh produce intake can reduce food insecurity and associated healthcare costs.
11:30-11:55 a.m.
Food Is Art - Celebrating the Underserved Farmer
Teresa Gipson (campus USDA Southwest Regional Business Center staff) and Eric Hadden (WET Center Director) discuss the new program hoping to destigmatize the roles and objectives associated with farming, the farmer, and the agricultural industry. The Food Is Art program illuminates and celebrates the creative administration of advocacy within inclusion and a national clarification on the struggle to keep America fed.
12-12:25 p.m.
A review of the application of artificial intelligence in dairy production
Campus post-doctoral researcher Dr. Paulina Freire Vásconez will discuss her work with dairy product processing and developments in machine learning, sensory analysis, and rapid detection methods (for functional properties analysis). She received her Ph.D. from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain in the area of food science. Her Master's of Engineering Degree from the Tecnologico de Monterrey focused on specialization in quality and productivity systems, and she received her undergraduate biotechnology engineering degree from the Universidad de las Fuerzas Armadas.
12:30-12:55 p.m.
Predicting the Functional Properties of Cheese
Food science and nutrition student Kaylin Prayitno will present her honors research studying cheese meltability and how it affects food product quality. She will discuss the application of an innovative near-infrared (NIR) sensor designed to provide an objective, instantaneous, and reproducible measure of mozzarella cheese meltability. Unlike traditional methods, this approach generates large datasets, presenting opportunities for advanced analysis using machine learning. This method hopes to improve on existing methods for assessing cheese meltability are time-consuming, and the lack of a standardized approach limits consistency, comparability, and practical applications.
1-1:25 p.m.
Agricultural Advancement Program
Program staff Juan Rodriguez (director) and Juan Gonzales (assistant director) will discuss the new program that assists underserved and military veteran farmers, ranchers, and foresters by providing: 1) one-on-one technical assistance, 2) access to educational workshops, 3) dissemination of applicable information, 4) connections to industry professionals, and 5) assistance with an agriculturally-related issue, specific to that individual. A focus of the program is to facilitate ease-of-access to United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) grants, loans, initiatives and programs. Additionally, the program seeks to collaborate with local organizations, agencies, coalitions, and nonprofits to promote business growth and market opportunities.
1:30 - 1:55 p.m.
NaCl (Sodium Chloride) - The role in modern fermentation management.
Dr. Stylianos Logothetis, director of the campus Viticulture and Research Center, will present on 20 years of research on osmotic stress and its role in yeast physiology and fermentability. Dr. Logothetis is a respected member of the OIV (Organization International du Vin), EFB (European Federation of Biotechnology, SMS (Scottish Microbiology Society), and has actively participated in several programs for the European Union. He has close to 30 publications and was the responsible researcher for over 50 research projects, which balance out his experience as a enologist, winemaker, researcher, lecturer, wine connoisseur, and wine journalist.
2-2:25 p.m.
Impacts and Insights - First Three Years of the Pacific Coast Coalition - Dairy Business
Innovation Initiative
The Pacific Coast Coalition - Dairy Business Innovation Initiative stewards over $26 million investment in dairy processing business, technical assistance, internships, higher education pilot plants, and training throughout the states of California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada. Presenters Dr. Susan Pheasant, Dr. Carmen Licon and Grace Cota will share milestone achievements and impact stories generated during the first three years of this project funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service.
Wednesday, February 12
9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Information Booth
Students, alumni, community and industry members can learn more about exciting Fresno
State, Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences Technology, 1,000-acre campus farm
and research programs from Ag Ambassador students, faculty, and staff. (Ag Careers
& Education Pavilion Booth 7002-03)
Thursday, February 13
9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Information Booth
Students, alumni, community and industry members can learn more about exciting Fresno
State, Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences Technology, 1,000-acre campus farm
and research programs from Ag Ambassador students, faculty, and staff. (Ag Careers
& Education Pavilion Booth 7002-03)