The nature of work is changing rapidly and dramatically. Advances in technology are eliminating some jobs, transforming others, and, in some cases, creating jobs we never even imagined. In WorkingNation’s weekly podcast Work in Progress, we speak with leaders in business, education, government, and nonprofits about what’s being done to train and reskill American men and women to ensure they can compete for, and qualify for, good-paying, in-demand jobs today and in the future. Work in Progress is hosted and executive produced by WorkingNation Editor-in-Chief Ramona Schindelheim. Produced by Larry Buhl.
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The nature of work is changing rapidly and dramatically. Advances in technology are eliminating some jobs, transforming others, and, in some cases, creating jobs we never even imagined. In WorkingNation’s weekly podcast Work in Progress, we speak with leaders in business, education, government, and nonprofits about what’s being done to train and reskill American men and women to ensure they can compete for, and qualify for, good-paying, in-demand jobs today and in the future. Work in Progress is hosted and executive produced by WorkingNation Editor-in-Chief Ramona Schindelheim. Produced by Larry Buhl.
CES 2025: Closing the tech opportunity gap in Rural America
Work In Progress
8 minutes 32 seconds
9 months ago
CES 2025: Closing the tech opportunity gap in Rural America
In this episode of Work in Progress, I head to CES 2025 to explore how tech innovations are creating more job opportunities and economic mobility in Rural America, and how they are transforming farming. I caught up with Matt Dunne, founder and executive director of Center on Rural Innovation, and Jeff Runde, engineering director at AgTech giant John Deere, who share their insights in this episode.
Rural America: Center on Rural Innovation is Creating Tech Companies
The Center on Rural Innovation (CORI) is working to close the technology opportunity gap in Rural America by helping communities develop technology jobs and innovation-based companies.
"The biggest challenge for rural founders and aspiring rural technologists is isolation," says Dunne. "It's really nothing else. It's not their capacity, their tenacity, or even their innovative ideas, it's being able to connect them to the advisors that can give them the information that they need to be able to be successful, as you might find in a Palo Alto or a Cambridge, Massachusetts."
Dunne explains that for the past eight years CORI has been helping attract venture capital to founders in towns in Rural America. In the podcast, he details how that work has transformed Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and Winston, North Carolina, creating good-paying tech jobs.
Rural America: AgTech is Changing Farming
At CES, I also saw firsthand how tech is changing the agricultural industry. The American Farm Bureau Federation estimates there are roughly 2.4 million farm jobs that need to be filled annually.
Runde showed me John Deere's new driverless tractor, the Autonomous 9RX Tractor, which he says can help the American farmer plan, plant, and harvest their crops. It's huge and combines advanced computer vision, AI, and cameras to help the machines navigate their environments.
In the podcast, Runde explains how farmers can operate the controls from a mobile device and what it means for productivity and the economy in Rural America.
You can listen to the entire conversation here, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find our podcasts on the Work in Progress YouTube channel.
Episode 349: Matt Dunne, founder and executive director, Center on Rural Innovation, and Jeff Runde, engineering director, John DeereHost & Executive Producer: Ramona Schindelheim, Editor-in-Chief, WorkingNationProducer: Larry BuhlTheme Music: Composed by Lee Rosevere and licensed under CC by 4Transcript: Download the transcript for this episode hereWork in Progress Podcast: Catch up on previous episodes here
Work In Progress
The nature of work is changing rapidly and dramatically. Advances in technology are eliminating some jobs, transforming others, and, in some cases, creating jobs we never even imagined. In WorkingNation’s weekly podcast Work in Progress, we speak with leaders in business, education, government, and nonprofits about what’s being done to train and reskill American men and women to ensure they can compete for, and qualify for, good-paying, in-demand jobs today and in the future. Work in Progress is hosted and executive produced by WorkingNation Editor-in-Chief Ramona Schindelheim. Produced by Larry Buhl.
