{"id":42195,"date":"2019-10-22T11:25:37","date_gmt":"2019-10-22T15:25:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/?p=42195"},"modified":"2019-11-27T10:44:10","modified_gmt":"2019-11-27T15:44:10","slug":"no-more-pesticides","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/no-more-pesticides\/","title":{"rendered":"Ep 37: No More Pesticides"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"player_container player-42195\" ><div class=\"spp_player_textabove\"><b>Listen to the Episode  <\/b><\/div><div id=\"sm2-42195\" class=\"sm2-42195 playercontent sm2-bar-ui compact flat full-width full-width-player\"><div class=\"bd sm2-main-controls\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sm2-inline-element sm2-button-element\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sm2-button-bd\" style=\"background: transparent url(https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/app\/uploads\/2021\/05\/podcast_channel_artwork.jpg) repeat scroll 0% 0% \/ cover ;\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"spp-player-background\"> <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"#play\" class=\"sm2-inline-button play-pause\"><\/a>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"loader\" style=\"display:none;\"><\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"eq\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"bar bar-1\"><\/span>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"bar bar-2\"><\/span>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"bar bar-3\"><\/span>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"bar bar-4\"><\/span>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"sm2-inline-element sm2-inline-status progressbar\">\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sm2-button-bd\" style=\"display:none;\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"playerpitch0\" style=\"display:none;\">0.75x<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"playerpitch1\">1x<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"playerpitch2\" style=\"display:none;\">1.25x<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"playerpitch3\" style=\"display:none;\">1.5x<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"playerpitch4\" style=\"display:none;\">2x<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sm2-button-bd\" style=\"display:none;\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"secrewind\"><\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sm2-playlist\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sm2-playlist-target\"><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sm2-progress\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sm2-progress-bd\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sm2-progress-track\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sm2-progress-bar1\" style=\"display:none;\"><\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sm2-progress-bar\"><\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sm2-progress-ball\"><div class=\"icon-overlay\"><\/div><\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sm2-row timestamp timetext\"><div class=\"sm2-inline-time timestamp\">0:00<\/div><div class=\"sm2-inline-duration timestamp\">16:58<\/div><\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sm2-inline-element sm2-button-element sm2-volume\" style=\"0\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t   <div class=\"sm2-button-bd\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"sm2-inline-button sm2-volume-control volume-shade\"><\/span>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"#volume\" class=\"sm2-inline-button sm2-volume-control\" style=\"\"><\/a>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t   <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t  <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"bd sm2-playlist-drawer sm2-element\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sm2-playlist-wrapper\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"sm2-playlist-bd\"><li><a href=\"http:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/thestoryexchange\/Pam_Marrone.mp3\">Ep 37: No More Pesticides<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"sppbuttons\" style=\"\"><a class=\"button-itunes\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/the-story-exchange\/id1036000689?ls=1\">Apple Podcasts<\/a><a class=\"button-g-play\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"display:none !important;\" href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.google.com\/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly90aGVzdG9yeWV4Y2hhbmdlLmxpYnN5bi5jb20vcnNz\">Google Podcasts<\/a><a class=\"button-embed\" rel=\"modal:open\"  id=\"button-embed\" style=\"display:none !important;\" href=\"#ex1\">Player Embed<\/a><a class=\"button-share\" data-target=\"btnshare\" style=\"display:none !important;\" href=\"#\">Share<\/a>\r\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"btnshare\" class=\"webui-popover-content share-buttons\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/no-more-pesticides\/\" title=\"Share on Facebook\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"facebook\"><i class=\"fa fa-facebook\"><\/i><\/a>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=Ep+37%3A+No+More+Pesticides -&url=https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/no-more-pesticides\/\" title=\"Share on Twitter\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"twitter\"><i class=\"fa fa-twitter\"><\/i><\/a>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><a class=\"button-sppreview\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"display:none !important;\" href=\"http:\/\/getpodcast.reviews\/id\/1036000689\">Leave a Review<\/a><a class=\"button-spplisten\" style=\"display:none !important;\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"javascript:window.open('http:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/thestoryexchange\/Pam_Marrone.mp3','','width=500,height=250')\">Listen in a New Window<\/a><a class=\"button-download\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"display:none !important;\" href=\"http:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/thestoryexchange\/Pam_Marrone.mp3\">Download<\/a><a class=\"button-soundcloud\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"display:none !important;\" href=\"\">SoundCloud<\/a><a class=\"button-stitcher\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"display:none !important;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.stitcher.com\/s?fid=72717&refid=stpr\">Stitcher<\/a><a class=\"button-sppandroid\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"display:none !important;\" href=\"http:\/\/subscribeonandroid.com\/thestoryexchange.libsyn.com\/rss\">Subscribe on Android<\/a><a class=\"button-spprss\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"display:none !important;\" href=\"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.libsyn.com\/rss\">Subscribe via RSS<\/a><a class=\"button-spotify\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"display:none !important;\" href=\"\">Spotify<\/a><a class=\"spp-button-custom1\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"display:none !important;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.prx.org\/series\/34510-the-story-exchange\">PRX<\/a><a class=\"spp-button-custom2\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/music.youtube.com\/playlist?list=PLaK2UyNCu2g2_preGI12R4z2iRXjIH3ah\">Youtube Music<\/a><a class=\"spp-button-custom3\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/5lJgdFK8g9WWXLBYjWytyn\">Spotify<\/a><a class=\"spp-button-custom4\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/pca.st\/B094\">Pocket Casts<\/a><a class=\"spp-button-custom5\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"display:none !important;\" href=\"\"><\/a><a class=\"spp-button-custom6\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"display:none !important;\" href=\"\"><\/a><\/div><\/div>\n<p>If you are worried about toxic chemicals in food, then this is the podcast for you. We head to Davis, California, to speak with Pam Marrone, the founder of natural pest control company Marrone Bio Innovations. She helps farmers use alternatives to harsh chemicals &#8212; it&#8217;s a rapidly growing sector called &#8220;biologicals.&#8221; Pam is an entomologist by training and her early love for all things nature started in her mom&#8217;s Connecticut garden. Now she runs a publicly traded company that makes millions of dollars &#8212; and is helping farmers raise crops in an organic, sustainable way.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/PamMarrone_Podcast_image.jpg\" alt=\"Pam Marrone Bio Innovations\" width=\"1000\" height=\"657\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-42197\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn1.thestoryexchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/22115323\/PamMarrone_Podcast_image.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/cdn1.thestoryexchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/22115323\/PamMarrone_Podcast_image-525x345.jpg 525w, https:\/\/cdn1.thestoryexchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/22115323\/PamMarrone_Podcast_image-768x505.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn1.thestoryexchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/22115323\/PamMarrone_Podcast_image-150x99.jpg 150w, https:\/\/cdn1.thestoryexchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/22115323\/PamMarrone_Podcast_image-91x60.jpg 91w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"transcript-box\" style=\"float:none !important;\">\r\n<div class=\"accordion-container\">\r\n\t\t<a href=\"#\" class=\"accordion-toggle\">Read Full Transcript<span class=\"toggle-icon\"><i class=\"fa fa-angle-double-down\"><\/i><\/span><\/a>\r\n\t\t<div class=\"accordion-accordion_content\">\r\n\t\t\t<p><p>*Music Introduction*<\/p>\n<p>SUE: You\u2019re listening to our series Good on the Ground...<\/p>\n<p>VARIOUS VOICES: ...Good on the Ground...<\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: You\u2019re listening to Good on the Ground from The Story Exchange, featuring women entrepreneurs making an impact in a world that needs fixing. I\u2019m Colleen DeBaise.<\/p>\n<p>SUE: And I\u2019m Sue Williams.<\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: So we don\u2019t normally start our podcast talking about giant agro-chemical companies\u2026<\/p>\n<p>SUE: That\u2019s because they\u2019re usually not led by women. <\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: No, they\u2019re not. But today it\u2019s important for context to talk about one in particular, Monsanto, which makes the world\u2019s top-selling herbicide.<\/p>\n<p>SUE: It\u2019s called Roundup.<\/p>\n<p>COMMERCIAL SOT: In a manner of days, Roundup controls many of the toughest grasses and weeds.<\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: That\u2019s a commercial from some years ago \u2014 <\/p>\n<p>SUE: \u2014 probably the 1980s or \u201990s.<\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: Mm hm. And here\u2019s another commercial \u2014 much more recent, not made by Monsanto, obviously, but by a personal injury law firm.<\/p>\n<p>COMMERCIAL SOT: This is a legal alert, for users of Roundup Weed Killer \u2014 Roundup Weed Killer has been designated as a probable human carcinogen by the World Health Organization.  <\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: Suffice it to say, there are serious health concerns about all the herbicides and pesticides we use.<\/p>\n<p>SUE: On our lawns, in our gardens, in our playgrounds \u2014 and of course, on millions of acres of farmland.<\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: It\u2019s estimated that farmers spray about 300 million pounds of glyphosate \u2014 that\u2019s the main chemical in Monsanto\u2019s Roundup \u2014 each year on crops like corn and soybeans, but also wheat and oats.<\/p>\n<p>SUE: Traces of the weed-killer have been found in foods we give our kids, like Cheerios and Quaker Oats.<\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: And the companies who make these products, by the way, still say they\u2019re safe \u2014 and Monsanto stands by Roundup. But as a direct result of all the controversy\u2026<\/p>\n<p>PAM: People are concerned about where their food comes from and how it's grown, and they want it to be grown in a safe way.<\/p>\n<p>SOT: [bees buzzing, farm sounds]<\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: In this podcast episode we head to Northern California \u2014 where there are big farms and fertile growing conditions \u2014 to speak with an enthusiastic entomologist.<\/p>\n<p>PAM: I'm Pam Marrone. I'm CEO and founder of Marrone Bio Innovations. <\/p>\n<p>SUE (from tape): You're a fast speaker, so we'll speed right through this. <\/p>\n<p>PAM: I am a very fast speaker.<\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: Pam specializes in natural alternatives to toxic chemicals.<\/p>\n<p>SUE: It\u2019s a fast-growing sector within agriculture called \u201cbiologicals.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: It\u2019s not the easiest field to break into \u2014<\/p>\n<p>SUE: \u2014 and there\u2019s more and more competition \u2014<\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: \u2014 but we\u2019ll tell you how Pam has grown Marrone Bio Innovations into a publicly traded company that makes millions of dollars \u2014 and is helping farmers raise crops in an organic, sustainable way.<\/p>\n<p>SUE:  Stick around.<\/p>\n<p>*Musical Interlude*<\/p>\n<p>PAM SOT: This is a bacteria that we discovered from a rice field in Northern California.<\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: We\u2019re in the lab with Pam Marrone.<\/p>\n<p>PAM SOT: We test the toxicity of our product to plants, and that\u2019s what this group does here. They do a lot of plants!<\/p>\n<p>COLLEN: She\u2019s got on safety glasses \u2014 her staff are wearing white coats and gloves.<\/p>\n<p>SUE: She\u2019s showing us some leafy vegetables \u2014 they\u2019ve been sprayed with one of her products, Grandevo, which keeps those pesky \u201csucking-and-chewing insects\u201d away.<\/p>\n<p>PAM SOT: Once we discover something, we have to show that it\u2019s not harming crops. So this is a new version of Grandevo and this is spinach, I take it? Spinach and radish, cucumber.<\/p>\n<p>PAM: So our products are derived from nature in two ways. We can find them from plants or we can find them from microorganisms.<\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: These so-called \u201cbiologicals\u201d target only the insects that cause damage to the crops.<\/p>\n<p>PAM: ...and don't kill the lady beetles, lice wings, and so forth\u2026<\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: That\u2019s different than traditional chemical sprays.<\/p>\n<p>SUE: You\u2019ve seen the pictures of vast fields, with tractors with those huge, wide boom arms, spraying the crops.<\/p>\n<p>PAM: ...what is called a toxic motive action. That means it works on the nervous system of the insect as well as the nervous system of mammals, so that's why it's toxic to people, whereas the bio insecticide works only on the insect and not on anything else. <\/p>\n<p>SUE: Pam\u2019s most popular product is Regalia, made from\u2026<\/p>\n<p>PAM: ...an extract of giant knotweed.<\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: It helps boost a plant\u2019s immune system.<\/p>\n<p>PAM: It stops diseases like powdery mildew, which is that dusty white stuff you see on your roses. <\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: Side note: it\u2019s been popular with cannabis farmers.<\/p>\n<p>PAM: So growers beat our door down, so now we're supporting them because we think it's a good thing to replace toxic chemicals on this crop, which is being consumed by people. Yeah. And for medical reasons. Yeah. <\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: But her products are primarily used by farmers who grow food crops.<\/p>\n<p>SUE (from tape): Oh, give us a list. Yeah. Please. <\/p>\n<p>PAM: Our products are primarily used on what we call high-value fruits, nuts, and vegetables. So grapes, leafy greens. Your lettuce mixes. Tomatoes. Peppers. Almonds. Walnuts.<\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: And her company is doing well.<\/p>\n<p>PAM: Last year we had about $18.5 million dollars worth of sales and we're growing quickly, and so our products are being adopted.<\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: But it hasn\u2019t been the easiest journey for Pam.