Agbioscience

A new survey of agribusiness professionals found that more than 70% spend more than 11 hours a week collecting, collating and analyzing data. It’s a challenge being tackled by Brazilian company, Sensix, and CEO Carlos Ribeiro joins us today to talk data as a huge task on-farm and their role in optimizing decisions for farmers. Tremendous troves of data exist on the farm and, surprisingly, Carlos says the problems facing farmers in the U.S. are much the same as they are in Brazil. He gets into decision science and stresses the importance of mindset for tech adoption – despite the size of the farm. So how is Sensix uniquely solving this problem? A tech guy at heart, Carlos says he realized the amount of data needed to adequately manage farms. He tells the Sensix story, consolidating software and creating one interface for the farmer. In a time of tight farm margins, tech adoption is a tough sell. Carlos dives into their mission for a clear return on investment and putting money in farmers’ pockets in the short and long-term. On his recent visit to Indiana, he marvels at farmers’ data logs, appetite for decisions and looks ahead to what’s next for Sensix.

From the grand opening of BioBond's new Indiana location to the announcement of Sustainea and Primient's $400 million announcement, it's been a massive month for bioinnovation news. Mitch Frazier and Cayla Chiddister recap the month and look ahead to the rest of 2024 -- including AgriNovus' last QUADRANT of the year.

The total healthcare spend relating to poor diet is quickly approaching $4 trillion annually according to the American Heart Association. This doesn't even include lost worker productivity. One of the key contributing factors to that is access to healthy foods. Scott Massey, founder and CEO of Anu, is an entrepreneur that unites the power of technology and health to bring a new category of innovation to agbioscience. He joins us to talk the access gap to nutrition in our country and Anu’s approach to nutrition – right at the point of consumption. From perishability to socioeconomics and beyond, nutrition access has many challenges to overcome. Scott gets into how Anu has brought their innovation to market – from homes to larger community-based organizations such as hospitals, churches, schools and beyond. He talks balance between developing top-notch hardtech and building a business for scale – and emphasizing their mission to not build the biggest tech system for indoor farming, but one that is most distributed. As the recent winner of AgriNovus’ HungerTech Challenge, a grant from the National Science Foundation and beyond, there is wind in Anu’s sails. Scott dives into what’s next, staying strategic and his advice to entrepreneurs who aspire to get started.

Company culture is often referred to in business books and board rooms, but is hard to define. Beck’s Hybrids’ Bethany Gremel, Director of Brand Experience and Culture, joins today to answer a few big questions: what is company culture? How do you define it for impact? Bethany gets into culture as a living organism that needs fed and its foundation being a series of behaviors rather than words. She also talks about culture and brand working together, how their team fosters culture at Beck’s and getting new people integrated into the company successfully – starting with their interview process. How does culture keep going as employees age with the company? Bethany stresses the importance of loving and caring in the workplace and how what happens inside the company shows up on the outside of the company. Beck’s has expanded significantly over the last several years and as they’ve scaled, Bethany gets into the notion of “you cannot create culture, you have to catch it.”

About 1.6 million barrels per day of petroleum jet fuel were consumed in the United States in 2023. That number is expected to increase to nearly 2 million barrels daily by 2050. Southwest Airlines is taking a bold move, migrating away from petroleum to sustainable fuels. Anthony Gregory, COO of Southwest Airlines Renewable Ventures, joins today to talk about its impact on agbioscience innovation, farmers and airline travelers in the future. As one of the world’s largest airlines, Anthony gets into Southwest’s proactive approach to sustainable aviation fuel, their investment arm aiding new companies in this space and seeing agriculture and aviation industries come together. He also talks about sustainable aviation fuel as a new market for ethanol producers and the critical role of the Midwest economy – farmers, universities, large-scale airline hubs and more – to lead in this space. So what will it take for sustainable aviation fuel to become a reality? Anthony talks economic and environmental sustainability, the current challenges facing SAF consumption and how ethanol producers can begin the process of increasing demand. He also talks alternative feedstocks and other byproducts in SAF production – and the Southwest Airlines investment approach to new technologies that that help bring innovation in this space to market. Anthony talks through this journey with Southwest Airlines and their stance of being “one of many.” Airlines are trying to make a big leap in this space and he’s optimistic that small steps forward in this space will create long-term lasting impact.

