Voices of the Valley

Latest Episodes:

When NASA and Farming Collide Jan 11, 2022

Show notes

Explore the intersection of space tech and agtech as Neill Callis—an aerospace engineer turned farmer—delves deep into the issues farmers are grappling with most (think, intense regulations and lack of water and labor) and what tech is on the horizon to solve those problems. Neill, who currently serves as general manager at Turlock Fruit Company, covers everything from solar-powered reverse osmosis systems to optical sorting and desalination. Using insight from his 17-year career at NASA, Neill also provides context to how agtech can be developed faster to help farmers face the headwinds of labor and regulation that batter the industry as well as the automation that ultimately offers a path to keep farms in the United States.

Changing the Farm Narrative through Innovation & Workforce Development Jan 04, 2022

Show notes

Karen Ross (California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary) delves into the opportunities 2022 offers for the California farming industry – including meaningful ways to the change narrative of agriculture. She discusses how to create a renewable cycle of economic development, collaboration, new technology invention, and environmental stewardship. Podcast hosts Dennis and Candace also dive deep with Karen on the topics of workforce development, upskilling the current workforce and molding the next generation to quickly advance innovation to feed more people while using fewer resources.

Intersection of Ag and Tech: Emerging Trends in 2022 Dec 28, 2021

Show notes

Agtech investor and strategist Seana Day provides a deep analysis into what we can expect to see from the agtech ecosystem in 2022. Tracking 1,500+ agtech companies, Seana reveals what she sees as the top trends for the future year – such as a fintech/agtech crossover, more mergers/acquisitions, expansion of asset utilization and more. Tune in to journey with Seana as she explores the opportunities and challenges for agtech in 2022 and beyond.

Building Communities for Resuscitating Water Conservation Dec 22, 2021

Show notes

What can you do when laws and regulations don’t reflect the current water situation? Groundwater Expert Elisa Blanco shares how communities and private businesses in Chile encouraged the government to invest in groundwater recharge and surface water storage. Her tips include steps on how to build groundwater communities, coordinate capital and human resources, trigger investment in technology and more.

How to Become an Agtech Impact Rainmaker Dec 14, 2021

Show notes

As Israel has long been known as an innovator in water usage, the country’s technologists have helped farmers achieve 30% more yield while using 60% less water. How? Ethy Levy, fund manager at Kinneret Impact Ventures, reveals that collaboration is the key. Listen as she shares tips on adopting innovation, creating the right infrastructure for innovation inside an organization and successfully connecting to up-and-coming startups. Ethy will also dive into Israel’s new tech innovations, discuss water solutions for a global marketplace and provide insight into the right tools needed for commercializing innovations.

The Interplay Between Water, Tech and Regulation Dec 07, 2021

Show notes

Speaking from the unique perspective of both a farmer and technologist, Domonic Rossini discusses the key elements for creating a formula that results in a more automated, efficient and sustainable farm. Domonic, Netafim’s team leader of agronomy in the west, outlines how to take proven technology from Israel and tailor it to meet the needs of each farm – with a focus on altering the tech to meet specific regulations required in respective regions throughout California. He also touches on how to translate data from algorithms to use water more efficiently on the farm, the future of water technology (think, behind-the-scenes data sharing) and the trick to building and implementing water technology that lasts.

The Next Wave of AgTech: Plant Probiotics Nov 30, 2021

Show notes

Are you wondering what the next hot opportunity in agtech is? Ponder no further. It’s microbes (aka probiotics for plants). Bruce Caldwell, chemical engineer extraordinaire and founder/CEO of 3Bar Biologics, has spent the last 15 years working on technology that delivers live, viable microbes to farmers. These supercharged microbes have the ability to continuously activate based on plant needs and improve field performance better than synthetic products. Good news; he’s perfected the tech and even won $250K last month during the AgSharks Pitch Competition to ramp up manufacturing. Listen as Bruce reveals the secret behind commercializing new tech platforms, the recipe for winning startup pitch competitions, and how to develop a product that is specific enough to meet the needs of individual farms but general enough to be applied to numerous operations.

Dawn of the Drones: Spraying, Pollination and Imaging Nov 23, 2021

Show notes

Why use multiple machines to achieve farm tasks like seeding, crop protection application and spot-spraying imaging when you can just use one? Drones offer a one-stop shop where farmers can achieve many tasks by using only one piece of technology. Rantizo CEO Michael Ott and Ag-Bee President Briana Layfield break down, step-by-step, how drones are currently being used to improve the farmer’s bottom line and provide an analysis on the future applications of drones…such as pollinating crops. The duo also reveals their technique of leveraging a “systems approach” and large network to design a product that meets all stakeholder needs while making money in the process.

Organic Farming: Selling Health, Well-Being and Lifestyle Nov 16, 2021

Show notes

Organic agriculture is more than just about eating healthy; it’s a lifestyle. Tonya Antle, Co-founder and EVP of the Organic Produce Network, was among the industry pioneers who helped build the organic industry from scratch. In this episode, she shares how to create consumer confidence with burgeoning and unknown industries…because she did it with organic agriculture. She also reveals how to identify opportunities to expand, change the mindset of both consumers and farmers, and how to meet your triple bottom line (profit, people and the planet).

Leveraging Military Expertise to Grow a Startup Nov 09, 2021

Show notes

As a the first female aviator ever selected to serve with the Blue Angels, Amy Tomlinson is a pro at going 0 to 150 miles per hour in under 3 seconds – both literally and figuratively. After serving in the navy for 20 years as a weapons systems officer, she traded in her F-14 Tomcat and F/A-18 Super Hornet for microgrids. Yes, you heard right – microgirds. Amy is now a self-proclaimed “energy nerd” for agtech startup Concentric Power. Listen as Amy reveals how to apply key learnings from military service—such as the “brief-fly-debrief approach” and breaking out of the box to seize every opportunity—to build a thriving company that offers sustainable energy systems to the agriculture industry. NOTE: This episode originally aired on June 1, 2021, but is being re-aired in honor of Veterans Day 2021.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected