PMA Takes On Tech

Controlled Environment Agriculture, including indoor and greenhouse production, is a small but high-potential, rapidly growing part of the food system. CEA can play a role to ensure food security and supply chain resilience. And also meet consumer demands around transparency, traceability, and sustainability while supplying nutritious, high-quality products that taste good. CEA requires a fraction of the water of other types of production, often up to 90-95% less. In this episode we talk to Dr. Alexa Lamm about water conservation technology in CEA and then two giants in CEA: AppHarvest and Plenty about how they manage their water use.

Join this conversation originally recorded at Crusonia on the Delta: Food is Health Digital Forum in November. We dig into three areas: the consumer, the modern food system and action for progress. We come at these topics from different perspectives and experiences but all with an eye to make food healthier and more accessible for a healthier planet.

Regenerative Agriculture is one of the most talked about trends in the food supply chain – from producers to consumers and large food brands. In some circles it has a emotional following based on strong beliefs, not science. Having to adapt has become the norm for many farmers across the world. Changes to weather patterns, climate unpredictability and the need to protect our natural environment means that producers are now looking for new ways to enhance the resiliency of farms, boosting sustainability and biodiversity in the process. Regen Ag is farming for outcomes in a specific location considering the entire ecosystem, not using the same playbook across all systems. In this episode, we talk to two brothers working with their family farm to transition to regenerative agriculture. We get a real life understanding of strengths and weaknesses and the need for more technology, not less. We also talk to the CEO of Monarch Tractor, a “tractor as platform” company that is a great tool for companies transitioning to Regen Ag.

Pollinators are essential to the production of many of the micronutrient rich fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and oils we eat. In fact, 5-8% of global crop production depends on animal pollination for sustained production, yield and quality. In this episode we will talk to 3 experts in the field. We will first hear from Dr. Christian Maus- Entomology & Pollination Science Lead at Bayer Crop Science.  He has been studying pollination globally for over 20 years and will talk to us about the importance of pollination and some of the challenges. We will also hear from two startups, Omer Davidi, CEO & Co-Founder of BeeHero https://www.beehero.io/ and Ellie Symes CEO of Bee Corp https://www.thebeecorp.com/ about their two different high tech solutions to monitor and improve the health and lives of bees.

This episode is a rebroadcast of a live PMA Virtual Town Hall held in September. In this episode we talk about the Last Mile for fresh produce and meal delivery. It is a truism in the on-demand industry today that the very last step of the supply chain is the most crucial, as well as the most problematic. Owing to its place in the end of the chain, it is often referred to as the ‘Last-Mile Delivery’. Distributing produce and prepared food direct to consumer was gaining traction prior to the pandemic and we have seen more mainstream acceptance as a result of it. We hear from Ashley Tyrner CEO and founder of FarmBox Direct https://www.farmboxdirect.com/, Manoel Coelho CEO and founder of Speedbird Aero https://speedbird.aero/ and Bobby Healy CEO and founder of Manna Drone Delivery https://www.manna.aero/.  Here are the videos mentioned in the podcast: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HouJtmM0cIv0UfDu3pQjcQgu2QrzwGjR/view?usp=sharing and https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UyBUdgy2krxXqU7VTaP2ZslVdUwrQ26P/view.  Lots of cool drone talk in this episode!

We start Season 2 of PMA Takes On taking on the “first mile.” The first mile in the produce industry is from harvest through packing and shipping and on into the supply chain. This includes the technology used for harvesting, shipping, packaging, storing, transportation and tracking. It is the first part of the “messy middle” and is very messy. We talk to Seana Day Partner at Better Food Ventures about defining the first mile and the challenges in making our industry run. We then talk to Gary Loh Founder and CEO of Dimuto https://dimuto.io/ and Kim Bui Global Head, FreshCloud Infrastructure and Analytics at AgroFresh https://www.agrofresh.com/ about how their companies are helping the produce industry globally with these challenges.

The COVID-19 pandemic is having a seismic effect on businesses in the produce industry, but there are lessons that can be learned. This is an opportunity to fine tune business continuity and contingency plans, and also a chance to define what is truly important and find new ways in which to grow. Join our conversation with three innovators who are responding with new solutions when challenges demand them. Discover how all along the fresh produce supply chain, technology formed in response to COVID is producing safer, more efficient tools for our industry.

The history of the world’s food systems has had major shifts - from hunting, gathering, fishing, and foraging through the current industrial food system. The 5th and current food system has exhausted its growth trajectory and the world is, once again, staged for a major transformation in the way that food is grown, distributed and produced. There is a movement away from an industrialized, monoculture system built to provide calories and yield to one based on healthy people and sustainable, equitable ecosystems. In the produce industry we are all about nutrient-dense fresh food for healthy people and a healthy planet. In this episode, we talk to Caesare Assad, CEO of Food System 6 a nonprofit accelerator whose mission is to support impact driven entrepreneurs as they transform how we grow, produce, and distribute food. We also talk to two companies involved with FS6: Ethan Rublee, a brilliant roboticist turning his passion and experience from computer vision startups and google to the farm and Lindsey Lusher Shute on supporting smaller acre producers for a more equitable food system.

COVID-19 has shocked the foodservice industry on all fronts. Restaurants are having to open and close at a moment’s notice. Foodservice operators and suppliers are responding and modifying their business models for the new post-crisis world. How we plan, how supply chains move, and how we collaborate is all going to change. In times of rapid and drastic shocks, those who are quick to adjust will lead the way for the industry to follow. New technology and increased use and reliance on existing technology will help the industry plan for the future.  Join the conversation about current state of food service with Vesta Foods and two different types of technical solutions from Avolast and Agtools.

 

 

Guests:

Jin Ju Wilder - Director Of Marketing And Business Development at Vesta Foodservice

Martha Montoya - CEO Agtools Inc

Aidan Moaut - CEO of Hazel Technologies, Inc

Patrick Cortes - Senior Director of Business Development at Mission Produce Inc.

Vonnie Estes explores the labor shortage in produce production with guests Dr. Phil Martin, John Purcell and James Terry. Dr. Martin discusses labor issues in produce production while John Purcell explores breeding solutions and James Terry talks about integrated hardware and software in-field solutions. 

Guests:

Dr. Phil Martin Professor Emeritus Agricultural and Resource Economics University of California, Davis

John Purcell Head of Vegetables R&D Crop Sciences at Bayer 

James Terry Founder CloudFarming in Australia.