Corn prices hit a 4-year low in Q3, on the prospect of a record harvest. That data follows research and insights from USDA that expects net farm income to be down 25% year over year. One solution to this challenge is innovation. Tim Hassinger, CEO of Intelinair, joins today to share perspective on the market and innovation’s role in driving net farm income and operational efficiency. Agriculture is a cyclical business and the industry is certainly going through it now. Tim talks managing today for how you want to come out of this economic turbulence, what he hears from farmer customers (hint: it’s realism) and how innovators should be operating for success. Where is Intelinair finding their success? Fresh off winning AgTech Data Analytics Company of the Year at the AgTech Breakthrough Awards, Tim talks growing and scaling their business and their continued pursuit of adding tools to their suite that help the farmer make better decisions and – ultimately – save money. How does the former leader of Dow AgroSciences and Lindsay Corporation feel about his time as CEO of Intelinair? Tim talks about new challenges, adjusting his mindset to meet the needs of the business and what has him excited as he looks to the future.

Happy International Podcast Day! Mitch Frazier and Cayla Chiddister recap the agbiosciences in September and look ahead to upcoming events. Key takeaways include: - Artificial intelligence (AI) moving from hype to help + the recent conversation at AgriNovus' QUADRANT with Kristen Owen (Oppenheimer + Co.), Aaron Schacht (BiomEdit) and Brad Fruth (Beck's Hybrids)- The collaboration and joint venture between Corteva Agriscience and Pairwise (via Corteva Catalyst) -- a $25M investment to advance gene editing- A recap of NASDA (National Association of State Departments of Agriculture) + audio with Chuck Magro (Corteva) and Jeff Simmons (Elanco)- A preview of our December QUADRANT. Register here: https://agrinovusindiana.com/quadrant/Past episodes mentioned: Aaron Schacht + Eric Bonabeau (BiomEdit): https://podcast.agrinovusindiana.com/public/215/Agbioscience-8a9a4381/7d349933Elliott Parker (High Alpha Innovation): https://podcast.agrinovusindiana.com/public/215/Agbioscience-8a9a4381/a43e4c6c

It’s estimated that disease could cost the global food system up to 20% of production and one scientist is turning to the plant itself to change that. Dr. Kyle Mohler joins us today to talk his recent win at the Rally In-Prize Pitch Competition, his work to detect disease in plants much earlier and the Insignum AgTech’s startup journey in 2024. Insignum AgTech’s traits allow for the farmer to detect when disease is coming – nearly a week before you would actually see symptoms – an opportunity for farmers to treat with precision and before things are past a point of no return. Kyle gets into the farmer feedback surrounding the technology in action and how it serves as a decision-making tool for their operations. Fresh off a win at the Rally Innovation Conference In-Prize Pitch Competition, Kyle talks scaling via test plots across the Midwest. He also talks great milestones for Insignum AgTech in 2024 and where they hope to be headed in the future.

The cornerstone of the agbioscience economy is production agriculture. Without farmers, no amount of agtech, animal health, or plant science would ever be applicable to feed and fuel this world. Today we are joined by Leah Anderson, SVP of Land O’Lakes and president of WinField United, to talk about her drive and motivation to help the farmer – and putting it into action. Key Takeaways: The farmer perspective headed into harvest including some stress surrounding commodity prices, input costs and declines in farm income levels. Challenges for Land O’Lakes and WinField United ahead of next growing season – from access to labor and investment decisions – and how they’re helping the farmer with those hurdles. Data as a decision driver and the Advanced Acre Rx program as a prescription suite of tools based on a farmer’s most pressing individual needs. The cooperative model as a differentiator for farmers and the emerging innovations that have Leah most excited – including AI biologicals and evolving new markets (Carbon, water, etc.).

Innovation in agbioscience has never been more critical. In today’s tough economy, farmers are looking for new ways to generate margin and with geopolitical instability around the world, food’s stabilizing force around the world is taking center stage. Former Army Colonel and Executive Vice President of The Directions Group (Aimpoint Research) joins today to talk forces of change in our food system, food security as national security and innovation for the farmer. Key Takeaways: The Directions Group’s recent Farmers of the Future research dives into how farmers are evolving, what they need and how his team sees this landscape changing in the future – including consolidation. Agbioscience’s critical role in human health and its impact on our national security and military service. Mark’s work with Indiana farmers to define the critical challenges facing their operations as the launch point for this year’s Producer-Led Innovation Challenge and The Directions Group’s methodology of tackling this feedback. Labor management and administrative burden as huge hurdles for farmers to be successful – and why talking with a farmer will drive better outcomes for innovators. Read the study, Producer-Led Innovation Challenge Opportunity Identification, at agrinovusindiana.com/research.

