protected unless the user chooses to share it. The “sharing” feature allows ag professional to easily share the completed checklists with teammates, company leadership and government regulators, among others. “I’m a row crop kid from the Midwest who worked on my family’s farm day in and day out, so I understand how highly sensitive data can be,” said Rasa. “We guarantee that the speed and ease of capture and sharing is matched with the most secure privacy system.” BREACHING THE SPECIALTY CROP SECTOR A year and a half ago, AgVoice joined Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology in hopes of working with the specialty crop industry to customize the technology for fresh produce growers. “Joining the Center has been such an educational experience,” said Rasa. “We have learned so much about the challenges facing specialty crop growers and are now even more committed to helping and supporting them. The size and scale of this unique, specialty crop network of Western Growers doesn’t exist at our home base in Georgia, so we are thrilled to be here in Salinas at the epicenter of innovation.” Since joining the Center, AgVoice has had the opportunity to interact with WG members through numerous events such as WG’s Annual Meeting and AgTechx, a recently launched initiative that brings technologists to growers. Moving forward, they hope to advance their technology to the next level and serve all of agriculture by continuing to partner with staunch supporters who share their vision. For more information about AgVoice or its speech-to-text service, contact Bruce Rasa at (770) 265-2499 or brasa@agvoiceglobal.com.
wants to use an optional, wearable device like a noise-cancelling Bluetooth headset, we also offer those. They are on the market for around $100.” PRIVACY AND FOOD SAFETY ARE TOP OF MIND As the technology is being refined, features to help comply with new food safety standards are continually being added. AgVoice understands that to effectively and efficiently comply with the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, proactive record keeping is a must. Prior to activating the technology, AgVoice works with clients to tailor the service to their needs. They meet with the specialists who will be using the service and build platforms and mandatory checklists based on their job requirements. All information collected in the AgVoice service is completely
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NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2018
Western Grower & Shipper | www.wga.com
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