Michael Newland believes his organization was a perfect fit for the 2024 Organic Grower Summit.

Newland leads agricultural business development for the Propane Education and Research Council. The group promotes the use of propane, a natural gas that has been thrust into national debates over climate change.

Newland maintains that propane is suitable for all types of farming operations, but it’s a handy alternative for organic growers who use thermal energy for flame weeding, often before planting, he said.

“There’s not a cleaner burning fuel in the U.S. than propane,” Newland said at OGS, where PERC was one of about 50 exhibitors showcasing everything from artificial intelligence and robotics to eco-friendly farming practices. Presented by Farm Progress and Western Growers, the summit was held Dec. 4-5 in Monterey, Calif.

To bolster his point about clean energy, Newland was accompanied by Steve Fennemore, a University of California Cooperative Extension specialist who has shepherded research into using steam as an alternative to chemical herbicides to control weeds in strawberries, vegetables and flowers.

Fennemore and PERC representatives were touting a new propane-powered soil steamer that is now available at a commercial scale. The technology has been shown at World Ag Expo and is working in fields in the Salinas Valley and around Yuma, Ariz.

Related:Policymakers tout support for organic future

“It’s pretty clean,” Fennemore told Farm Press. “Some farmers tease me and say, ‘Why don’t you go to hydrogen?’ But I can get propane delivered to a field. It’s actually cheaper than diesel and cleaner, with lower NOx (nitrogen oxides), and is very fast to heat up. Once you get used to it, it’s not a big deal.”

Showcasing technology

Outside, at a ag tech showcase and reception in the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa’s adjoining parking lot, Monarch Tractor showcased its MK-V, billed as the world’s first commercially available electric, driver-optional, smart tractor. The tractor began mass production two years ago.

“We want to find different types of operations that would be suitable for this tractor,” said Brian Araiza Lopez, a direct sales representative for Monarch. He and Fabian Alvarez-Mora, the company’s product field specialist, noted the machine offers fuel and labor savings to an organic sector that is heavily reliant on labor.

The machine costs nearly $100,000, but subsidy programs are available for zero-emissions vehicles.

“Depending on the type of business you have, you will likely qualify,” Alvarez-Mora said.

PERC and Monarch Tractor were among a wide variety of presenters at this year’s summit, which highlighted cutting-edge agricultural equipment while enabling attendees to engage with key players in biologicals, plant health and protection, soil nutrition, water conservation, agronomic insights and more.

Related:Can organics become a $144 billion market?

The summit also offered nine learning sessions, covering such topics as the role of new technology on organic farms, the importance of regenerative practices and the resources available for growers transitioning to organic.

One vendor, Utah-based Live Earth Products, marked its 35^th anniversary as a pioneering industry innovator of humic and fulvic acid products. In agriculture, humic products help improve soil structure, promote soil microbial diversity, improve water holding capacity in soil, decrease water evaporation in soil, and provide other benefits, the company asserts.

“We were cool long before we were cool; we just didn’t know it,” said Russell Taylor, vice president of Live Earth Products.

Here is a look at the variety of offerings and attractions at the 2024 Organic Grower Summit.