Sustainability in agbioscience requires two key inputs: environment and economics. Today we are joined by Rumin8’s head of research and development, Dr. Lucas Huntimer, to talk economic durability, sustainability and how his team aims to decarbonize 100 million cows by 2030. Lucas dives into the challenge at hand – methane – and Rumin8’s differentiated approach to innovating in this space. Rather than focusing on methane knockdown, their team is redirecting methane emission back into productivity, returning investment back to the producer. With an uptick in innovation happening in this space, we had to ask: why now? Lucas talks through the rise in focus surrounding cattle, their bold mission to decarbonize 100 million cows by 2030 and the hurdles they’ll face to get there, from regulatory to capital.

Discover the journey of Salena Scardina, from her start at McDonald's Corporation to becoming the Chief Marketing Officer of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, and her mission to redefine Indiana's global brand. In this episode of Agbioscience, Salena shares her insights on the customer experience, the power of understanding your audience and the innovative promise of Indiana's economy looking toward the future. Dive into the discussion on how Indiana is boldly claiming its place on the world stage, thanks to strategic branding and a deep commitment to innovation in agriculture, technology and touting what we do best – work together to achieve big outcomes.

AgriNovus CEO, Mitch Frazier, recaps August with highlights from the Rally Innovation Conference, the upcoming Producer-Led Innovation Challenge, Field Atlas hitting college campuses across Indiana and events coming up for you to join!

Venture capital has become synonymous with innovation. And one firm is turning to an event featuring world renowned artists, actors, athletes and innovators (plus a multi-million-dollar pitch competition) to drive new creative collisions. Toph Day, CEO of Elevate Ventures and mastermind of the Rally Innovation Conference, joins today to talk the state of venture capital, false growth driving bad decisions and his optimism heading into the last quarter of 2024. Part of his optimism starts with a major event kicking off in Indianapolis this week – the 2nd Rally Innovation Conference. Toph stresses the value of other vertical perspectives, bringing a wide range of expertise together at Rally and what attendees can expect at the event this week (in one word: Toph says to expect magic). What’s so different about Rally, anyway? Toph acknowledges that innovation doesn’t happen 1 on 1 between investor and entrepreneur and introduces a critical figure to the process: the disparate stakeholder (the figure upon which the event was launched). Between the demo floor, nationally renowned keynote speakers and a multi-million-dollar pitch competition, Rally is designed to bring together leaders across multiple disciplines to drive new, creative waves of innovation. With over 3,000 attendees in year one, Toph has a big vision for Rally’s sophomore season. This includes keynotes from Tia White, Alex Rodriguez, Marcus Lemonis and Jann Mardenborough (think creative collisions) + fantastic breakout sessions across food and agtech (among other verticals). Learn more about Rally at rallyinnovation.com. Use code RALLYAgrinovus to get 40% off your ticket.

The animal health market – estimated by many sources to be $60 billion globally – spans everything from pet health to livestock and holds applications for innovations in feeds, vaccines, therapeutics and beyond. Joining us this week to talk about this evolving market is Tim Bettington, EVP of Corporate Strategy and Market Development at Elanco, to share his front row view on the evolution of animal health and the driving forces behind its growth. Tim talks Elanco’s bifurcation between pet and livestock health, the dynamic challenge of bringing innovation to market in both categories and their unique individual challenges and opportunities. He also gets into investment dollars flowing heavily into the pet space – and how to balance that against innovation in livestock as potential to transform our food system and planet. Innovation in livestock has been focused largely on methane reduction in cattle and Tim shares Elanco’s approach to creating products for the animal health space while also giving farmers a pathway to economic and environmental sustainability. Tim talks their partnership with Athian, the launch of Bovaer in the U.S. market and Elanco’s role in the future of the agricultural industry. How does Elanco view their balance between internal R&D and external partnerships? Tim dives into the critical role of artificial intelligence (AI) to optimize solutions to problems more quickly and what emerging trends will create a bigger footprint moving forward. He also talks the OneHealth Innovation District coming to Indianapolis, innovating for overall health and what’s ahead.

Food: it’s the only economy that touches every person the planet and ideally, we have a relationship with it three times a day. Despite that, many don’t know where their food comes from or its connection to the farm. Christy Wright, Director of Global Food at Corteva Agriscience, joins us today to connect the farmgate to the dinnerplate, the global challenge of food security and what dynamics play into the food economy. Christy dives into what unites farmers and consumers: the desire for a safe, affordable food supply created sustainably. She also gets into the convergence of food and health, Corteva’s role in optimizing nutrition across the globe through farmer inputs and linking arms with food companies to optimize ingredients. As food continues to optimize for health, what emerging trends excite Christy? She talks biologicals, regenerative agriculture and other “leveling up” solutions that create healthy crops that meet the needs of a growing population. As for how the needs of farmers are being met on the other end of the value chain, Christy also gets into Corteva Catalyst, bringing innovation to market and what she sees as the next chapter of our food system.

