Agrology, Braga Fresh recognized for innovation by IFPA
Agrology and Braga Fresh are joint recipients of the annual Science & Technology Circle of Excellence Award presented by the International Fresh Produce Association.
The award was presented by IFPA’s Chief Science Office Max Teplitski to Eric Morgan of Braga Fresh and Charlie Dubbe of Agrology at the IFPA Global Produce & Floral Show in Anaheim earlier this month.
The award recognizes changemakers for contributions and accomplishments that advance the produce and industry through innovation, collaboration and leadership. Braga Fresh and Agrology were honored for their work to monitor, measure and quantify soil carbon flux and soil respiration, key indicators of soil microbiome health and activity.
Last fall, Braga Fresh became the first grower to install Agrology’s Arbiter 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,” Morgan, Braga Fresh vice president of environmental science and resources, said in a news release. “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.”
The Spring 2023 issue of Organic Grower magazine featured the system.
Since installing Arbiter, Braga Fresh has been able to track in-field carbon footprint and soil health to drive farm management decisions and improve the environmental impact of regenerative farming practices, according to the release.
“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,” Dubbe, head of regenerative partnerships at Agrology, said. “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.”
Agrology also monitors soil moisture, irrigation events and other climate data points.
“The soil microbiome is the future of regenerative agriculture and to be successful you have to have the right measurement tools in place,” Morgan said. “It has been a big team effort with Agrology. and we are extremely optimistic about the direction it’s taking us.”
Agrology was also one of 12 startups invited to participate in the IFPA’s 2023 cohort for the Fresh Field Catalyst Accelerator. Participants focused on climate-smart solutions to some of the industry’s biggest challenges.