<\/p>\n<p>SUE: It certainly hasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: We\u2019ll tell you about her startup story, filled with dramatic twists and turns, after this brief break.  <\/p>\n<p>COMMERCIAL: The Story Exchange is a nonprofit media company that provides inspiration and information for women entrepreneurs. If you like what you\u2019re hearing, we\u2019re proud to say we have another insect-themed podcast featuring Kristy Allen, a beekeeper who is running a thriving honey business, The Beez Kneez, in Minneapolis. <\/p>\n<p>KRISTY: Everyday I get calls about, \u201cHow do I start a beehive?\u201d or \u201cI\u2019m really interested in learning about bees...\u201d<\/p>\n<p>COMMERCIAL: Listen to Episode 32: Let\u2019s Hear It For Honeybees.<\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: We\u2019re sharing the story of Pam Marrone, who is the founder of Marrone Bio Innovations, a natural pest-control company. It trades on Nasdaq.<\/p>\n<p>SUE: Pam\u2019s been an insect lover all her life.<\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: She actually has a quirky habit of wearing insect-themed jewelry.<\/p>\n<p>SUE: The day we interviewed her for our video profile \u2014<\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: \u2014 which listeners can find on TheStoryExchange.org \u2014<\/p>\n<p>SUE: \u2014 she was wearing a large ladybug necklace and matching earrings!<\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: How many CEOs of publicly traded companies can say that?<\/p>\n<p>SUE: Not many. Anyhow, she loves bugs.<\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: Though she likes to kill them!<\/p>\n<p>PAM: I like to kill bad bugs, but I want to preserve the good bugs. So you have to distinguish between bad and good ones. So yeah. I don't like all bugs. Only the good ones!<\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: Pam grew up on a 40-acre property in Connecticut.<\/p>\n<p>PAM: I spent hours by the pond looking at the pond life and the dragonfly nymphs and the water beetles and trying to identify them. <\/p>\n<p>SUE: Her mother is a naturalist.<\/p>\n<p>PAM: She knows the scientific name of every plant in the universe and I've never stumped her actually.<\/p>\n<p>SUE: That\u2019s so amazing.<\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: An interesting thing happened in Pam\u2019s formative years, which really stayed with her.<\/p>\n<p>SUE: It\u2019s actually a story she uses to explain her business.<\/p>\n<p>PAM: The gypsy moths are these horrible, hairy caterpillars; would come through maybe about every five or seven years.<\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: Yuck!<\/p>\n<p>PAM: My father went to the store and he bought a chemical. It's called Sevin or Carbaryl and it's a neurotoxin.<\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: He sprayed it on the tree \u2014 24 hours later, all the gypsy moths were dead.<\/p>\n<p>PAM: They were all dead in this black, messy goo.<\/p>\n<p>SUE: But unfortunately, the chemical killed more than the gypsy moths.<\/p>\n<p>PAM: There were lady beetles and lice wings and honey bees dead, and so my mother tracked me out and said, \"Pamela, look at what your father did!\" And she was just so mad.<\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: Lesson learned, her dad headed back to the store...<\/p>\n<p>SUE: ...and bought one of the few eco-friendly products on the market back then.<\/p>\n<p>PAM: It's derived from a bacteria that lives in the soil. The insects feed on it and they get a stomach ache and they die. <\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: Her dad sprayed it\u2026<\/p>\n<p>SUE: ...and they waited...<\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: ...and waited...<\/p>\n<p>PAM: And I said, \"Dad, how did it work?\" And he goes, \"Well, it makes your mother happy, it's good for the environment, but I don't know if it works.\"<\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: Unlike the knock-em dead chemical, it takes longer to see the results when you use natural products.<\/p>\n<p>PAM: That's the difference between biologicals and chemicals.<\/p>\n<p>SUE: That\u2019s something Pam \u2014 to this day \u2014 spends much of her time educating farmers about. <\/p>\n<p>PAM: For example, our product might stop them from feeding immediately, in less than a minute, but they might not die for four to seven days. So the farmer might say, \"It's not working. I'm still seeing bugs out there.\" I'm saying, \"Well, but it's not causing any damage. They've stopped feeding or they've stopped reproducing. They're not laying any eggs anymore,\" so it's an education that we have to do with the farmers. <\/p>\n<p>*Musical Interlude*<\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: So after that early interest in bugs, Pam studied at Cornell University, eventually getting her Ph.D in entomology at North Carolina State University.<\/p>\n<p>SUE: Her first job was actually at Monsanto \u2014 this was in the 1980s.<\/p>\n<p>PAM: Interestingly, Monsanto said, \"We're going to move away from our toxic legacy of parathion and Agent Orange, and we're going to develop something completely new. We want you to start up a whole new unit looking for new ways to control pests without the use of toxic chemicals.\" I go, \"Woo hoo! This is exactly what I want to do.\"<\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: Pam stayed for 7 years...<\/p>\n<p>SUE: Until the company made a pivot.<\/p>\n<p>PAM: Monsanto decided they wanted to genetically modify crops.