Cooperatives and retailers have been critical infrastructure for agriculture for generations. Keystone Cooperative CEO, Kevin Still, joins today to discuss their key role on farming operations and how ag retail has evolved since its inception. As on-farm technologies continue to advance so does its role in cooperatives’ product portfolio. Kevin dives into Keystone Cooperative’s approach to being a trusted advisor on products and solutions that create value for their farmers – from data management to labor. Keystone Cooperative is just a few months old and Kevin gives an update on their people, processes and bringing synergies together. Looking ahead, he talks investing in new technologies at scale and being a conduit between emerging technologies and the farmer. He also gets into the next four decades of agriculture and a new evolution of the farmer.

July was a month of momentum for the agbiosciences, including the release of new research that revealed Indiana agbioscience contributes nearly $70B to the state’s economy. We are here to recap the month: Accelerate 2050 – a new study that highlights three priority opportunities for the agbiosciences including Food is Health, Farmer-Focused Innovation and Farmer-Focused Innovation. We also hear RTI’s Jim Redden’s comments on what these areas of focus mean for Indiana – and around the world. Heartland BioWorks – recently announced a nearly $51 million implementation grant made possible by the Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs program created by the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. Vital Farms – expanding its supply chain to Seymour, Indiana with plans to break ground in 2025 and be fully operational in 2027. This will add 150 new jobs to the area. IBJ 250 – celebrating agbioscience representation on Indiana’s list of most prominent leaders! We are hitting the road for more! West Lafayette and Bedford – join us! Click here to register for these free events: https://agrinovusindiana.com/events/accelerate-2050-driving-growth-in-the-future/ QUADRANT is also back in September. Register here: https://agrinovusindiana.com/quadrant/ Other episodes of Agbioscience mentioned: Dr. Kofi Essel, Elevance Health - https://podcast.agrinovusindiana.com/public/215/Agbioscience-8a9a4381/6d11d81a Dave Roberts + Andrew Kossack, Applied Research Institute: https://podcast.agrinovusindiana.com/public/215/Agbioscience-8a9a4381/22551e39

Food – it's the only economy in the world that touches every person on the planet and it’s foundational to human health. So much so that leaders across the economy are uniting the power of food to drive health. It’s a new category of innovation called Food is Health and the nation’s 2nd largest health insurer, Elevance Health, is investing in this area. Dr. Kofi Essel, Food as Medicine Director at Elevance Health, joins today to talk food preventing, managing and treating disease. Poor diet is one of the leading risk factors for decreased quality of life and premature death. A former pediatrician, Kofi talks about food as medicine being great healthcare and social drivers of health being critical to what happens within the four walls of a doctor’s office. He also stresses the importance of thinking beyond those experiencing food insecurity to nutrition security – ensuring access to the right types of food for their overall health. The innovative intersection of human health and food is headed for a revolution – and digital is a big piece of that. Kofi gets into Elevance Health’s role in this space and bridging the gap between nutrition supply and demand. As he speaks on hunger as a pervasive problem in the United States, Kofi talks about the innovative solutions that will be needed – and that includes the AgriNovus HungerTech Challenge – designed to create digital solutions that increase access to food and nutrition. How will we know if food is health is making a difference? Kofi talks health outcomes data, costs of healthcare and thinking about nutrition equity no matter your location.

A team of researchers recently dug in to Indiana’s $69.6 agbioscience economy and its opportunities for growth well into the future – 2050, to be exact. Amanda Rose, agri-food systems lead for RTI International, joins us to elaborate on the newly released study, Accelerate 2050: A Vision for Indiana Agbioscience, and three defined opportunities for differentiated growth amid future uncertainty, including: Farmer-Focused Innovation Food is Health BioInnovation Why these opportunities? Amanda gets into the study’s methodology, marrying economic data with strategic foresight and creating the conditions for a future economy you want. These aren’t ideas bouncing off the wall but are grounded in existing assets that make Indiana unique. She also talks economic data, establishing a benchmark for future competitive analysis and how the data compares relative to other industries. This study was largely about the future, so what’s ahead? Amanda talks about possible future scenarios for agbioscience on a global scale and the importance of operating and innovating at unique intersections to drive big outcomes – for people, plants, animals and the planet.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has projected to move from hype to help in 2024, generated by a shift in the global economy. There are tech companies taking that ambition and turning it into a reality and one of them joins us today. Dustin Sapp, CEO of Traction Ag, addresses farm accounting through technology, the sophistication of farming operations and how little of that innovation has hit farmers’ back offices. How do farmers actually manage their books? Dustin says it’s a patchwork of solutions that take lots of time, spreadsheets and occasional uncertainty – something Traction Ag is well positioned to solve. He also gets into the vote of confidence from investors of late, all centered around the idea of improving the economic prosperity of farmers. Dustin also talks about their approach to responsible growth and building something that lasts so that farmers count on it as a trusted source for years to come. In a tough time for innovators trying to fundraise, what is Traction Ag doing different? Dustin stresses the importance of demonstrating value, telling your story well and the vision you have for your business. How will AI create more help at the farmgate? Dustin talks about AI not being a hero for bad solutions and how his tech background has paved the way to the opportunities he’s had to date.

