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 385: The Private Equity Playbook with Kevin Schwartz of Paine Schwartz Partners
FoA 384: Infinite Banking and Farming Without the Bank With Mary Jo Irmen
FoA 383: Artificial Intelligence That Adds Real Value to Farmers with Craig Ganssle
FoA 382: [History of Agriculture] Carl Bosch and the Agtech That Changed the World
FoA 381: Is There An Anti-Farming Agenda?
FoA 380: Equity Capital for Farmland with Ben Gordon and Kyle Mehmen
FoA 379: The Farm Entrepreneur Mindset with Evan Shout of Maverick Ag
FoA 378: Adventure Capitalism with Legendary Investor and Author Jim Rogers
FoA 377: Leveraging Data to Advance Cattle Genetics With Lee Leachman
FoA 376: Agroforestry on Commercial Midwest Farms with Kevin Wolz of Canopy FM
FoA 375: Soil Carbon Sequestration and Grazing Management with Paige Stanley, Ph.D.
FoA 374: The Potential for Perennial Grains with Peter Miller and Brandon Schlautman of Sustain-A-Grain
FoA 373: Soy Innovation with Meagan Kaiser of the United Soybean Board
FoA 372: [Startup Spotlight] Managing Farm Labor with Joshua Farray of FieldClock
FoA 371: Family Farms and Healthy Communities with Blake Alexandre of Alexandre Family Farm
FoA 370: [History of Agriculture] William J Morse, the Father of the US Soybean Industry
FoA 369: Farm Products, Performance and Perception with Randy Barker of INTENT
FoA 368: Corteva's Digital Transformation with Brian Lutz
FoA 367: Is Agriculture Ready to Collaborate on Data? Jeremy Wilson of AgGateway
FoA 366: Agriculture, Economics, and Data with Aaron Smith, Ph.D.
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