Try Acres for free: https://www.acres.co/
IFPA's Fresh Field Catalyst Accelerator: https://www.freshproduce.com/resources/technology/fresh-field-catalyst/
"Taste is King" on the Fresh Takes on Tech podcast: https://www.freshproduce.com/resources/technology/takes-on-tech-podcast/episode-56-taste-is-king/
"Locally Grown Through Vertical Farming on the Fresh Takes on Tech podcast: https://www.freshproduce.com/resources/technology/takes-on-tech-podcast/episode-59-locally-grown-through-vertical-farming/
"Traceability is Crucial to the World Produce Industry" on the Fresh Takes on Tech podcast: https://www.freshproduce.com/resources/technology/takes-on-tech-podcast/episode-55-traceability-is-crucial-to-the-world-produce-industry/
"New Innovations are Improving All Aspects of Our Produce Supply Chain" on the Fresh Takes on Tech podcast: https://www.freshproduce.com/resources/technology/takes-on-tech-podcast/episode-68-live-from-the-global-show-2022-part-four/
"The Future of Automation is in the Fields" on the Fresh Takes on Tech podcast: https://www.freshproduce.com/resources/technology/takes-on-tech-podcast/episode-57-the-future-of-automation--is-in-the-fields/
Today’s episode features Vonnie Estes, vice president of innovation at the International Fresh Produce Association or IFPA. You probably noticed in our opening segment more than just Vonnie’s voice. That’s because we will be playing clips of some of the entrepreneurs and mentors that participated in IFPA’s Fresh Field Catalyst this past year.
You see, Vonnie reached out about coming back onto the podcast to talk about how applications are open for their second cohort. After talking to Vonnie and hearing about how the first cohort went, I realized this would be a great chance to talk about tech and innovation in the produce industry in general. Our conversation today covers some of the challenges facing this industry, including water, labor, food safety, traceability, quality, compliance and more. And you’ll hear from entrepreneurs and industry leaders about differentiation, consumer preferences, indoor ag, traceability, and automation and robotics.
Before we dive in, I want to make it clear that the intention of the accelerator is to attract companies that already have a product in the market somewhere. That could be a market outside of agriculture, or perhaps in row crops, or maybe in produce but in another geography. So they’re looking for companies that already have some traction, but maybe haven’t directed much focus to produce yet but think that there might be value in that market. If that sounds like you or someone you know, applications close soon: March 20 of 2023. I’ll link to the application in the show notes.
You may remember hearing from Vonnie back in episode 270 of this podcast. To refresh your memory, she has held leadership positions at prominent companies including DuPont, Monsanto, and Syngenta along with start-ups including DNAP, Emergent Genetics, and Caribou Biosciences. She has a BS in Horticulture from New Mexico State and a Masters in Plant Pathology from UC Davis.
In addition to Vonnie, you’re going to hear clips from some of the entrepreneurs and mentors in the program’s first cohort. These clips came from Vonnie’s podcast called Fresh Takes on Tech. You definitely want to go check that out. I’ll link to it in the show notes as well.
FoA 413: Practical Farm Innovation With Brad Fruth of Beck's Hybrids
FoA 412: 'Biological' Is Not A Category (it's the future of agriculture)
FoA 411: Making Technology Your Unfair Advantage with Lawrence King of Headstorm
FoA 410: The Farm to Fashion Supply Chain With Paul Ensor of Hemprino
FoA 409: Is Agtech Entering A GenAI Era? Conversations From World Agri-Tech
[Field Report] Paul Sullivan of P.T. Sullivan Agro on SWAT MAPS
FoA 408: The Future of Precision Agriculture With Dr. Steve Shirtliffe and Dr. Preston Sorenson
FoA 407: Attracting Top Talent to Solve Agribusiness Problems with Christian Guffy of The Context Network
[Field Report] Corteva Research Associate Brett McArtor on SWAT MAPS
FoA 406: Health Trends Are Agricultural Opportunities...The Story of WonderCow
FoA 405: From Fintech Startup to the Largest Produce Trader in the World With Pablo Borquez Schwarzbeck of ProducePay
FoA 404: Digital Solutions for the Largest Ag Retailer in Latin America With Alex Wimbush
FoA 403: Shrimpin' Ain't Easy with Steve Sutton of TransparentSea
FoA 402: How To Know When An Ag Company Is Ready For Growth With Jim Taylor of Forage Capital Partners
[Field Report] Crop Consultant Tyler Kessler shares his experience with SWAT MAPS
FoA 401: Precision Irrigation With Arthur Chen of Verdi
FoA 400: Deeper Roots For Resilience and Carbon Sequestration with Michael Ott of Cquesta
FoA 399: The Changing Farm Economy with David Widmar of Agricultural Economic Insights
FoA 398: The Evolution of Precision Agriculture with Cory Willness and Derek Massey of Croptimistic Technology
FoA 397: Can These Greenhouse Robots Grow The Best Strawberries in the World?
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