<\/p>\n<p>SUE: So Pam did that for a while...<\/p>\n<p>PAM: And that was very successful. <\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: And here we\u2019ll pause for a second to explain how all this works. So, genetically modified means that something has been altered or manipulated in a lab, to produce a desired result.<\/p>\n<p>PAM: Monsanto has corn and cotton that, now every single cell of the cotton and corn plant are engineered to contain a specific insect killing protein. So that when a bug takes a bite out of the crop it dies.<\/p>\n<p>SUE: Monsanto also decided to genetically modify seeds so that they would resist its own Roundup herbicide.<\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: That means farmers can spray glyphosate \u2014 that\u2019s the main chemical in Roundup \u2014 over their crops and not worry that the corn or the soybeans will die, just the weeds.<\/p>\n<p>SUE (from tape): I can finally ask an expert. Is it good to eat genetically modified corn? <\/p>\n<p>PAM: There has never been any human health effects seen with genetically modified corn, so those who are worried about the health effects, I don't see any scientific evidence that there's any harmful effects to anyone.<\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: Pam shares similar views, actually, with Monsanto\u2026but she does voice a different concern.<\/p>\n<p>PAM: I would say that the criticism of the genetically modified technology is that it's been so successful, that farmers grabbed it, and used it and overused it and not used it in a sustainable way. So now we have insects developing resistance to the engineered cotton and we have weeds that have developed resistance to the crops that have been engineered to resist glyphosate. So that's the problem.  <\/p>\n<p>SUE: All of this led to Pam leaving Monsanto.<\/p>\n<p>PAM: That's very successful, Monsanto, but I was more interested in the natural stuff. <\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: She spent the next five years at Novo Nordisk\u2019s biopesticide unit, until\u2026<\/p>\n<p>SUE: ...like many entrepreneurs\u2026 <\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: She felt \u201csuffocated\u201d by corporate policies and decided to strike out on her own.<\/p>\n<p>PAM: In 1995 I started up AgraQuest.<\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: It was a biological pest-control company.<\/p>\n<p>PAM: I started in literally a little garage here in Davis, and then got it off the ground, then went on to raise $60 million more in venture capital. Almost took it public and got it listed on the NASDAQ market, but my timing was off.<\/p>\n<p>SUE: Long story short\u2026<\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: She was scheduled to do the investor roadshow \u2014 that\u2019s when you get people excited about your IPO \u2014 in September 2001...<\/p>\n<p>SUE: ...the day after the terrorist attack.<\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: Here\u2019s a clip of Louis Rukeyser from PBS about that time.<\/p>\n<p>RUKEYSER SOT: A nerve-shattered Wall Street seem to have discounted virtually everything short of a total permanent shut down of American business.<\/p>\n<p>PAM: I couldn't get the offering done, so some investor came in and did a takeover of the company.<\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: So, she said that pretty quickly, but this was not the outcome that any startup founder dreams of. Investors basically took control of AgraQuest, and Pam was pretty much forced out of the company she founded.<\/p>\n<p>SUE: So she didn\u2019t make any money when Bayer \u2014 the huge German company \u2014 later bought AgraQuest for $425 million.<\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: But undeterred...<\/p>\n<p>PAM: I left AgraQuest in 2006 and started up Marrone Bio Innovations.<\/p>\n<p>PAM: Probably the happiest time in my career was taking the company public.<\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: Here\u2019s a clip from The Street.<\/p>\n<p>THE STREET SOT: Marrone Bio Innovations just went public \u2014 the company priced its stock at $12 a share.<\/p>\n<p>PAM: Most people think it's my name, but it's actually my dad's name. But I actually named it after him because I was starting up the company right when he was dying. And also because of the fact that he so influenced me in my career choices.<\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: She raised about $56 million dollars through the IPO.<\/p>\n<p>PAM: It was an astonishing and important milestone. <\/p>\n<p>SUE But the excitement collapsed a year later.<\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: Out of nowhere, Pam\u2019s head of sales resigned.<\/p>\n<p>SUE: He was indicted on charges of exaggerating income.<\/p>\n<p>PAM: It was hell. The Securities and Exchange Commission oversees these things, and they investigated and it cost us $17 million and I had to lay off almost half of the employees in order to afford this. Why did we make it through? I had a chief financial officer, bless his heart, and a general counsel who were so dedicated to this company and our mission, along with a team of employees who helped me along the way. And that\u2019s why we\u2019re still here today.<\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: Her company teetered on the brink before raising $30 million dollars from new investors in 2018. <\/p>\n<p>SUE: Marrone Bio Innovations now has over 100 employees and about 10 different products on the market.