F3-Funded Innovation Comes to Life at UC Merced

From bringing together growers and researchers to testing new technology in the field, several F3-supported efforts recently came together at UC Merced. Jose Cobos, Industry Relations Coordinator with VISTA/UC Merced, recently shared an update highlighting two projects helping connect agricultural research, technology, workforce development, and the needs of Central Valley growers.

The latest AgBag event reached registration capacity and brought researchers, students, growers, and industry partners together for a discussion on Wireless Sensors & Smart Irrigation. Co-sponsored by CITRIS and the Banatao Institute at UC Merced, the event explored technologies that can help growers better understand field conditions and make more informed irrigation decisions.

It was great to see researchers, students, growers and industry all connecting before and after the event. Thank you to everybody who showed up and contributed. I'm already looking forward to our November AgBag, where we'll continue that conversation with AI in Agriculture: From Sensing to Decision Making. - Jose Cobos, Industry Relations Coordinator with VISTA/UC Merced

Following the AgBag, Cobos joined local grower Jacob Watson at UC Merced’s Experimental Smart Farm to install new subsurface soil-moisture sensors from  ⁠AcreLink, a recipient of an F3 Innovate Innovation Grant. AcreLink’s technology uses fully buried sensor nodes to continuously monitor soil moisture and transmit field conditions to a farmer-facing dashboard, giving growers irrigation insights without exposed equipment interfering with everyday farm operations. The new pilot will test and validate the technology under real-world conditions, incorporating farmer feedback along the way. A UC Merced student will also support the project through gravimetric soil testing.

"This is exactly what I believe the Experimental Smart Farm is here for: To test new technology and crazy research ideas, collect and validate the data, learn and refine the tech after farmer feedback, and ultimately help move useful solutions into the hands of the growers," said Cobos.

Stay tuned for updates from the AcreLink pilot and details on the next AgBag!