Capital and science – two key ingredients that are shaping the future of the agbioscience economy. Dr. Jaleh Daie, Managing Partner of Aurora Equity, joins us today to talk about the state of risk capital in agbioscience, the round trip we’ve taken in the last six years and how it compares to other areas of investment. With Jaleh’s rich background in education and focus on science, what unique opportunities have been created for her? She talks doing good for humanity, trailblazing for women in science and seeing innovation through a scientific lens. Jaleh talks investment in agtech being in the “early innings” and big trends getting a lot of traction – including biologicals, gene editing and artificial intelligence (AI). Jaleh gets into digital and its potential to transform agriculture – from the farmgate to the dinner plate – and the opportunities to innovate in a tightening farm economy. She stresses the importance of understanding the needs of farmers and her excitement surrounding upstream innovation to create better margins and profitability for farmers around the world.

Biologicals – the broad category of ag input products derived from living organisms – have experienced significant growth in terms of adoption and investment. An analysis of Pitchbook data reveals there have been more than 6,000 deals in the global ag biotech market over the past decade. One of those companies driving growth is Biodyne USA. This week, we are joined by their National Director of Agronomy, Bodie Kitchel, to talk Biologicals vs. Biostimulants and what’s driving growth in the space. For Bodie, everyone’s “why” looks a little different when it comes to the adoption of biologicals and farm economics are certainly a piece of that. He gets into the farmer mindset around adopting innovation to leverage net farm income and Biodyne being an education company to help farmers learn where their dollar has the most value. Bodie also talks about needing economic impact right away but also balancing that belief with the value of economic impact in years two, three, four and five. With his experience in ag retail, how has Bodie seen innovation evolve? He talks about positioning, investment and companies being afraid of the unknown. Looking ahead, Bodie talks about that fear being outweighed by the urgency around innovating – and Biodyne USA doing it with speed.

June was a busy one! From a trip to the Animal Health Nutrition Technology and Innovation Conference in Boston to hosting college students at agbioscience companies across Indiana, Mitch Frazier and Cayla Chiddister look back at the past month, what’s happening and what’s ahead. Hear from animal health innovators including Dr. Johanna Majamaa of GekkoVet and Celine Halioua from Loyal on bringing new solutions to market, the challenges they face and the opportunities that lie ahead in the future. We also dive into Elanco’s announcement of FDA approval for Bovaer, a feed additive for lactating dairy cows that reduces methane emissions. We also welcomed nearly 30 college students from campuses across Indiana to tour agbioscience companies over the last month! Hear from Ball State chemistry student, Rilynne Puckett, on her experience and what she learned. QUADRANT is coming July 17 in Indianapolis! Register here at agrinovusindiana.com/quadrant. Lastly – Agbioscience is adding video! Watch, listen – whichever you prefer.

There are over one billion cattle globally, emitting methane through a natural process called enteric fermentation. Reducing emissions have become a top target of innovators across animal health and one company out of New Zealand is tackling the challenge from inside the cow. This week, we are joined by Mark Weldon, chairman of Ruminant BioTech, to talk about their bolus – a slow-release device that sits in the cow’s stomach for up to six months and delivers high levels of methane knockdown (think over 70% across a 90-day window). How was this bolus developed? Mark talks about the mini pilot that launched Ruminant BioTech and the growing conversation around methane emission suppression. He also gets into factors that are paving the way for innovations like this to emerge and creating value -- starting with the rancher and moving all the way through the food system. What makes Ruminant BioTech different than other aiming to mitigate methane emissions? Mark talks about their differentiation, acquiring funding (good returns for doing good) and their plans to scale outside of New Zealand.

