Today we talk with Neal Carter, President and founder of Okanagan Specialty Fruits Inc. (OSF) and creator of the nonbrowning Arctic® Apple.

The stories you need to know:
• 2019’s Field Days are reflective of the Difficult Growing Season
• Farmers consider their Seed Choices after a Tough Growing Season
• Retailers expect certain Produce categories to spike in January

Today's Thought Leader is Fred Yoder, Co-Chair for Solutions from the Land (SFL).

The Stories you NEED to know:
• Lessons learned from Leafy Greens
• Making Drones Work for Small Farmers
• Data Standardization is critical for driving efficiency into Food Supply Chains.

Our Farmer is Addy Battel, Data Standardization is critical for driving efficiency into Food Supply Chains.

Our Thought Leader is Jason Clay, Senior Vice President for Markets and Food at World WildLife Fund.

The Stories You NEED to Know:
• Researchers develop Livestock-Monitoring Technology.
• Here comes high-tech, mechanical Weed Control.
• Grocers need better E-commerce Platforms.

Today's Thought Leader is Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, Feeding America's CEO.

The Stories you NEED to know:
• Paris is opening the world’s Largest urban Rooftop Farm
• Recent Study cites the Pork Industry’s strides in Sustainability
• Agronomist advises producers: Don’t neglect pasture needs during harvest

Marilyn Hershey, a Pennsylvania dairy farmer and chair of Dairy Management inc.

Our Thought Leader is Ellie Moss, Lead for the new USFRA report, Navigating the Food Metrics Maze.

•Productivity of Farms in the Heartland has Increased over time—except for the smallest Farms.
• Scientists have now Sequenced the Avocado Genome...so what is the benefit?
• An innovative Retailer has Quadrupled their Online Farmer Engagement.

Today's farmer is Galen Lee, former USFRA Board member and farmer.

Our Thought Leader is Diana Campos Jimenez, Program Manager at the Los Angeles Community Garden Council.  

The Stories You Need to Know:
• What we can expect from a “Food Safety Modernization Act” Inspection. 
• Syncing Ag Data is a growing Challenge for Industry
• Digital agriculture: the Future is Now

 Our farmer is Al Renner, Outreach Director for Los Angeles Community Garden Council. 

Today's Thought Leader is Rob Trice, the Founder of The Mixing Bowl.

The stories you NEED to know:
• How the spring season’s Wet Weather and flooding Continues to Impact Agriculture.
• No industry will be impacted by climate change as much as Agriculture.
• Farmers try to decipher what trends shown in the latest Census of Agriculture mean as they plan their Future.

Our Thought Leader is Carmela Cugini, EVP, Sales at Bowery, a modern farming company that uses technology to grow produce.

The Stories You NEED to know:
• More Family Farm households are relying on Various sources of Income.
• Plastic is under the microscope—what does that mean for Produce? 
• Can Food Forests Fight Hunger?

Today's farmer is Daniel Malechuk, CEO of Kalera, a vertical hydroponic farm.

Today's Thought Leader is Chad Hart, Associate Professor of Economics for Iowa State University.

Stories you Need to Know:
•Affluent Shoppers are shaping the future of Grocery Retail
•How much more are Shoppers willing to pay for Organic Produce?
•There are 5 big Supply Chain Changes that Growers should be Ready For

Our Farmer this week is AG Kawamura a third generation fruit and vegetable grower and shipper from Orange County, CA who's here to discuss community gardens.

Today's Thought Leader is Marianne Smith Edge, MS, RDN, LD, FADA, FAND, Founder and Principal, The AgriNutrition Edge, a consultancy committed to assisting food, health and agriculture organizations better understand and navigate the changing food and consumer environment. 

The Stories you NEED to Know:
•A pleasant surprise: Wheat growers are generally pleased with 2019 Crop. 
•Agronomists are saying 2019 shouldn’t impact 2020 decisions.
•In the future, data will drive more decisions than desire.

Our Farmer is Zack Andrade from Spinaca Farms