<\/p>\n<p>PAM SOT: About 25% of the leafy greens on the coast are grown organically.<br \/>\n-Does that mean you have 25% of the market?<br \/>\n-I would say on leafy greens, probably, yeah.<\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: Earlier in the podcast, we talked about competition \u2014 the good news for consumers is that market for natural pest control is huge and growing.<\/p>\n<p>SUE: Chemical pesticides are under increasing scrutiny.<\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: And there\u2019s been quite a bit of litigation \u2014 here\u2019s CBS This Morning.<\/p>\n<p>SOT: Monsanto was ordered to pay $289 million in damages to former school groundskeeper Dwayne Johnson.<\/p>\n<p>SUE: The jury found that Roundup played a factor in causing his non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.<\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: Again, Monsanto says its weed killer does not cause cancer \u2014 but all the litigation has helped drive sales in the organic sector.<\/p>\n<p>SUE: Hot startups include Indigo Agriculture, which has raised over $600 million dollars from investors.<\/p>\n<p>PAM: We compete with large companies through innovation and being faster and more nimble and more agile.<\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: When we caught up with Pam recently, she said she believes she is the only public company exclusively in biologicals.<\/p>\n<p>SUE: While the pressures of being a public company are real...<\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: ...Pam says she doesn\u2019t let it cloud her mission.<\/p>\n<p>PAM: This is the long game. We're changing agriculture to be more sustainable in the long run, so this is not a quarter to quarter thing. And also, bugs don't respect quarters and the weather doesn't care whether the quarter, our quarter is coming or not. [laughter]<\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN:  We thank Pam Marrone from Marrone Bio Innovations for sharing her story.<\/p>\n<p>SUE: And we thank you for listening. This has been The Story Exchange. Join us next time to hear more stories about innovative and inspirational women doing the things you\u2019d never dream of. Or...maybe you would. <\/p>\n<p>COLLEEN: If you liked this podcast, please share on social media or post a review on iTunes. It helps other people find the show. And visit our website at TheStoryExchange.org, where you\u2019ll find news, videos and tips for women entrepreneurs. And we\u2019d love to hear from you, especially if you know someone who should be featured on this podcast: Drop us a line at info@thestoryexchange.org \u2014 or find us on Facebook. Sound editing provided by Christina Kelly. Interview recorded by Sam Shinn. Executive producers are Sue Williams and Victoria Wang.<\/p>\n<\/p>\r\n\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t<!--\/.accordion-accordion_content-->\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At a time when there are serious health concerns about the pesticides we spray on crops, Pam Marrone of Marrone Bio Innovations specializes in natural alternatives to toxic chemicals. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":51,"featured_media":42196,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"autoblue_enabled":false,"autoblue_custom_message":"","autoblue_shares":[],"autoblue_post_url":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[147],"tags":[20455,20432,20404],"class_list":["post-42195","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-podcast","tag-biological-alternatives","tag-natural-pest-control","tag-sustainable-agriculture"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.3 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Ep 37: No More Pesticides<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/no-more-pesticides\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ep 37: No More Pesticides\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"At a time when there are serious health concerns about the pesticides we spray on crops, Pam Marrone of Marrone Bio Innovations specializes in natural alternatives to toxic chemicals.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/no-more-pesticides\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Story Exchange\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheStoryExchange\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-10-22T15:25:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-11-27T15:44:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cdn1.thestoryexchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/22114514\/no-more-pesticides_thumbnail.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"657\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Colleen DeBaise\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"At a time when there are serious health concerns about the pesticides we spray on crops, Pam Marrone of Marrone Bio Innovations specializes in natural alternatives to toxic chemicals.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@TheStoryXchange\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@TheStoryXchange\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Colleen DeBaise\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Ep 37: No More Pesticides","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/no-more-pesticides\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Ep 37: No More Pesticides","og_description":"At a time when there are serious health concerns about the pesticides we spray on crops, Pam Marrone of Marrone Bio Innovations specializes in natural alternatives to toxic chemicals.","og_url":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/no-more-pesticides\/","og_site_name":"The Story Exchange","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheStoryExchange","article_published_time":"2019-10-22T15:25:37+00:00","article_modified_time":"2019-11-27T15:44:10+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1000,"height":657,"url":"https:\/\/cdn1.thestoryexchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/22114514\/no-more-pesticides_thumbnail.