Life In The World’s Breadbasket: Tal Wilk-Glazer Of Sativus Tech On 5 Things You Need To Create A Successful Career In The Farming and Agriculture Industries
An Interview With Martita Mestey
Agritech is booming, but we need people with good ideas to keep the momentum going. We need to push forward and figure out what’s next after lettuce. The key to advancement is unique ideas that make the industry bigger, more efficient and profitable.
The war in Ukraine and catastrophic climate events have caused a global food crisis. This has highlighted the central role that the farming and agricultural industries play in sustaining society as we know it. In particular, it has highlighted the US Agricultural industry, and its role as the “Breadbasket of The World.” So what does it take to create a successful career for someone looking to enter the farming or agriculture industries? In this interview series, we are talking to leaders or principals in the farming and Ag industries who can talk about the future of modern farming and what it takes to create a successful career in the farming and agriculture industries.
As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Tal Wilk-Glazer from Sativus Tech (OTC: SATT).
Tal is the acting CEO of Sativus Tech and its subsidiary Saffron Tech. She is currently overseeing the R&D process and spearheading the business strategy to bring vertically farmed saffron to market. Prior to joining Sativus Tech, Tal acted as Salesforce Industries’ Regional Director for Eastern Europe, Africa, and Israel.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
I am a good example of how a non-linear career path will eventually lead you to where you need to be. My journey started in a lab. I was a Medical Science major and thought that I wanted to be in a lab coat exploring new findings in science and medicine. It didn’t take me long to realize that this wasn’t my desired role.
I went to work in the high-tech world of cloud-based software. This was one of the largest SaaS companies out there with a built in roadmap for advancement. It was difficult to walk away from such a recognizable company that offered security and so many pathways for career growth.
But I realized I wanted more of a challenge and something that bridged my two worlds — the laboratory and advanced technology. This is how I got to Sativus Tech. My background uniquely positions me to lead the way in developing the biological and technological protocols and tools for growing saffron.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began this fascinating career?
We had the ambassador from Bahrain visit our laboratory to introduce him to lab grown saffron. We understood the regional significance of spice but made an error in judgment when we served him saffron tea and took the liberty of adding sugar to the drink. He said “you never put sugar in saffron tea.” And we learned the importance of being conscientious about different cultures!
You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
- Knowing how to bypass the noise.
It’s common with early stage startups to have a large workload and a limited staff. Your success depends on your ability to prioritize the important tasks and direct your team towards viable projects that lead you closer to your established goals. Some know this as the Pareto Principle or the 80–20 Rule — 80% output and 20% input.
2. Avoid Micromanagement
Part of keeping employee morale at its highest is giving them the autonomy to do what they do best. Acting with good faith and allowing them to own their tasks strengthens their motivation and productivity. At the same time, you need to manage your team’s weaknesses. As a CEO, you need to position your team for the best possible outcome. Knowing how to balance sovereignty and supervision is a skill all successful leaders must master.
3. Take Calculated Risks
There’s a fine line between a risk and a gamble. Learning to distinguish between the two is the mark of an effective leader. I’m constantly evaluating the right amount of risk that will be effective in achieving goals. But the one thing all successful leaders must never do is sit in the safe zone. Progress comes with risks.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
LIFE IS INHERENTLY RISKY. THERE IS ONLY ONE BIG RISK YOU SHOULD AVOID AT ALL COSTS, AND THAT IS THE RISK OF DOING NOTHING. — DENIS WAITLEY
It’s a risk to leave a good job at a great company. But leaving for something meaningful will help you feel alive again at work. The risk of leaving far outweighs the effects of workplace complacency.
Prior to joining Sativus Tech, I was at a large company that was named the “2nd best place to work” by a notable publication. My job was comfortable, flexible and I came to work with ease. I was in a comfort zone. I felt the organization was so big that my contribution couldn’t make a significant impact.
What people don’t realize is that when you’re complacent, you’re not doing your best work. Only when you’re taking risks, making mistakes and feeling driven to find solutions are you truly at your best. Take the risk and leave your comfort zone. Make the decision that makes everyone gasp and you question your sanity. It’ll be the best thing you ever did!
Ok super. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion about the farming industry. The idea of farming has a very romantic and idyllic character to it, especially to some people living in a busy cosmopolitan context. Do you think now would be a good time for younger people with no farming history to get involved in the farming industry? Can you explain what you mean?
When I joined Sativus Tech, I knew almost nothing about agriculture. My background was predominantly in cloud computing and high-tech software. Anyone looking to get into the industry can bring their skillset to the table to see how it can be incorporated in creating new paradigms around a rapidly changing industry. New technologies and ways of growing food are making the agricultural industry both interesting and challenging. Two things are happening right now. Vertical farming is becoming a necessity because of climate change and global warming. Vertical farming also has a ways to go before becoming mainstream. Thus we need innovators and creative thinkers to come in to make vertical farming more cost-efficient and ubiquitous. It’s an exciting time to get in because you can make a difference and leave an indelible footprint in the agritech space.
