Interview with Chris Novak

Join Dr. Steve Savage as he sits down with CropLife America President & CEO, Chris Novak, where they'll discuss the current state of the agriculture industry, ag tech, tools, and policies as well as Chris’ journey to CLA.

Have you ever noticed some food brands advertise they have, well…nothing? No GMOs, gluten, fat, sugar, oils, and the list goes on! Steve dives into how we pay “money for nothing” based on marketing claims for what’s in, or not in, our food.

In a childhood before the creation of video games, what did Steve turn to? Pest control, of course! In this episode, Steve details his past experiences with pest control and agriculture through family gardens and high school jobs.

  Join Dr. Steve Savage as he continues to pick the brains of CropLife America’s summer 2019 interns on their goals and ambitions after college, their thoughts on the current state of the agricultural industry, and how they’re taking what they learned this summer into their ag careers!  

The future stars of the agriculture industry are bright! Join Dr. Steve Savage as he interviews CropLife America’s 2019 interns on their background, education, and their future ambitions in the agriculture industry.

  What if there were dangerous toxins that had the potential to contaminate our food, but, much like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ secret protection of the citizens of New York and because our food system does a great job of protecting us from that threat, they don’t pose a risk to you? In this episode, Steve talks about mycotoxins and how protection from them varies around the world.  

Imagine if the Daleks of Dr.Who successfully completed their mission to exterminate all humans! This running feature is one of many pop culture examples of battles between humans and some type of alien invader. In this episode, Steve discusses the extermination of some alien invaders who were threatening the grape industries of California.

Who among us doesn’t love a good mystery? A whiff of danger and a few threads of misdirection leaves one wondering how the detectives will crack the case! In this episode, Steve discusses a murder mystery that nearly went cold: a case of a disease afflicting grapes in the 19th century.

While Paul McCartney ponders, “will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I’m sixty-four?” Steve wonders who will farm when 62% of U.S. farmers are reaching retirement age. In the season finale, Steve examines the barriers beginning farmers must overcome as well as the vast job opportunities available in agriculture today.

Whether you typically crave a drip coffee or something a bit more intricate and of the Niles Crane type of order, we can all agree that caffeine is necessary, right? On this episode, Steve discusses our collective love of coffee and his journey to discover his “coffee footprint.” What exactly does it take in terms of land and resources to maintain our daily coffee habit?