We thank everyone for joining us for our first Small Business meeting of 2020. I want to especially thank the witnesses for taking the time to travel from across the country and take time away from their businesses to have this important discussion. There will be members coming and going or overlapping hearings with other committees. Youll see folks, and we ask for your patience with that as well. Farming and agriculture are at the heart of strong economies around the country. It is crucial to insure that our communities thrive. Coming from colorado, i understand the importance that farming and agriculture have on our states way of life and economic wellbeing. Nearly half of colorados 66 million acres are dedicated to over 30,000 farms and ranches. Many of which are small, locally owned operations. Colorados a leading producer of cattle, corn, wheat, and dairy. Colorados small farms are raising everything from bison and ostriches and growing mushrooms and grapes to name a few. In the 21st century, technology and innovation are changing everyday life, reshaping how consumers shop and how business is conducted. Modern farming is no different. Through advancements in robotics, sensors, artificial intelligence, Gps Technology and digital platforms, agriculture is undergoing a revolution and trance zishzal from the Industrial Age to the digital age. These innovations commonly known as Agriculture Technology provide an opportunity to help farmers increase yields and profitability while reducing waste and environmental impact. Todays hearing will provide members with an opportunity to hear from innovators, farmers, and researchers about how its helping farmers modernize their businesses and how entrepreneurship and innovation is changing our food and farming systems. The increased use of ag tech has the potential to reduce challenges well face over the next century. Globally, the worlds population is on track to exceed 9 billion in the next 30 years. According to the united nations, this means our Agricultural Production will need to incrose by 70 . To meet the growing demand for food, fiber, and biofuel. Meeting this Global Demand for food will be even more challenges in the face of Climate Change that is already impacting our food systems, water, and land. Changing temperatures reduce yield and increase pest pressures. Changes in precipitation patterns increasingly cause crop failure and decline. As a former army ranger, i have seen how these threats including skas Water Resources and poor Food Security can have a profound impact on our national security, readiness, and resiliency. But the full potension of ag tech to meet global food demands create jobs in our Rural Communities will not be fully realized unlessio fully support our farmers and innovators and the research that supports them. Ag tech can spur growth in rural parts of the economy, and its struggling to find and retain skilled a skilled and stable workforce. To address this, i worked with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass the Farm Workforce modernization act, which will help create a Reliable Work force for american agriculture. This legislation will help provide certainty for guest workers and for American Farmers and ranchers. An important step in solving the labor challenge facing American Farmers and ranchers. There should also be robust funding of Agriculture Research at the usda to support farmers in Rural Communities. Im proud colorado is a hub of ag tech and innovation. Funding opportunities through my district, and a pipeline of talent from outstanding universities Like Colorado State University and the university of colorado systems have helped make colorado the second largest ag tech ecosystem in the country. As that pipeline develops the skills and food science, these specialists will lead the ag Tech Industry forward. Finally, it is crucial to mention the need for greater deployment of highspeed internet in our Rural Communities. Outside of this outside of its importance in health care, education, and legal services, connectivity is the backbone of ag tech. Broadband makes it possible for farmers to aggregate and analyze data in real time while tracking Commodity Markets and operating digital technologies. Small businesses and farms across colorado suffer daily from lack of access to highSpeed Broadband due in large part to lack of investment. High Speed Broadband is a necessity and why congress should make investments in infrastructure projects. Technology has become indispensable for all Small Businesses and farmers and ranchers are nodize. Small businesses play a vital role in providing products and services to support americas farming revolution. I look forward to hearing from our experts witnesses on how farmer is being impacted by technology and how rnd is impacting Small Business growth and entrepreneurship. And i would now like to yield to the Ranking Member, mr. Balderson, for an Opening Statement. Good morning, everyone. Thank you, mr. Chairman, chairman crow. Appreciate it. Happy new year, and look forward to a great 2020. I anticipate a great 2020, with another year of bipartisan camaraderie and innovation on the Workforce Development subcommittee. Todays hearing will explore innovations that are modernizing our farms and revitalizing rural america. Having spent time working on a family farm myself, i understand the impact