Where should a young person start if they would like to “get into” farming?
Invest in your education. Learn as much as you can about agriculture and technology so that you at least have an understanding of the basics when you’re looking to get into agritech or agribusiness. Success in high-tech industries without a formal degree is limited. After education you’ll be able to hone in on what aspect of the industry interests you.
With greater attention being placed on the importance of the farming and Ag industries, what do you predict will be different about the farming and Ag sectors, over the next ten years?
Lab grown foods are going to become even more mainstream within the next ten years. The growing world population and the ongoing effects of climate change are going to require us to build local indoor farms to sustain food security and quite simply feed everyone! Expect localized farms to supply communities versus the reliance of imports to complete the food supply.
I think the industry will be focused more on advanced crops that are more complex to grow indoors than the mainstream ones that have been the focus of the industry thus far.
I also think the technology will need to improve significantly to ensure that the indoor growing process is profitable. Automation will help with this especially if we can operate the farm with a limited staff that can operate almost fully remote.
I’m very passionate about trying to help minorities to become more engaged in gardening and urban farming. What do you think can be done to engage more minorities and people of color in the farming and Ag industries?
I think the best way to attract a diverse workforce is to locate your offices and farms in diverse communities. In Israel the peripheral areas are more diverse than the cities. We build our facilities and farms outside of the cities so that people from diverse backgrounds can have an opportunity in our company. As we grow, we want to select locations with diverse communities to increase our chances of acquiring a diverse workforce.
We all know that inflation is affecting so many parts of our lives. How does inflation affect farms? What steps have you taken to keep costs down?
Inflation affects everyone as does new technologies. What we are focused on is finding the right balance between reliance on automation and human labor. By finding the optimal balance we can keep costs down and try to minimize the effects of inflation. Another factor we are looking into is how green energy can help keep overhead costs at a minimum. The cost of electricity for an indoor farm is overwhelming. This is something all indoor vertical farms have to contend with. Green energy seems to be the most viable solution right now to keep operational costs as low as possible.
Here is the main question of our interview. Can you please share your “5 Things You Need To Create A Successful Career In The Farming and Agriculture Industries”? If you can, please share a story or example for each.
- Good Ideas!
Agritech is booming, but we need people with good ideas to keep the momentum going. We need to push forward and figure out what’s next after lettuce. The key to advancement is unique ideas that make the industry bigger, more efficient and profitable.
2. A Well Rounded Background
My seemingly unrelated experience at a software company was used to introduce new and effective practices in the agritech space. Adopting techniques and work standards between industries can be crucial in advancing new technologies. So much of my experience was in digital transformation — moving from legacy software to cloud-based software. What we’re doing now at Saffron Tech is agricultural transformation. We’re modernizing agriculture. You can try methodologies from other industries and implement them into burgeoning sectors. Having a well-rounded background can be so helpful in shaping a fledgling business. In short, a new perspective is the key to advancement in any business.
3. Be Creative
Seeing things as they could be and not just as they are is an important skill set. Agriculture is always looking for ways to evolve and expand. The creativity you bring into the workplace yields the differentiation between your company and the sea of other companies like you.
In our R&D center we are always thinking of new tweaks in the protocols to try. Some of the most ridiculous ideas have been key to advancement.
4. Be Patient, Respect the Process
In software engineering, you can hire more developers to shorten the time needed to achieve a goal. It doesn’t work that way in nature. There is a predefined set of characteristics that come with every crop. You have to work around the constraints of the crop and understand that you’re dealing in the realm of nature that needs its time to grow and evolve.
5. Business Acumen
What are you going to do after you’ve built the farm, developed the protocol and mass produced your product? Having an eye for expansion and strategic partnerships is something that comes with good business acumen. There’s the science of the plant, but also the science of people and consumers that you need to connect with to ensure your product is viable. That is essential in agritech.
You are a person of significant influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
I would start a campaign to add agriculture to the core curriculum in high schools. So many kids today think that food comes from the supermarket or their refrigerators. We need the next generations to keep up the work of improving our food’s quality, the supply chain and its availability. There are a few schools that offer agriculture in their course study, but I would expand so that students have the ability to see the growing process and understand the technology that is used to feed towns, cities and entire countries. At the very least that base knowledge will create informed citizens of the world, and perhaps even attract a new generation to the industry with fresh ideas for improvement.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
This was very meaningful, thank you so much, and we wish you only continued success.
