Ag Tech Podcast Returns With a Look at Water Use in Controlled Environments

Posted by Brian Sparks|February 4, 2021

A popular podcast that invites guests from in and outside of the produce industry to talk about emerging tools and trends, while also uncovering future challenges, is back for a new season.

Produce Marketing Association’s Vonnie Estes, Vice President of Technology and an expert on rising tech needs and trends, has launching the third season of the “PMA Takes on Tech” podcast. Each episode includes insights on a variety of topics, with the latest season tackling water conservation, personalized nutrition, and agriculture technology development around the globe. While there is no shortage of talks on technology, for this podcast, the guests are not just changing the tools the industry uses; they’re also changing how the industry works, says Estes.

“Technology is not the end point,” Estes says. “If we’re truly being innovative, we’re not just creating a tool to do a job. We’re creating a solution to a challenge. The guests we have are talking about how the solutions they’re developing are changing the entire way our industry can function. That opens up a lot of opportunity even beyond the immediate need.”

In the first episode of the new season, Estes is joined by Dr. Alexa Lamm, Associate Professor of Ag Leadership and Communication at the University of Georgia; Jackie Roberts, Chief Sustainability Officer at AppHarvest; and Dr. Sarah Federman, Research Scientist at Plenty. The panel discusses controlled environment agriculture that not only requires a fraction of the water of other types of production, but also meets consumer demands around transparency, traceability, and sustainability.

The podcast is one way PMA is providing insight to the opportunities and impacts of technology on the fresh produce and floral industries. For more information about upcoming PMA events, visit the PMA website.