The Global Organization for Agricultural Robotics, GOFAR, an international organization working to accelerate the adoption of agricultural robotics and autonomous technologies, will bring its FIRA USA conference to Yakima, Washington, in October.

Exact dates and additional details will be announced soon.

Based in Auzeville-Tolosane, France, GOFAR has held FIRA robotics conferences around the world for the past decade, with the first FIRA USA conference held in 2022 in California.

The organization aims to accelerate the commercial development of technologies and their adoption by farmers. An estimated 1,800 people, including growers, robot manufacturers, ag tech investors and university research and extension personnel, attended the 2025 FIRA USA conference in Woodland, California.

Organizers have been eyeing a potential stop in the Pacific Northwest for months. The region represents a dynamic production hub of high-value specialty and commodity crops grown on small, midsize and large-scale farms, and it encompasses diverse climates and agricultural systems. The region also has growth potential for mechanization, with labor shortages driving adoption of new technologies, and a favorable policy environment for autonomous solutions, according to a GOFAR statement.

Partners in the event are the Yakima County Development Association and the Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission.

“FIRA USA brings innovation out of the lab and into the field, connecting ag tech directly with growers who are actively looking for solutions,” said Jonathan Smith, YCDA executive director. “We are delighted to welcome FIRA USA to Yakima.” •