29 min
The Future of AG Technology with Vonnie Estes, Vice President of Marketing at The Produce Marketing Association The Produce Moms Podcast
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- Health & Fitness
“What I love doing is figuring out what scientists are doing and then applying it in the field to make people’s lives better.”
Vonnie Estes (4:24)
From Growers, to Packaging, to Your Table, Technology is Revolutionizing AG.
When it comes to agriculture technology, Vonnie Estes is the most brilliant woman that the Produce Moms has crossed paths with. She is truly a thought leader in the industry and has done a tremendous amount of work to revolutionize the way technology is utilized in agriculture.
Vonnie Estes is the Vice President of Marketing at the Produce Marketing Association. She studied Horticulture and Plant Pathology, but quickly realized that she loved science, but had no desire to be a scientist. Her gift is in taking the advancements made by scientists and applying it in the field to make people’s lives better through agriculture. She is passionate to work on the edge of scientists advancements and be the navigator to apply those incredible discoveries to the world of agriculture.
The Importance of Technology in AG
In the rural farms of Chile, there are still farmers who manage their entire business on pen and paper in a stack of notebooks.
As our world moves forward, and technology plays a part in every single aspect of our lives, it makes sense that it has a place in the food industry
The terms “biotechnology” and “genetically modified” often instill fear in the hearts of the consumers. However, these terms encompass much more than we realize, and are a crucial component to the support of the produce industry.
Technology enables farmers to create a digital footprint and help you, as the consumer, know exactly where your produce comes from.
Technology is creating opportunities for robots to do the hard work, allowing workers to move out of positions of grueling, long hours of work that damages their bodies (i.e. pruning and harvesting) and into jobs that empower their health. Technology provides software that equips farmers to manage their crops and workers. Technology increases efficiency - giving farmers real-time data to help them eliminate water waste, and increase crop yields.
Perhaps one of the leading advances in technology that we often hear about is genetic modification. The presence of GMOs represents groundbreaking work in AG technology, but we often hear about them in a negative light.
“35% of rural America has no connectivity at all. 60% of farmers, when asked if their connectivity is good enough to run their business, said no.” - Vonnie Estes. 15:20 - 15:35
The Lowdown on GMOs
Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) is a term that is tossed around regularly in the produce world, and it has created a lot of confusion. Consumers are often afraid of its implications, and more and more individuals are grabbing their produce from the “Certified Organic” shelves.
But what is genetic modification, and is it actually dangerous?
“90% of scientists think GMOs are safe, including The American Medical Association and National Academy of Sciences.”
- Vonnie Estes. (20:01 - 20:08)
Genetic modification, using tools to change the DNA of a plant cell, started in the 1990s. There are two main traits that scientists work on to increase a crop’s resilience, and increase the harvest.
“Roundup ready” - Scientists have created a crop that is more resilient to herbicide.
Bug Resistant - Scientists insert insecticide genes into the plant. This protects the plants from being eaten by pests.
It can be disconcerting to think that there is foreign DNA in the foods you consume. However, it’s important to understand that genetic modification is highly regulated and well tested, and isn’t as widespread as some may think.
“When you think about it, we in the US have been eating genetically modified food since the 90s. 60% of processed food on the grocery shelf
“What I love doing is figuring out what scientists are doing and then applying it in the field to make people’s lives better.”
Vonnie Estes (4:24)
From Growers, to Packaging, to Your Table, Technology is Revolutionizing AG.
When it comes to agriculture technology, Vonnie Estes is the most brilliant woman that the Produce Moms has crossed paths with. She is truly a thought leader in the industry and has done a tremendous amount of work to revolutionize the way technology is utilized in agriculture.
Vonnie Estes is the Vice President of Marketing at the Produce Marketing Association. She studied Horticulture and Plant Pathology, but quickly realized that she loved science, but had no desire to be a scientist. Her gift is in taking the advancements made by scientists and applying it in the field to make people’s lives better through agriculture. She is passionate to work on the edge of scientists advancements and be the navigator to apply those incredible discoveries to the world of agriculture.
The Importance of Technology in AG
In the rural farms of Chile, there are still farmers who manage their entire business on pen and paper in a stack of notebooks.
As our world moves forward, and technology plays a part in every single aspect of our lives, it makes sense that it has a place in the food industry
The terms “biotechnology” and “genetically modified” often instill fear in the hearts of the consumers. However, these terms encompass much more than we realize, and are a crucial component to the support of the produce industry.
Technology enables farmers to create a digital footprint and help you, as the consumer, know exactly where your produce comes from.
Technology is creating opportunities for robots to do the hard work, allowing workers to move out of positions of grueling, long hours of work that damages their bodies (i.e. pruning and harvesting) and into jobs that empower their health. Technology provides software that equips farmers to manage their crops and workers. Technology increases efficiency - giving farmers real-time data to help them eliminate water waste, and increase crop yields.
Perhaps one of the leading advances in technology that we often hear about is genetic modification. The presence of GMOs represents groundbreaking work in AG technology, but we often hear about them in a negative light.
“35% of rural America has no connectivity at all. 60% of farmers, when asked if their connectivity is good enough to run their business, said no.” - Vonnie Estes. 15:20 - 15:35
The Lowdown on GMOs
Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) is a term that is tossed around regularly in the produce world, and it has created a lot of confusion. Consumers are often afraid of its implications, and more and more individuals are grabbing their produce from the “Certified Organic” shelves.
But what is genetic modification, and is it actually dangerous?
“90% of scientists think GMOs are safe, including The American Medical Association and National Academy of Sciences.”
- Vonnie Estes. (20:01 - 20:08)
Genetic modification, using tools to change the DNA of a plant cell, started in the 1990s. There are two main traits that scientists work on to increase a crop’s resilience, and increase the harvest.
“Roundup ready” - Scientists have created a crop that is more resilient to herbicide.
Bug Resistant - Scientists insert insecticide genes into the plant. This protects the plants from being eaten by pests.
It can be disconcerting to think that there is foreign DNA in the foods you consume. However, it’s important to understand that genetic modification is highly regulated and well tested, and isn’t as widespread as some may think.
“When you think about it, we in the US have been eating genetically modified food since the 90s. 60% of processed food on the grocery shelf
29 min