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Colleen DeBaise","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_description":"At a time when there are serious health concerns about the pesticides we spray on crops, Pam Marrone of Marrone Bio Innovations specializes in natural alternatives to toxic chemicals.","twitter_creator":"@TheStoryXchange","twitter_site":"@TheStoryXchange","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Colleen DeBaise"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/no-more-pesticides\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/no-more-pesticides\/"},"author":{"name":"Colleen DeBaise","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#\/schema\/person\/37ea4af04b473a35e85983067534a6b6"},"headline":"Ep 37: No More Pesticides","datePublished":"2019-10-22T15:25:37+00:00","dateModified":"2019-11-27T15:44:10+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/no-more-pesticides\/"},"wordCount":103,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/no-more-pesticides\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cdn1.thestoryexchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/22114514\/no-more-pesticides_thumbnail.png","keywords":["Biological Alternatives","Natural Pest Control","Sustainable Agriculture"],"articleSection":["Podcast"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/no-more-pesticides\/","url":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/no-more-pesticides\/","name":"Ep 37: No More Pesticides","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/no-more-pesticides\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/no-more-pesticides\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cdn1.thestoryexchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/22114514\/no-more-pesticides_thumbnail.png","datePublished":"2019-10-22T15:25:37+00:00","dateModified":"2019-11-27T15:44:10+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/no-more-pesticides\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/no-more-pesticides\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/no-more-pesticides\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/cdn1.thestoryexchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/22114514\/no-more-pesticides_thumbnail.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cdn1.thestoryexchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/22114514\/no-more-pesticides_thumbnail.png","width":1000,"height":657},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/no-more-pesticides\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Ep 37: No More Pesticides"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/","name":"The Story Exchange","description":"Inspiration and information for women entrepreneurs","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#organization","name":"The Story Exchange","url":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/cdn1.thestoryexchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/24161459\/TSE-logo-web-e1525383604615.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cdn1.thestoryexchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/24161459\/TSE-logo-web-e1525383604615.png","width":500,"height":180,"caption":"The Story Exchange"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheStoryExchange","https:\/\/x.com\/TheStoryXchange","https:\/\/instagram.com\/thestoryexchange\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/the-story-exchange","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/StoryExchange"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#\/schema\/person\/37ea4af04b473a35e85983067534a6b6","name":"Colleen DeBaise","description":"Colleen DeBaise is former small business editor of the Wall Street Journal. Her most recent book is \u201cStart a Successful Business.\u201d She has also written about the rewards and challenges of entrepreneurship for Inc., Entrepreneur and BusinessWeek, among others. She has been interviewed on MSNBC, Fox, CNBC, CBS and NPR. Colleen has a master\u2019s in journalism from Northwestern University. Contact her at colleen@thestoryexchange.org.","sameAs":["https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/author\/colleen-debaise-at-the-story-exchange\/"],"url":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/author\/colleen-debaise-at-the-story-exchange\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42195","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/51"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42195"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42195\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42549,"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42195\/revisions\/42549"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42196"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42195"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42195"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42195"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}