Early identification of diseases in animals is critical to the future of the food system, national security and our ability to care for our pets. One company is harnessing the power of biology to accelerate identification and joined us from the Agbioscience Podcast Corner at the Animal Health, Nutrition, Innovation and Technology Conference in Boston. Eve Hanks, founder and CEO of MI:RNA Diagnostics, joins us to talk their biomarker platform reliant on microRNA that has the potential to transform the future of animal health. Eve gets into how the platform works and success her team has experienced since spinning out of Scotland’s Rural College. She also talks the importance of partnerships to drive innovation forward. With diseases like Avian Flu and African Swine Fever threatening the global food system, how can a tool like MI:RNA help? Eve talks combatting disease in animals and how an increased awareness of microRNA is driving interest in her team’s work.

Innovation in the agbiosciences is foundational to life – and it’s only accelerating. From biotech to production, food is transforming; and today’s guest is leading the charge on a new way of producing protein. Daniel Russek, CEO of Atarraya, joins us to talk the idea of sustainability, what it actually is and thinking long-term to achieve meaningful outcomes in this space. From greenwashing to social media allowing people to be “kind of informed” about the state of the planet, Daniel says sustainability has to coexist with strong economics. He dives into how he sees the future of food and Atarraya tackling the fastest-growing source of protein: shrimp. Atarraya’s innovation in aquaculture has been evolving for over a decade at this point and Daniel talks about the best resource for developing their technology: conversations with people. And it’s paid off. TIME Magazine named Atarraya one of the top 200 inventions of the year. The team also was a gold recipient of The Edison Award; with all this momentum, where do they go next? Daniel talks expanding production, the importance of partnerships and bringing food production back into its natural cycle.

Labor remains one of the greatest challenges facing the economy. Solinftec is addressing the problem with autonomy and artificial intelligence focused on improving crop performance. Today we are joined by their Chief Global Strategy Officer, Leo Carvalho, to talk accelerating in a crowded market and creating a value proposition for farmers. Leo gets into the company’s evolution since its expansion to the U.S. -- from developing technologies to identify problems to new solutions that also solve them. As a technology company, he also stresses the importance of creating concepts that are tested, refined and – candidly – co-created by farmers. The launch of their Solix sprayer addresses all the things Leo says Solifntec aims to accomplish: to create more food, sustainably, while also making the farmer more profitable. As a seventeen-year-old Brazilian company that started in the sugar industry, Leo talks about lessons learned as they’ve grown and expanded into new markets. Farmers plant crops once a year, so listening to their needs is critical to timely success. Leo also shares Solinftec’s objectives for the future and how agtech will continue to evolve.

It’s May in Indiana and major headlines abound as The Greatest Spectacle in Racing coupled with the Global Economic Summit (GES) put the state on the world’s stage – for racing spectators and innovators alike. Today, Mitch Frazier and Cayla Chiddister recap the month including major news in the agbiosciences from Elanco, Purdue, Elevate Ventures and Traction Ag. Elanco and Purdue announced a OneHealth Innovation District as part of the company’s new campus west of downtown Indianapolis. The facility is designed to deliver and scale up innovation where industry and academia can collaborate including office, wet lab and incubator space. Elanco plans to also contribute up to $2M of initial funding to jumpstart a new Animal Health Ventures Fund to support early-stage innovators, in close coordination with the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC), to take advantage of available tools and programs that support startup activity in this space. From GES it was also announced that Elevate Ventures will launch a new $100M fund focused on cross-sector innovation driven growth stage companies with a $500M total addressable market (TAM) or greater. The fund will commence formation in late Q2 with targets to make first investments in 2025. Traction Ag also announced a $10M Series A round led by Cooperative Ventures and joined by Plymouth Growth and existing investors. The investment was designed to support platform development and business growth.

The year 2024 is where AI moves from hype to help in agbioscience. Today’s guest is bringing that prediction to animal health. Ben Allen, CEO of BinSentry, joins us to talk the biggest challenge facing animal producers; one that can be controlled? Feed. Specifically, how do you get the right feed to the right place at the right time? With feed as a gigantic expense to producers, Ben gets into BinSentry’s technology creating economic efficiency and how better data allows farmers to see things they might not see coming. He also explains BinSentry’s tech platform and being able to manage variables they’ve not been able to before, ultimately impacting their bottom line. How does BinSentry think about the next evolution of AI? Ben talks about the full automation of logistics and planning – and he says we are much closer to that than anyone thinks.