farmers have on their community and our nation. Agriculture technology or ag tech, is a broad term describing a diverse range of technologies including bioscience, big data, analytics, automation, and robotics. Live chain and logistics and alternative Business Models such as hydroponics and meat alternatives. They can increase productivity, on a larger scale, ag tech is revitalizing efforts by attracting startups, jobs, and investment dollars to the agricultural region. Ag tech attracts aunlt entrepreneur and investors from various industries and geographies. As we observe the astounding growth, we couldnt lose focus on our farmers. With uncertain markets and narrowing profit margins, farmers may be hesitant to take on additional risks that come with new technologies. For example, an investment in precision Agriculture Systems included equipment purchases, installation charges and precious time spent learning to use and maintain these technologies. To be fully taken advantage of, the system must be compatible with preexisting machinery,con Business Models. Technologies must have a tangible impact on productivity and profit. As options rapidly increase, how do farmers determine what will work best for their specific Business Needs . I would like to thank our witnesses for being here today and to talk about thesis experiences called Ag Technologies and what resources are available to minimize the risk and maximize the benefits of investment. Thank you for being here today to represent this promising industry. I yield back, mr. Chairman. Thank you, mr. Balderson. I agree with you on looking forward to 2020. We had some exciting wins and collaborations in 2019 and look forward to continuing that in the next year. The gentleman yields back. If the Committee Members have an Opening Statement prepared, we ask they be submitted for the record. I would like to take a minute to explain the timing rule. Each witness gets five minutes to testify and each member gets five minutes for questioning. Theres a lighting system in front of you to assist you. The green light will be on when you begin. And the yellow light will come on when you have one minute remaining. The red light will come on when youre out of time, and we ask you stay within that timeframe to the best of your ability. I would now like to introduce our witnesses, but before doing so, i am going to ask unanimous consent to allow Jimmy Panetta to join the subcommittee hearing. Without objection, so ordered. Welcome, mr. Panetta. Thank you for joining us today. And i will actually yield to you to introduce our first witness. Thank you, mr. Chairman. I appreciate this opportunity to be here to speak about a very, very important issue. And thank you, Ranking Member balderson. I appreciate both of your Opening Statements and agree with absolutely everything both of you had to say, so thank you. Its an absolute honor to be here. Its actually quite a far, far away from where i come from, not just in the building but in california. I come from the Central Coast of california, and its otherwise known as the salad bowl of the world. Trust me, my fellow members on the ag committee get sick and tired of me saying that, and they have heard me say it over and over. Now you get to hear me say it, but i say it with a lot of pride because there on the Central Coast of california, you name it, we grow it. We have hundreds and hundreds of specialty crops. Theres a reason why were not only a salad bowl of the world, but we have the garlic capital of the world, the artichoke capital of the world, the berry bowl of the world, we have specialty crops. But as many of you know, specialty crops can be very difficult to harvest, especially crops. Take that human discernment when it comes to soft fruits and vegetables as to figuring out what is safe, what is ripe, what is ready to be picked. What is aesthetically pleasing to the consumer, because as you know, most of the time, those products, once theyre picked, they go right into the cartons. The cartons go right on to the shelves of the stores, and those cartons then go home with us, and then those products go right into the mouths of our sons and daughters. And so it does take at this point a very skilled you have to be very skilled in order to harvest this product. For a long time, we have relied on humans to do that, especially on the Central Coast of california. That is why jason and agree with you, the farm worker modernization act was a very, very important bill that im proud to say was not only passed in a bipartisan basis in the house. It must be passed in the senate and signed into law. In the meantime, the other avenue we must go down is ag tech, as you mentioned. But this type of technology, or these types of crops, were behind it. Were lagging. Dont get me wrong. I have been out in our fields there in watsonville, and i have seen some pretty interesting things from some companies right over the hill and from silicon valley, where i have seen machines take more pictures of a strawberry plant in one afternoon than all the previous history of taken photos of a strawberry plant. Its that type of technology thats needed, but more is needed to be invested in this technology to do it. And i think thats why its so, so important that were having this type of conversation here in washington, d. C. So that those types of investments in the field, not just