Podcasts Health The Produce Moms Podcast EP89: The Future of AG Technology with Vonnie Estes, Vice President of Marketing at The Produce Marketing Association

EP89: The Future of AG Technology with Vonnie Estes, Vice President of Marketing at The Produce Marketing Association

Published: March 11, 2020, 9 a.m.

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\\u201cWhat I love doing is figuring out what scientists are doing and then applying it in the field to make people\\u2019s lives better.\\u201d

Vonnie Estes (4:24)

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From Growers, to Packaging, to Your Table, Technology is Revolutionizing AG.\\xa0

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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.\\xa0

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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\\u2019s 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.\\xa0

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The Importance of Technology in AG

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In the rural farms of Chile, there are still farmers who manage their entire business on pen and paper in a stack of notebooks.\\xa0

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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

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The terms \\u201cbiotechnology\\u201d and \\u201cgenetically modified\\u201d 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.\\xa0

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  • Technology enables farmers to create a digital footprint and help you, as the consumer, know exactly where your produce comes from.\\xa0

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  • 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.\\xa0
  • Technology provides software that equips farmers to manage their crops and workers.\\xa0
  • Technology increases efficiency - giving farmers real-time data to help them eliminate water waste, and increase crop yields.\\xa0

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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.\\xa0

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\\u201c35% 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.\\u201d\\xa0 - Vonnie Estes. 15:20 - 15:35

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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 \\u201cCertified Organic\\u201d shelves.\\xa0

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But what is genetic modification, and is it actually dangerous?\\xa0

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\\u201c90% of scientists think GMOs are safe, including The American Medical Association and National Academy of Sciences.\\u201d\\xa0

- Vonnie Estes. (20:01 - 20:08)

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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\\u2019s resilience, and increase the harvest.\\xa0

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  • \\u201cRoundup ready\\u201d - Scientists have created a crop that is more resilient to herbicide.\\xa0

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  • Bug Resistant - Scientists insert insecticide genes into the plant. This protects the plants from being eaten by pests.\\xa0

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It can be disconcerting to think that there is foreign DNA in the foods you consume. However, it\\u2019s important to understand that genetic modification is highly regulated and well tested, and isn\\u2019t as widespread as some may think.

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\\u201cWhen 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 has some kind of genetically modified thing in it.\\u201d - Vonnie Estes 20:25

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It\\u2019s also important to note that genetic modification is not a widespread practice for all produce. A genetically modified crop takes 10-15 years to get to market. Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent for the regulatory process of development and testing. Only the biggest companies and crops (i.e. corn, soy, canola) can even afford it.\\xa0

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So, what products ARE genetically modified?\\xa0

There are currently three crops on the market that have been modified. Only one of the three are readily available for consumer purchase in grocery stores.\\xa0

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Potatoes. There is currently a potato crop available for commercial purpose that doesn\\u2019t brown when cut.\\xa0

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Arctic Apple. The Arctic Apple has been genetically modified to not brown. They are not available everywhere, and are well-marked in locations where they can be purchased.\\xa0

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Papayas sourced from Hawaii. Genetic modification literally saved the papaya industry in Hawaii. When a virus threatened to destroy the entire crop 20-30 years ago, a resistant strain of papaya was developed.\\xa0



The Future of GMO

New labeling protocols are being implemented to help consumers understand which products they purchase contain GMO\\u2019d ingredients. Products only have to identify their products as GMO\\u2019d if they contain a certain percentage of modified ingredients.\\xa0

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\\u201cIt\\u2019s great to know labels are going to be on all of the [GMO\\u2019d] products so we can minimize consumer confusion and increase consumer confidence.\\u201d - Lori Taylor (25:24)\\xa0

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Why support conventional produce?\\xa0

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According to Vonnie, if you are passionate about sustainability, organic may not be the way to go.\\xa0

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Why?

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When only one person is touching everything - it becomes elitist. There is limited potential for scale, increased cost, and limited accessibility for the masses. If you really care about regenerating the soul, and sustainability, organic may not be the best choice. It\\u2019s important to consider how things are being grown, and how your choices affect the rest of the population.\\xa0



Technology is feeding the world.\\xa0

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The goal of biotechnology and genetic modification is to create food to feed the world. Vonnie Estes and scientists in AG Tech want people to eat better, to feed more people, navigate challenges like climate change, and do all of this in a sustainable way that takes care of our earth.\\xa0

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When you look at all of these factors, it becomes easy to see that technology is a necessary component to help produce food in a way that is efficient, sustainable, and accessible.\\xa0



How to get involved

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If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we\\u2019d love for you to help us spread the word!

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