Soledad, CA, October 30, 2023 — Agrology and Braga Fresh are joint recipients of the annual Science & Technology Circle of Excellence Award at the IFPA Global Produce & Floral Show in Anaheim. The award was presented by IFPA’s Chief Science Office, Max Teplitski, to Eric Morgan of Braga Fresh and Charlie Dubbe of Agrology.
With this award, each year IFPA recognizes changemakers for their contributions and accomplishments in the produce and floral industries that advance the industry through innovation, collaboration and superior leadership. Braga Fresh and Agrology were honored as a result of the work they did to monitor, measure and quantify soil carbon flux and soil respiration, key indicators of soil microbiome health and activity. In the Fall of 2022, Braga Fresh was the first grower to install the Agrology’s Arbiter Carbon Monitoring System, the first-ever continuous soil carbon monitoring system, on their regenerative crop trials.
“A key piece of our regenerative agriculture journey has been Agrology’s systems for measuring and monitoring soil health and carbon flux,” said Eric Morgan, Braga Fresh vice president of environmental science and resources. “You can’t manage what you don’t measure and the Arbiter has enabled us to measure the impact of our regenerative trials and make better-informed, data-driven decisions. It essentially closes the feedback loop between the soil and farming techniques.”
Since installing Arbiter, Braga Fresh has been able to track their in-field carbon footprint and soil health, as well as drive farm management decisions and improve the environmental impact of their regenerative farming practices. The team at Braga Fresh implements cutting-edge regenerative farming experiments and Agrology has enabled them to measure the impact of these practices on soil health and carbon stocks in real time, which allows them to continuously iterate and improve on their regenerative program. In addition, Agrology also monitors soil moisture, irrigation events, and a variety of other climate data points to help Braga understand what’s happening in their fields.
“Braga Fresh inspires us to dig deeper into our ability to develop technology that adds value and clearly demonstrates the efficacy of regenerative farming practices,” said Charlie Dubbe, head of regenerative partnerships at Agrology. “Braga Fresh is the perfect example of what success looks like in regenerative farming and it’s an honor to be their partner in this industry award.”
“The soil microbiome is the future of regenerative agriculture and to be successful you have to have the right measurement tools in place,” added Morgan. “It has been a big team effort with Agrology and we are extremely optimistic about the direction it’s taking us.”
In September, Braga Fresh and Agrology hosted a webinar, “The ROI of Regenerative Agriculture,” covering a variety of topics, including the return on investment in regenerative agriculture. The webinar specifically covered the practice changes and production methods Braga Fresh employs in their regenerative trials and is available to watch on YouTube.
Agrology was also one of 12 startups invited to participate in the IFPA’s 2023 cohort for the Fresh Field Catalyst Accelerator. This year’s companies were focused on climate-smart solutions to some of the industry’s biggest challenges and brought companies with ready-to-market solutions for the produce industry.
About Braga Fresh
In 1928, Sebastian and Josie Braga started farming California’s fertile soil on what is now known as the Braga Home Ranch in Soledad, CA. Today, the third generation continues the family values of sustainable-organic farming. Braga Fresh sets aside 10% of farmland to beneficial habitat and has the goal of being carbon neutral. Now vertically integrated, Braga Fresh combines innovation with tradition to grow, harvest, and process fresh vegetables and leafy greens through the Josie’s Organics and Braga Farms brands. For more information about the company, visit BragaFresh.com.
About Agrology
Agrology is a leading climate tech start-up and Public Benefit Corporation with a mission to help farmers adapt to and beat climate change with real-time analysis and predictive insights. The Agrology platform consists of climate and carbon monitoring systems, both based on ground-truth data and machine learning. The Agrology Climate Monitoring System delivers predictive insights and warnings, up to four days in advance, for wildfire smoke taint risk, extreme weather, soil conditions, pest and disease emergence, and irrigation. Agrology’s Carbon Monitoring System tracks soil carbon sequestration in real time, quickly detecting carbon loss via carbon dioxide emission events. Agrology customers include Braga Fresh, The Duckhorn Portfolio, Emeritus Vineyards, Groth Vineyards and Winery, Jordan Vineyards and Winery, Joseph Phelps Vineyards, Lawrence Vineyards, Napa Green, Pivot Bio, Renteria Vineyard Management, Sebastien Farms, Silver Oak Vineyards, Sonoma County Winegrowers, and numerous specialty farms. Agrology is the winner of two highly selective National Science Foundation SBIR Awards, a 2022 WINnovation Award, and is a recipient of a USDA Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities grant. Agrology’s academic partners include UC Davis, CSU Monterey Bay, Huntington Farms, RCD of Monterey County, University of California Cooperative Extension, University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, and Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Agrology is based in Alexandria, Virginia and can be found online at Agrology.ag.