Voices of the Valley

Latest Episodes:

Asking the Right Questions with Josh Ruiz, Senior Director of Ag Technology and Innovation, on Voices of the Valley May 30, 2023

Show notes

Josh Ruiz, Senior Director of Ag Technology and Innovation at Duda Farm Fresh Foods, shares how he views challenges and opportunities in his role to be an actor of change in agriculture on this week’s episode of Voices of the Valley.

Rabo Research's David Magaña on a Global Approach to Consumer Desires May 23, 2023

Show notes

David Magaña is Vice President and Senior Analyst of Rabo Research in North America for fresh fruits, vegetables and nuts, and he shares his global perspective on the present challenges in agriculture on this week’s episode of Voices of the Valley.

Together with hosts Dennis Donohue and Candace Wilson, David discusses the global factors of water, land, logistics and inflation that put pressure on agricultural production, calling it “a massive collision of forces.” With rising consumer demands, growers have to manage the ─ sometimes contradictory ─ desires of buyers and consumers.

Farmers are Entrepreneurs: Citi’s Adam Bergman Talks Agtech May 16, 2023

Show notes

Adam Bergman ─ Managing Director, Clean Energy Transition Group and the Global Head of AgTech at Investment Banking, Citi ─ joins Dennis Donohue and Candace Wilson on this week’s episode of Voices of the Valley.

The topic of agtech and cleantech to address issues like climate change is a global endeavor, Adam says. Countries like Israel, Brazil and the United States are all players in creating and utilizing sustainable agricultural practices, and a collaboration of effort toward a sustainable future is an asset.

And all roads lead back to the farmer. “The farmer of the future is going to be someone with an iPad in their hand,” Bergman says. But every agtech solution should be developed and brought to market with grower input to ensure value, usability and return.

Alex Cochran Discusses the Value of Biologicals in Agriculture May 09, 2023

Show notes

Alex Cochran, Chief Technology Officer at DPH Biologicals joins Dennis Donohue and Candace Wilson on this week’s episode of Voices of the Valley to discuss the realities and possibilities of utilizing biological solutions in agriculture.

In this episode, Alex shares his insight into how to optimize the benefits of biologicals, which, he says, starts with the relationship with growers: “The single biggest challenge that we have in the biological space today is around trust.” The answer to building that trust: high-quality science and aligning expectations.

Biologicals don’t function in the same way that chemistry does, and Alex takes time in this episode to discuss examples. Alex says: “The way I like to position biologicals is, they’re not chemistry. They are different. They behave differently. In some cases, they need to be handled differently, and that’s important for growers to understand from an education process.”

Christine Birdsong, Undersecretary for the CDFA, Talks Sustainable Pest Management Solutions on This Week’s Voices of the Valley May 02, 2023

Show notes

Undersecretary for the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Christine Birdsong joins Dennis Donohue and Candace Wilson on this week’s episode of Voices of the Valley to discuss her role and initiatives to support California agriculture on key points like sustainable pest management, water (whether drought or flood), supply chain difficulties and an aging workforce.

Amazon Web Services’ Elizabeth Fastiggi on Guiding the Industry to be More Predictive with Agtech Innovation Apr 25, 2023

Show notes

Elizabeth Fastiggi, Head of Worldwide Business Development for Amazon Web Services, joins Dennis Donohue and Candace Wilson on this episode of Voices of the Valley to discuss the role she has in supporting innovation to connect all areas along the agricultural supply chain. “That’s what our company at AWS is doing, helping customers innovate more quickly and move much faster as it relates to the use of data and technology,” Fastiggi says.

Fastiggi talks about moving the industry forward with tools that will help unify siloed data and democratize machine learning: “Various members of the supply chain talking to each other is what really matters.”

Hernan Hernandez on Working to Give Farmworkers a Voice in Politics and Policy Apr 18, 2023

Show notes

On this episode of Voices of the Valley, Hernan Hernandez, Executive Director of the California Farmworker Foundation, shares his background about growing up in a farm community to becoming a voice and force for policy change.

Ian LeMay, President of the California Fresh Fruit Association, on how Agtech Bolsters Ag Labor Apr 04, 2023

Show notes

Ian LeMay, President of the California Fresh Fruit Association, joins Dennis Donohue and Candace Wilson on this episode of Voices of the Valley to discuss navigating current challenges in fresh produce agriculture to reach a bright and exciting future.

LeMay shares his thoughts about the two biggest challenges that fresh fruit farmers in California face: labor and water.

“Transition is the word of the day,” said LeMay. “In termsof issue areas…truly has been agriculture labor. Our roots run extremely deep in that area, in positive ways and negative. To this day, as our commodities still holistically depend on the human hand to pick, pack and ship our commodities, labor will lead every conversation in terms of an issue focus area for the California Fresh Fruit Association.”

When asked about the role that agtech will play in relation to labor on farms, LeMay said, “We’re not trying to replace ag labor with agtech. If anything, we’re trying to create more efficient, safer places of work where ultimately the individuals working in that sector can earn more and have more advanced allocation of their job.”

Bountiful Founder and CEO Megan Nunes Wants to Use Satellites to Revolutionize Farming Mar 28, 2023

Show notes

Most people don’t think of the study of agriculture and the study of space as being related to each other, but this week’s Voices of the Valley guest, Megan Nunes, shares with hosts Dennis Donohue and Candace Wilson how space and agricultural technology work together. Nunes is the founder and CEO of Bountiful— a company that uses satellite imagery to provide data-driven insights to farmers.

Nunes grew up in an agricultural community, but while attending Cal Poly SLO she worked for an aerospace company. Several years out of college she started Bountiful, combining her passions for space and the agriculture industry.

“I have a dream job that I’m hoping will be created in the agriculture sector one day,” Nunes said. “I want to see an agronomist become a digital data scientist, where we’re able to look at agronomy from space.” Nunes, Donohue, and Wilson talk about their hopes and dreams for the agriculture sector, as well as topics of climate, geography and how satellite technology has the potential to revolutionize the way we farm.

Adrian Percy, Executive Director of the North Carolina Plant Science Initiative, Talks About the Exciting Rise of Automated Farm Equipment Mar 21, 2023

Show notes

It’s a pivotal time for ag tech and automated farm equipment. This week’s Voices of the Valley episode addresses the growth of ag tech in recent years in a conversation between hosts Dennis Donohue and Candace Wilson and guest Adrian Percy, the Executive Director of the North Carolina Plant Science Initiative. “I’ve been in this business for a long time and I’ve never seen such an explosion of innovation and technology coming to agriculture,” Percy said of recent technological developments. In this episode, Percy answers questions about product development in ag tech, up-and-coming technologies in the farming industry, AI, and more.

Note: At the time of recording, Adrian Percy's connection was slightly affected due to the storms.

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