CropTalk

Brett Puffenbarger, the VP of Corporate Initiatives at Multichain Ventures, breaks down what the 'blockchain' is and what it means to be 'decentralized' while providing context on how it applies to agricultural sectors. Bobby and Brett and discuss the role that blockchain technology will have on the supply chain management of produce and plant medicines. And they dive into the broader implications...

If you've hand-watered ornamental hanging baskets in a greenhouse the couple weeks before Mother's Day, you know that it is impossible to give each hanging basket the TLC and water it really needs to thrive.  Some are under-watered. Some are over-watered. Some are missed completely and go to the dump pile in the days following. Growing large amounts of ornamental hanging baskets to the quality spe...

How can controlled ag. collectively succeed? According to Eddy Badrina, we should be looking to other industries to see what the future horizon for the CEA may hold and how to avoid future problems.  Topics include the danger of silos, realistic expectations, the dramatically changing produce consumer and running a company with a modern vision and purpose. 

Do you like BBQ? Not all BBQ is made the same.  Do you want to eat BBQ that is just sufficient in taste or BBQ that is mouth-watering and award-winning?!  Most would say mouth-watering and award-winning.  As a grower, should you provide your plants with sufficient nutrients to survive or should you dial in the details that make your crop award-winning and profitable on a per-acre basis ?  Kyle Lil...

Professor Kellie Walters from the Univ of Tennessee researches controlled environment plant physiology and works to help growers improve their crop production systems. Bobby Shearer and Charlie McKenzie had a chance to chat with her about what she considers to be the 3 most overlooked aspects of controlled environment agriculture (CEA). From food production to floriculture, they get into environme...

Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus is a mouthful. It's a mouthful of tough to pronounce words for growers trying to use the novel tool and a mouthful of certain death for many Lepidopterans that consume it.  Nuclear Polyhedrosis Viruses aka NPVs are baculoviruses -- pathogens that attack insects and other arthropods. With ever-increasing resistance to conventional synthetic pesticides, growers are searchi...

Skip your morning cup of coffee before listening to Stephen Ritz's episode of CropTalk #KyleTalksAgTech! Stephen is sure to inspire and entertain you as we walk through the impressive work he is doing educating students via the Green Bronx Machine and his PBS show.  If you are looking for some inspiration, this is the episode for you!  

Albert Lin has learned a great deal since starting VegBed bamboo substrates about entrepreneurship. Join us on this episode of CropTalk #KyleTalksAgtech as we discuss starting up, doing whatever it takes to succeed and lessons learned about running your own company. 

If you've worked in agriculture for long enough, you've probably heard "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" or "that's the way we've always done it".  Chances are the individuals expressing those kinds of sentiments are probably not the most open-minded.  They probably don't collaborate or share information with other growers very much because they might think they "know-it-all".  Growers that succee...

We spend lots of time assessing how effective our spray treatments are. But how often do you consider how efficient your spray program is? Does every application achieve maximum coverage and ensure product viability? The kinds of products you're using to apply agricultural inputs make a big difference. From low volume mists (atomizers, foggers) to hydraulic sprayers. What is best in what situation...

When is a vertical farm the right choice vs. a greenhouse? What is realistic when defining what success looks like in your CEA operation?  On the latest episode of #KyleTalksAgtech Robert Colangelo, Founder Farmer of Green Sense Farms and I dive deep into the honest reality of vertical farming, what the industry is doing well (and poorly) and how we can collectively do better to build the proper f...

What is "pesticide stewardship"? How is it used to prevent "pesticide resistance" and achieve other IPM goals? What are the different kinds of pesticide resistance? How does this fit into the IPM paradigm? What are some suggested practices and general approaches to pest management that consider pesticide stewardship? Those are just some of the questions that arose organically when Robert &  Charli...

Commercial agriculture has evolved over the past few decades in a way that has left many farmers with few sales outlets.  A large majority of farmers work with distributors or marketing companies that contract with the farmer to take the farm's raw goods and process them and/or sell them.  The farmer grows it and delivers it.  Often the farmer has one or two, at the most, of these types of relatio...

