I had the opportunity to learn more about Raven Industries during the company’s Innovation Summit at the end of July and now I am finally getting a chance to share this interview with Matt Burkhart, Raven’s Applied Technology Division Vice President, for a ZimmCast.

Raven is a fascinating company and much older than you might realize, started back in 1956 by four balloon-building engineers from General Mills. The company today still makes balloons and other “lighter than air technology” under the Aerostar division. The other two company divisions are Engineered Films, which makes such products as grain covers and retention pond liners, and Applied Technology, which is the precision farming part of the business. “The purpose of Raven is to solve great challenges,” Matt says. “Even though we have three completely different divisions that operate in three different market spaces, we have a common purpose.”

Raven’s precision vision includes operating world wide. “We believe that for us to meet the growing demand for food around the world, the US can’t do it alone,” Matt said. “So international is a key part of our strategy.”

Raven is the sponsor of our AgWired app for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and Android platform devices. Just search for AgWired in your app store and download for free!

Listen to this week’s ZimmCast with Matt here: Matt Burkhart, Raven Industries

Thanks to our ZimmCast sponsors, GROWMARK, locally owned, globally strong and Monsanto, Roundup Ready Plus, for their support.

The ZimmCast is the official weekly podcast of AgWired. Subscribe so you can listen when and where you want. Just go to our Subscribe page.