Hunter has over 30 years of experience in the information technology industry and oversaw policy and planning for the USDA from 2013-17, including managing the annual IT spending budget of $3.4 billion.

NATIVE connects farms with local buyers, maximizing the value of their harvests and helping both buyers and restaurants deliver on the promise and demand of locally sourced food. NATIVE integrates real-time technology throughout the agricultural supply chain, providing seed-to-sale traceability, waste mitigation, and return on investment.

"With the exponential growth of world population and subsequent depletion of finite natural resources, the need to enhance farm yield has become critical," said Joyce Hunter. "According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, the world will need to produce 70 percent more food in 2050."

"Smart farming—based on IoT technologies like what NATIVE provides—enables growers and farmers to reduce waste and enhance productivity. NATIVE's seed-to-sale traceability enables remote monitoring of conditions to ensure safety and improved quality of the final agricultural produce," concluded Hunter.

By implementing real-time inventory and sales management tools at the farm level, NATIVE allows wholesale buyers to access local food as soon as it is harvested. In June, NATIVE announced a partnership with Autogrow, supporting the FarmRoad™ farm management and agriculture software platform.

"Joyce Hunter is a leader in agriculture technology and has been on the forefront of innovation, food safety and market transparency throughout her decorated career," said Frank Pica, co-founder, NATIVE. "She shares our passion for democratizing data in the agricultural community, putting it into the hands of locals farmers to find more revenue and growth opportunities."

Ms. Hunter has over 30 years of experience in the information technology industry. The last 14 years of her career have been dedicated to addressing the increasingly complex demands on the federal and commercial health community.