On this episode of the CropTalk series #KyleTalksAgTech, Kyle Barnett speaks with Niko-Matti Kivioja, CEO of Netled. Topics include starting a vertical farm successfully, the current status of the CEA industry and what the future landscape of this industry may look like.

Steve D. is a legend in the legal cannabis industry. Famed for his successful litigation against the Department of Justice, which halted DOJ's last-ditch 2011 campaign to shut down California's medical cannabis dispensaries, he's written a book, the Cannabis Manifesto, and was the feature of the Discovery Channel mini-series, Weed Wars, What else? If you're not hip to the Last Prisoner Project, go...

On this episode of the CropTalk series #KyleTalksAgTech, Kyle Barnett speaks with Chris Higgins, Founder of Urban Ag News and Co-Founder of Hort Americas. Topics include important tips for growing successfully, the current status of the CEA industry and what the future landscape of this industry may look like. 

The cost of IPM can be high in Cannabis production.  Especially if your wholesale or dispensary customers' favorite cultivar is also incredibly susceptible to pest & disease.  It is routinely observed by many different growers that certain Cannabis cultivars are more resilient and able to defend against certain pests or pathogens and prevent them from creating economic injury.  The selection of cu...

On this episode of the CropTalk series #KyleTalksAgTech, Kyle Barnett speaks with Roel Janssen of Planet Farms about his journey in Horticulture, vertical farming and the power of the industry to transform flavor and food across the planet. 

"If you grow it, they will come." "They" as in the buyer.  That was what many thought when it came to hemp.  Many farmers have a big appetite for scale.  They want to grow it all!  If they grew one acre last year, they want to try ten the next.  I can't blame them. I love growing too.  But...the tendency for farmers to bite off more than they can chew is why we had Emily Gogol, PhD , CEO & a Found...

Are seeds or clones better for a cannabis/hemp operation? Let's Debate! On this episode of #CropCareConvos, the second Crop Debate ever recorded, Bobby Shearer is joined by 2 CEO/founders who are leaders in the industry. Dr. Allison Justice from The Hemp Mine, arguing the case of of the incredible clones (including liners and micropropagation) vs Matt Haddad from Trilogene Seeds, arguing the case...

Cannabis is a short-day plant (with the exception of day-neutral cultivars).  However, as the commercial cultivation of Cannabis explodes, growers are manipulating photoperiods attempting to create outcomes different from what the plant would produce under a 12/12 light cycle.  That's why Rob Smallman joined the #LeadersTalkCrops series of CropTalk to share how he has been trialing different photo...

It seems some folks in the hemp industry think that all of the value in a hemp cultivar is related to its' CBD potency.  What about its' feminization rate verified by a third-party?! 🌱  What about its' minor cannabinoids?!? 💥  HOW ABOUT ITS' TERPENES?! 🤯  Jeremy Klettke, the CEO & Head Breeder at Davis Farms of Oregon, joined the #LeadersTalkCrops series of CropTalk podcast to describe why we'v...

Would you let a pharmaceutical rep craft your preventative health plan? I sure hope not.  Similarly, you don't have to settle for biased advice as you develop or improve your IPM program. Sam Konchan , the IPM Manager at Harvest Health & Recreation, Inc., joined as a guest on the #LeadersTalkCrops series of CropTalk podcast to share how he uses his resources wisely and whom he calls on for help wh...

Don't judge a book by its' cover.  It seems that everyone learns the above lesson at some point in their life.  Andrew Varela, Director of Cultivation at Rocky Mountain High, joined as a guest on the #LeadersTalkCrops series of CropTalk podcast to share why Cannabis growers might be overspending on nutrients.  He shares insight on how he learned to lower his nutrition input cost dramatically. And...

On Part 2 of this two part episode of the CropTalk series #KyleTalksAgTech, Kyle Barnett speaks with Ian Kanski - Director for the Center for Advanced Agriculture and Sustainability at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology, Chairman of the Board for the FarmTech Society, and co-founder of INTAG Systems. We discuss his journey from tech to Controlled Environment Agriculture, the lessons h...