Day two of FIRA USA 2025 brought together voices from across California’s ag and tech sectors — including Connie Bowen, Founding General Partner of Farmhand Ventures, Karen Aceves Founder and CEO of Arken Strategies, Anne Visser, Professor of Community and Regional Development at UC Davis – Department of Human Ecology, Pete Donlon, Vice President of Misionero, and Oscar Garcia, CEO of Alliance HRMG, — for a candid conversation on the realities of ag tech adoption and the people who make innovation possible.
Panelists agreed: automation is no longer optional, but its success depends on inclusion, training, and collaboration at every level.
As moderator Bowen summed up, “We have an opportunity to leverage technology with people — so it’s just as normal to be a farmer or a farm worker as a doctor or nurse.”
FIRA USA’s message was clear: the future of ag tech must be collaborative, inclusive, and people-powered.
