by Peter Wren-Hilton | Jul 8, 2026 | 2026 Salinas Biological Summit
Last week, we hosted what I believe was the most successful & productive Edition of the Salinas Biological Summit‘s to-date. The venue, the program, the 2 Monday deep-dive workshops, the Reservoir Farms visit and the very real 1-2-1 networking opportunities, all delivered.
Feedback from speakers, sponsors and delegates has been overwhelmingly positive. In the words of Pam Marrone, the doyen of biologicals, ‘It was really good content not seen elsewhere’. I totally agree with that, Pam!
In the words of another of our exceptional speakers, Clarice Turner, President & CEO of the Almond Board of California said, ‘It takes a village. Onward’. I think that summarized a key theme that resonated across the whole Summit. We can only support growers transition to more biological and softer chemistry products through increased collaboration and partnerships. No one country or company can achieve this by themselves. It’s a theme that will drive much of Wharf42’s work over the coming months.
One of the key partnering initiatives highlighted at the Summit was the Platform10 field trials program, currently running across significant commercial grower properties in California. I had the opportunity to moderate the ‘Introduction to Platform10’ panel on Day 2 of the Summit. This session was immediately followed by a ‘Grower Platform10’ panel which highlighted some of the key field trials currently underway. Keeping growers at the center of this initiative is a core outcome we are seeking.
Grower adoption was another key Summit conversation. We were delighted to host a delegation of senior biological experts from Brazil. Often referred to as the ‘Gold Standard’ for biological regulation and grower adoption, we chose to include the Brazilian ‘brains trust’ experts across a range of Summit sessions.
The value to the conference was immense. The reality is that Californian growers are currently operating at a significant disadvantage to their Brazilian peers. A slow registration process at both US Federal & State level means that Californian growers cannot access the full range of crop protection tools that their peers in Brazil can. It’s an issue that our friends and Summit Platinum Sponsors, Western Growers, frequently reference.
The good news is that the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (CDPR) are aware of the challenge facing growers. In a fireside chat featuring Leia Bailey, Deputy Chief Director, CDPR, Leia provided details of a set of initiatives the Department were considering to speed up the registration of new biological products. For California growers, these initiatives cannot come soon enough.
The need to increase collaboration within the biological sector was repeated across a number of Summit presentations. As regulators and retailers continue to remove chemical pesticides from the growers’ toolbox, the need to find biological alternatives to address increasing pest and disease challenges increases.
Over the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing videos of every Summit session in this newsletter. It’s hard to underestimate the value of this content. For biological practitioners everywhere, access is free. It’s part of Wharf42’s commitment to support growers leverage some of the great science in the current biological pipeline.
by Peter Wren-Hilton | May 7, 2026 | 2026 Salinas Biological Summit
One of the key takeaways from the first three Salinas Biological Summits has been delegates’ requests for deeper conversations. With our packed Summit programs looking at a wide range of biological opportunities and challenges, finding time to ‘deep-dive’ into certain key topics within the Summit program has been a challenge.
We’ve listened to the feedback however, and I’m delighted to confirm that on the eve of this year’s Summit, we’ll be hosting 3 x 2.5-hour workshops on the afternoon of Monday June 22. These are designed to provide registered Summit delegates with the opportunity to meet and engage with others on biological topics with a very specific focus.
To support these workshops, I’m thrilled that we’ve been supported by three key organizations to help facilitate their content. The specific focus areas for each workshop are:
A key outcome of the 3 workshops is to identify opportunities for longer-term collaboration & partnerships. These are key themes for the Summit. By bringing together targeted domestic and international stakeholders, we believe that each workshop will provide a new platform for stakeholder outreach.
The 3 workshops are complimentary and open to registered Summit delegates only. You can learn more about each workshop and register your interest online today by visiting the Summit Workshops web page
by Peter Wren-Hilton | Apr 28, 2026 | 2026 Salinas Biological Summit
On June 23-24, Salinas will once again be hosting the annual Salinas Biological Summit. The Summit brings together key stakeholders including growers, PCAs, researchers, policymakers/regulators, agribusinesses, agritech companies & investors looking to accelerate the research, commercialization and adoption of biological products.
As regulators remove traditional chemical pesticides from the grower’s toolbox, the need to find alternative inputs becomes ever more important. Managing pests and disease can be a major casualty of reduced access to traditional chemistries. Identifying and scaling biopesticide solutions which have proven efficacy and provide economic benefit to the grower, is a major outcome of the annual Summit.
