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 231: Fixing Nitrogen with Karsten Temme of Pivot Bio
FoA 230: Agtech is Booming in Brazil with Francisco Jardim of SP Ventures
FoA 229: NanoGuard is Reducing Food Waste and Improving Food and Feed Safety
FOA 228: Solving the Rural Connectivity Problem with Dr. Sara Spangelo of Swarm
FOA 227: Finding Product-Market Fit and Talent with Joe Dales
FOA 226: The Problem with Farm Data
FOA 225: A Masterclass in Building a Direct-to-Consumer Farm Business
FOA 224: Plant-Based Plastic with Green Dot Bioplastics
FOA 223: Commodity Checkoff Programs and Marketing Orders
FOA 222: Digging Deeper into Regenerative Agriculture with Paige Stanley
FOA 221: Bringing Commercial Quinoa Production to Colorado
FOA 220: Agricultural Solutions for Hunger and Poverty with Paul Winters of IFAD
FOA 219: Strip Tillage and Becoming a Farmer's Favorite Company
FOA 218: Irrigating Via Satellite with Dr. Wim Bastiaanssen
FOA 217: Microbial Solution for Heavy Metals in Soil with MicroGen Biotech
FOA 216: Investing in a More Distributed Food System
FOA 215: Bridging the Gap Between Farmers and AgTech
FOA 214: Midan Marketing is a Small Giant in the Meat Industry
FOA 213: CoverCress is Reinventing the Cover Crop
FOA 212: Racial Equity in Agribusiness with Bryana Clover
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