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Innovation Day

2026 features

A fresh lineup designed to connect, inspire, and move agriculture forward.

Get ready to delve into the forefront of agricultural technology innovation.

Workforce and Education Program in Ag Robotics

Build bridges between research and industry

INNOVATION TALKS & PANELS

AI & dataset development,

Crop-specific automation,

Climate-smart agriculture,

Pest management,

Irrigation technology,

Yield prediction,

Precision weeding.

World-class speakers from academia and industry take the stage to share what’s next.

PANELS

Where is ag innovation headed in the next decade?

What makes R&D collaborations succeed?

How do we bridge universities, startups, and industry?

Experts tackle the big questions: funding, partnerships, workforce development, and the path forward. Expect honest conversations, bold ideas, and no shortage of debate.

POSTER SESSIONS

Researchers and students present their latest work in a dedicated poster session, an open space to explore new findings, spark conversations, and ask the questions that matter. A unique chance to connect directly with the minds behind tomorrow’s agricultural technologies.

Call for Proposals - open to labs, startups and academics.

R&D projects in Agricultural Robotics & AgTech can potentially address the following topics:

  • Precision Agriculture & Digital Farming
  • Autonomous Tractors and Implements
  • GPS/GNSS Guidance Systems
  • Agricultural Robotics
  • Water Management & Irrigation Technologies
  • Livestock Technologies
  • Agricultural Policy, Economics & Data Governance
  • Extension, Education & Technology Adoption
  • Biotechnology Applications
  • Next-Generation Agricultural Sensors
  • Data Connectivity and Rural Broadband
  • Renewable Energy and Resource Efficiency on Farms
  • Waste-to-Value Technologies
  • Controlled Environment Agriculture Technologies
  • Drones (UAVs) for Agricultural Applications
  • Digital Decision Support Tools
  • Remote Sensing and Satellite Imagery
  • Farm Management Software
  • Variable Rate Technology (VRT)
  • AI and Machine Learning in Agriculture
  • Computer Vision Applications
  • Big Data Analytics
  • Predictive Modeling
  • Internet of Things (IoT) in Agriculture
  • Automated Agricultural Systems

All contributions in the scope of the scientific topics are welcome.
Based on abstract submissions, the scientific committee will select the contributions for the 10-minute oral.
The selected projects will be announced in the official program of the event.
Presentation submissions that are accepted will be guaranteed complimentary registration for the entire conference.
All presentations will be recorded and broadcast after the event on FIRA USA website.

STEP #1 - Call for Abstract

Deadline: September 18th, 2026

STEP #2 - Selection

September 21st-22nd, 2026

Projects selections by the judges.

STEP #3 - Unveil

September 23rd, 2026

Unveil of the shortlisted projects!

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Agenda

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Innovation Day Introductive talks

Wed 21

9:15 AM - 9:30 AM

Main Stage 1

Public-private partnerships focused on agricultural innovation

Wed 21

9:30 AM - 10:30 AM

Main Stage 1

In today's ultra-competitive funding landscape where resources are tight, public-private partnerships are more important than ever to continue to advance agricultural technology. In this panel discussion, we'll hear from representatives from academia, industry, and government about their experiences with public-private partnerships focused on agricultural innovation. We'll learn more about what has worked well and what are the opportunities for improvement.
Technical Talks - Building the Tech Stack for Agricultural Autonomy

Wed 21

10:30 AM - 11:30 AM

Main Stage 1

Sponsored by Washington State Department of Commerce, Washington State University & Blue River Technology.
Advances in Agricultural Robotics

Wed 21

11:30 AM - 12:15 PM

Main stage 1

Please join our amazing panelists from Bonsai Robotics, Agtonomy, AiGen, and Oregon State as we discuss some recent advances in agricultural robotics. We'll discuss how each panelist is leveraging World Models for their robotics systems, how they are handling data collection, and the challenges they've faced during system deployment. We'll also discuss the opportunities ahead, why customers want autonomy in their operations, and the biggest challenges for scaling the technology. It should be a very engaging session with leaders who are at the forefront of Ag Robotics and we hope you can join us!

Lunch & Learn - Posters session

Wed 21

12:30 PM - 2:00 PM

Expo zone

Supported by

Lightning talks session #1: Digital Agriculture in Practice: Sensors, Models and Grower Decisions to Enable Automation

Wed 21

2:00 PM - 3:20 PM

Main Stage 1

Pitch #1: "Economic Feasibility of Robotic Apple Harvesting: A Scenario-Based Decision Tool for Gala ,and Honeycrisp" by R. Karina Gallardo - Washington State University-School of Economic Sciences

Pitch #2: "Stopping on an Invisible Fault: Runtime Assurance for Autonomous Specialty-Crop Robots" by Tracy Tanovich - Gulf Coast Research and Education Center (University of Florida)

Pitch #3: "Potential of Object Detection for Yield Mapping in Shake-and-Catch Harvesting Systems: Lessons from Tart Cherry and Future Applications in Pistachio" by Anderson Safre - UC ANR

Pitch #4: "Design, Integration, and Evaluation of a Tree Pruning Robot for Planar-Canopy Fruit Trees" by Martin Churuvija - Washington State University

Pitch #5: "Seeing Every Tree: Per-Tree Orchard Intelligence at Commercial Scale" by Hayden Feddock - Bright Blossom Technologies / Carnegie Mellon University

Pitch #6: "Real Time Biological Control of Strawberry Pests with a Variable Rate End Effector" by Uchechukwu Ilodibe - University of Florida

Pitch #7: "Robotic Apple Fruitlet Thinning in Orchards through Selective Peduncle Cutting" by Ranjan Sapkota - Cornell University

Pitch #8: "Autonomous Unmanned Ground Vehicle Sprayer for Modern Orchard Systems" by Dattatray Bhalekar - Washington State University

Explore the latest breakthroughs in agricultural robotics and digital agriculture through a dynamic series of Lightning Talks led by researchers, universities, and academic consortia. Each short presentation highlights cutting-edge projects, emerging technologies, and scientific insights shaping the future of farming.

Lightning talks session #2: Robotics and Automation from Seed to Harvest

Wed 21

3:30 PM - 4:30 PM

Main Stage 1

Pitch #1: "Co-Innovation in Fruit Breeding and Agricultural Robotics: Designing Fruit for Robots and Robots for Fruit: Lessons from Apples, Blueberries, and Raspberries" by Thomas Reardon - Michigan State University Pitch #2: "Soft Growing Robot for Apple Harvesting" by Ming Luo - Washington State University Pitch #3: "Sensorized Suction Cup End-Effector for Improved Apple Picking Performance" by Eva Krueger - Oregon State University Pitch #4: "Flexible-rigid paradox in continuum robots for fruit picking and harvesting" by Dominique Martinez - ISM, CNRS, Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, France Pitch #5: "Multi-Purpose Robotics for Apple Orchards" by Manoj Karkee - Cornell University Pitch #6: "Reaching the Other Half of the Crop: Motion Planning That Lets a Harvest Arm Enter the Canopy Without Damaging the Tree" by Sihui Li - Washington State University
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