on the Central Coast but throughout this country can benefit from the investment thats needed when it comes to ag tech. So its an absolute honor that im here today with you. But also have the opportunity to introduce mr. Kevin france. Kevin france is the chief executive officer of swim systems. A Small Business that provides onfarm agriculture water farming. Swim has a Satellite Office in my district on the Central Coast, and it partners with the western growers association, which has one of its main offices in my district as well. Now, under mr. Frances leadership, swim has been recognized as a top 25 Ag Tech Company by Forbes Magazine. Mr. France, i thank you for being here, for your preparation, for your time. And all of us look forward to hearing what you have to say in regards to the investment thats needed and what has been done and what needs to be done when it comes to ag tech. Thanks. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Ranking member. I yield back. Thank you for being here, mr. France. And jimmy, you might have a lot of agricultural capitals of the world, but i dont think you can claim the mushroom capital of the world, because that belongs to ms. Holoahan sitting next to you. Want to be clear for the witness. The second witness is dr. David pote potere. Hes a Technology Leader focused on building Applied Science platforms using geospecial technology to tackle complex business challenges. Hes focused on building a living map of the world food supply. Using reliable maps, data, and metrics can help farmers grow crops that are more profitable and sustainable. Prior to joining indigo, he was cofounder and ceo of tellis labs which provided agriculture intelligence using machine learning, remote sensing, and geospatal analysis. Hes got a ph. D. In geo demography from princeton and served as a Service Warfare officer in the u. S. Navy. Thank you for your service to the country and for being here today. Our third witness is mr. Roberto ma meza. While a grad student at mit in the art culture and technology program, he was inspired by student projects addressing Food Production in urban landscapes. His career quickly transitions from the arts to agriculture with a focus on food access. After a hiatus working on farms, roberto moved to colorado with a childhood friend and started their own farm in 2017. Emerald gardens distributes greens to restaurants, retailers, and smaller areas. They operate using solar energy. Burto is also the chair of outreach for a local chapter of the National YoungFarmers Coalition and the Rocky MountainFarmers Union. Hes also a board member of the High Plains Food coopand is developing a model to help to coops and local producers gain access to markets. Thank you for taking time away to be here today. Its always good to see a fellow coloradans in washington, d. C. I would now like to yield to our Ranking Member to introduce our final witness. Thank you, mr. Chairman. I want to acknowledge the Ranking Member of the Small Business committee has joined us also. Ranking member mr. Chabot. Thank you for being here this morning. Im sure a lot of you are looking and see the witness list. We have made an agreement, were not going to do the ohio stuff, but we do want to acknowledge that though ohio state is not in the national championship, joe burrow is. Thats where he got all his training, so ohio state is still represented in the championship game, coming up monday evening, so i just want to make sure that everybody is well aware of that. And from the southern portion of ohio, so were well represented. Will the gentleman yield . Yes. You mentioned he may soon be a cincinnati bengal, which i happen to represent. We shall see. We shall see. Our next witness, sorry, doctor. Dr. Douglas jacksonsmith, from Ohio State School of environment and natural resources. Hes here today as a representative of the universitys program for food. Before joining the school, he served 15 years as a faculty member of the department of sociology, social work, and atheropology at utah state university. He has a bachelors degree, a masters degree in macroeconomics and a ph. D. In sociologist. His Research Explores the dynamics of technology and structural change in natural and resource systems. Hes helped lead 25 million worth of Interdisciplinary Science grant funding. Dr. Jacksonsmith, we thank you for your research in this field and appreciate you taking the time away from your work to beak here with us today. I yield back, mr. Chairman. Thank you. All due respect to the Ranking Member, dr. Jacksonsmith received his academic training from the university of wisconsin, so go badgers. Not to be outdone this morning. Thank you very much. Mr. France, you are now recognized for five minutes. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Congressman, thank you very much. And other members of this committee. Appreciate the opportunity to speak with you today on the impact of Agricultural Technology in rural america. And i appreciate this opportunity to share some of my experiences. My name is kevin france, and i chief executive officer of swim systems. My graduate and undergraduate degrees are in Business Administration and my professional experience includes developing technologies through Public Partnerships that can be integrated into the private sector. Prior to the internet of things, also known as the iot rev