The bioeconomy – where feedstocks from agriculture are transformed into new products – is poised to surge to more than $30 trillion dollars over the next two decades. The White House calls its potential “enormous,” and there’s an organization leading the effort to create infrastructure around this opportunity. Today, BioMADE Chief Technology Officer, Melanie Tomczak, joins us to tell us 1) what exactly the bioeconomy is, 2) the role of BioMADE in its growth and 3) the unique connection between people, plants and animals. Where are the greatest opportunities for growth in bioinnovation? Melanie talks cross-sector collaboration and pushing things from early-scale to commercial scale – getting entrepreneurs out of the “Valley of Death.” She also gets into creating resilience and sustainability in U.S. supply chains in a post-pandemic world also experiencing political unrest and geo instability. What’s ahead? BioMADE recently named six states (Indiana being one) to a short list of geographies that could fill a need that doesn’t exist in the US today: allowing innovators to start the scale-up process without the investment into new facilities, allowing for emerging technologies and products to flow through the U.S. more quickly.

From food production to R&D in plant science and animal health, agbioscience is a capital-intensive business. This week, we are joined by Growers Edge Chief Commercial Officer, Todd Robran, to talk reducing risk for farmers, partnerships with ag retailers and how models could be shifting to reward growers with lower rates for more productivity. Todd also gets into data as a differentiator when it comes to lending and risk management, the current challenges in the agbisocience landscape – from tight commodity markets to interest rates – and how Growers Edge is navigating those waters. He also talks backing innovation for farmer confidence to drive efficient decision-making and creating incentivize gpt farmers alongside ag retailers. As experts in fintech, how does Growers Edge see themselves when it comes to the adoption of new and emerging technologies? Todd talks about where the company has been, where it’s headed and how he sees the next chapter of agtech coming to fruition.

The rise in alternative foods has become a growth driver for the food industry at large and has created new opportunities for innovators and consumers to experience new foods, alike. This week, we are joined by Maizly CEO, Tim Leclercq, to talk about the most abundant crop in the world being transformed into a new drink: corn-based milk. From taste to mouth feel, Tim gets into Maizly’s differentiated product and functionality. He also talks about its environmental impact versus other milk alternatives and Maizly’s commitment to sustainability – from product creation to packaging. Why milk? And why corn? Maizly’s founding expands well beyond a business getting off the ground. Tim discusses their passion project in Sub-Sarahan Africa, nutrition access for infants as a challenge and their ability to deliver life-saving solutions to young babies. As Tim looks ahead at Maizly, the U.S. market is on the horizon; so what’s next? He talks working with corn growers, who is driving the next wave of food innovation (hint: he thinks there is a lot of smaller competitors coming) and when Maizly will hit store shelves and e-commerce sites near you.

It’s the end of the month, so you know what that means. AgriNovus CEO, Mitch Frazier, sits down with Cayla Chiddister to recap Indiana’s agbioscience trip to Brazil and Mexico with Governor Holcomb, creating new opportunities and driving economies forward. He also gets into big announcements and items on the move as it relates to bioinnovation, including an investment announcement from Liberation Labs and conversations with BioMADE. Innovators also made big moves this month and Mitch gets into students winning big at the Indiana Soybean Alliance’s Annual Soybean Innovation Competition. And oh yeah, we’ve got details on this year’s HungerTech Innovation Challenge winner, Anu, and their unique value and potential to deliver nutrition to homes across the world. Also, an invitation for college students over the age of 18. Join us for upcoming Field Atlas Company Tours coming up in May and June. Learn more and register here: https://agrinovusindiana.com/2024/04/09/field-atlas-agbioscience-company-tours/

Delegates from Indiana’s agbioscience sector traveled to Brazil and Mexico this month alongside Governor Eric Holcomb as the minutes tick away on his leadership of the state. Courtney Kingery, CEO of Indiana Corn Marketing Council and Indiana Soybean Alliance, joins Mitch for this episode from Mexico City to discuss the trip, its findings and Indiana’s unique advantage on a global stage. Courtney talks Brazilian companies seeking to understand the U.S. market, and the shared opportunities and challenges for farmers selling commodities in Mexico. There may be a cameo in this episode – shout out to Governor Holcomb – and Courtney talks through how trips like this one shape the future of our state’s economy.

Planting season is nearing in North America and as farmers head to the fields, they’re doing so in a tough global market for agricultural commodities. Those markets have an impact on nearly every facet of our daily lives. Today we are joined by Dr. Scott Irwin, author and Laurence J. Norton Chair of Agricultural Marketing at the University of Illinois, to share his market perspective (it’s on the side of bearish) and what he sees ahead. How low for how long? That’s a big question for the markets and one Scott dives into during the discussion. He also talks about his book, Back to the Futures, looking at the ag markets as an implication on the broader economy and educating a widespread audience using stories from his childhood on an Iowa farm.

