Practical demonstrations and discussions will highlight two days of work to promote ag tech opportunities for desert farmers in the Yuma region.

The event will delve into cutting-edge advancements to improve farming efficiencies.

"We saw an opportunity to get another live demonstration event in the Yuma market," said Walt Duflock, Western Growers' senior vice president of innovation. "We've sort of under-utilized it, but we worked with YCEDA (the Yuma Center for Excellence in Desert Agriculture) to set up another demonstration in that environment."

Sponsored by the University of Arizona and Western Growers, the two-day event runs Nov. 13-14, staring with a half-day of demonstrations and displays at the University of Arizona’s Yuma Agricultural Center, 6425 W. 8^th St.

Events the next day, including panel discussions and presentations take place at the Yuma Civic Center, 1440 W. Desert Hills Drive.

Content is 'strong'

Day two will include discussions on SMART farm technologies and changes in ag technology. Farmers, ag tech innovators, scientists, educators, and students are encouraged to attend.

"We just rolled through the content this morning, and it's strong," Duflock said Sept. 23. "We'll have some folks from the desert, and some folks from the Salinas that are down in that area this time of year. They'll talk about autonomy, automation and some of the big moves that are out there.

"They'll have a lot of time to interact," he said. "We're excited. We hope it's going to be far enough before Thanksgiving that people will be able to make it."

Those wishing to attend for free should take advantage of the early bird registration through the end of October. Starting Nov. 1 a conference registration fee of $60 will be charged. Registration closes on Nov. 7.

Registration and more information on the event, including how to become a sponsor and participate as a vendor are available online.

[This story has been updated with comments from Duflock.]