In June, we’ll once again be joined by leading domestic and international experts in the field. For this 2026 edition of the Summit, we’ve invited a number of significant sector leaders from Brazil to share their insights and experiences as to why Brazil has become the Gold Standard for designing accelerated regulatory pathways and securing significant grower adoption of biological products. What can California and the rest of the world learn from these lessons?
Biological startups are invited once again to apply to join the two Summit Start-up Pitch events. One is focused on Biopesticides. The other on Biostimulants. Interested startups should email their EOI to platform10@salinas-summit.com
This annual event will once again provide delegates with two days of high-value content and numerous networking opportunities. A large delegation of international visitors will provide additional insights into best global practice.
To find out more about this year’s Salinas Biological Summit Program, please visit the Summit website at www.salinas-summit.com
by Peter Wren-Hilton | Apr 20, 2026 | 2026 Salinas Biological Summit
Across regulation, application and adoption, Brazil has emerged as the Gold Standard for many significant biological input metrics. Last year, a delegation of key Californian agricultural stakeholders, led by CDFA Secretary Karen Ross, visited Brazil. In their words, they were ‘blown away’ by much of what they saw. Dennis Donohue and I captured much of that dynamic in a ‘The Grower Talks’ podcast with the California delegation. You can view and listen to the podcast here.
One outcome of the visit was a stated interest in increasing collaboration between California and Brazil researchers, growers, regulators and agritech companies across a number of biological-related fields. I’m therefore delighted to share that at June’s Salinas Biological Summit, a number of key Brazilian stakeholders will be sharing their expertise and insights to enable delegates to learn more about opportunities for accelerated regulatory pathways, increased grower adoption and the leveraging of its biological industry ecosystem.
Some of the speakers include:
- Ronaldo Dalio. Formerly a professor in the Genetics department at IB-Unesp-SP and a researcher at the Biotechnology Laboratory of the Citrus Center (IAC), Ronaldo is now the founder and CEO of IdeeLab Biotecnologia SA. The company focuses on developing agricultural innovations based on microorganisms, proteins, peptides and organic molecules.
- Jose Roberto Pereira. Jose is a former President of the BRA Biological Producers Association (equivalent of BPIA). Jose understands the industry’s history and will share some of the major milestones in growers’ adoption.
- Julia Emanuela de Souza. Julia is International Director, ANPii Bio, the only association that exclusively represents the bio-inputs industry in Brazil.
- Emanuele Diniz. Emanuele has worked in various regulatory bodies, including MAPA, ANVISA, and IBAMA and will provide an overview of the Registration of Biopesticides in Brazil.
- Allan Marciano: Allan is Regulatory Affairs Manager – LATAM for Lallemand Plant Care. Allan has been working extensively on the new bioinputs legislation, aiming to strengthen the biologicals industry and bring more technologies to growers.
Additionally, Brazil will have a ‘Brazil Biologicals’ booth at the Summit and they invite all delegates to meet, engage, ask questions and potentially collaborate.
I’m stoked that we have secured such a valuable partnership this year. It will provide a significant added dynamic to what is already shaping up to be another content-rich program.
by Peter Wren-Hilton | Feb 9, 2026 | 2026 Salinas Biological Summit
Wharf42 is absolutely thrilled to announce that the 2026 Salinas Biological Summit Early-Bird tickets went on sale today.
This year’s Summit promises to be the largest and most consequential to-date. We’ll be publishing the draft program shortly but expect it to deliver the same high-quality content for which every Salinas Summit is known for.
We’re also delighted to announce, that with the support of the Summit’s key sponsors, we are freezing this year’s Early-Bird ticket prices to match those of 2025. You will be able to access every session, meet & engage with hundreds of fellow delegates and of course get to share the great hospitality you would expect from California’s Central Coast.
This year’s event will be hosted for the first time at the Salinas Sports Complex. Home to the world-famous California Rodeo Salinas, the venue provides a unique setting for this year’s Summit.
The Summit will once again feature national and international biological experts providing valuable insights into the future of the sector. In June, we’ll be joined for the first time by several commentators from Brazil who will explain how the country’s farmers, growers & regulators have embraced biological inputs to become the world’s gold standard.
The Summit will also hear from leading retail and CPG experts on the evolving consumer landscape for pesticide use. We’ll once again be hosting 2 pitch events featuring emerging biological startups looking to transform the ag input sector in both the biopesticide and biostimulant space.
Over the coming week’s we’ll be providing more details about the main Summit program and the side events that will co-locate with this year’s Summit. If you are planning to join us and want to save $$$s, please take advantage of the Early Bird ticket prices whilst they last.