We are living in a time of innovation crisis where most innovation isn’t driven by large corporations despite them being managed better than ever before, says High Alpha Innovation CEO Elliott Parker. One day ahead of his new book release, The Illusion of Innovation, he joins us to get into how corporations equipped for efficiency losing their resilience and why it’s dangerous to advancing innovation. Now this isn’t a hot take: Elliott believes in efficiency, but not as a lone strategy. He talks about controlled chaos, a systematic approach to experimentation and uncovering ideas to challenge things we think we know. So what do companies do? Elliott talks new funding mechanisms, finding the best home for innovations to grow and being contrarian to win over the long-term. The Illusion of Innovation comes out tomorrow, April 16. Learn more here.

Agbioscience is the only economy in the world that touches every person on planet, every day, given that it centers on food. Today we are joined by Lorelei Begin, Vice President of North American Retail for NielsenIQ to talk trends shaping food and what’s ahead for grocery store shelves in 2024. From ingredient labels being more closely examined by savvy shoppers to the uptick of wellness-related products gaining more traction, Lorelei lays out what is driving consumer behavior and purchase patterns. She also gets into data creating insights for food companies to get the ultimate in-store commodity: shelf space. Mitch and Lorelei take time to walk through consumers’ increased focus on health, GLP-1 drugs, how it’s shaping what goes in grocery carts and the food system’s response. How does a focus on health function in a tightening economy? Lorelei says food is first and a “better for you” lifestyle is staying resilient in these times. She also looks ahead to trends we could see impacting the food space and how that impacts consumers – no matter their budget.

As we head into the spring planting season, there is much focus on technologies and innovations that will enable producers to drive returns in a tightening farm economy. Andrew Sunderman, Join Venture Transition Lead for AGCO, joins today to talk about their new JV with Trimble and having an innovation ecosystem ready to serve the farmer – no matter how or what they’re investing in for their operations during any given year. In a time where it could be easy to say no to new tech or innovation, how does AGCO differentiate? Andrew talks control and accuracy, usability and optimizing outcomes. From their retrofit tech approach that helps to leverage smaller bets on-farm to improved performance of current equipment, he gets into solving problems that have never been met before and how the joint venture with Trimble will add continuation to their work.

Fresh off a plane from the World AgriTech Summit and following a keynote address on food security as national security, we are recapping a gigantic March in agbioscience. From Corteva’s big news in San Francisco last week to Indiana hitting the short list for BioMADE, we cover the latest industry topics and look ahead to what’s coming. Show Notes: Food Security as National Security Episode with U.S. Senator Todd Young: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/253-food-security-is-national-security/id1412179095?i=1000627443801 QUADRANT 7/17 registration: https://agrinovusindiana.com/quadrant/ Field Atlas: https://myfieldatlas.com/

On the ground at World AgriTech in San Francisco last week, Corteva announced the launch of a new investment platform forcused on bringing to market agricultural innovations that advance the company’s R&D priorities and drive value creation. We caught up with Tom Greene, Corteva’s Senior Director of External Investment, to talk through how the platform is designed, why it’s launching now and what it will mean for farmers in the future. Tom talks through the areas of focus for Corteva Catalyst and the types of companies that would be a great fit for the platform. Engaging in technology – no matter the stage – is the approach and he talks about the criticality of their partnership with Corteva’s larger M&A team to drive meaningful results. Corteva enters the market with this program at a time when commodity prices are low, investment in agricultural innovation is down and so the question has to be asked – why now? Tom talks about the long-term view that Corteva Catalyst will take, the excitement of being in agbioscience (despite the volatility) and what he envisions for the program in the future.

The connection between agbioscience and human health has become undeniable and in the case of Indiana – it's a differentiator. Today we are joined by Vince Wong, the brand new CEO of BioCrossroads to talk life sciences and extending the state’s leadership to drive growth. Vince talks about the challenges facing Indiana, where we are uniquely positioned to lead and the criticality of collaboration to elevate the state’s profile. Of course we also dive into the idea of plant, animal and human life sciences coming together to create new biotechnology innovation. Vince scratches the surface on what’s possible on the heels of Indianapolis’ designation as a U.S. Federal Tech Hub.

As a kid from Ohio that went to Purdue University and then worked for DuPont, Frank Klemens’ career has taken a trendline path to his role at Big Idea Ventures today. He joins this week to walk through their General Rural Partners Fund, taking innovation from university shelves and creating new companies in one of our country’s most untapped resources: rural communities. How does Frank and his team match innovation to the right community? Frank talks customers driving outcomes, the importance of corporate partnerships and the growing list of universities partnering with the firm to create new companies. He also dives into trends in IP across food and agriculture – including cellular meats, bio-based materials and animal management – that are creating a better rural America. Looking ahead, how do you create technical companies in rural America that also attract investment? Frank talks about Big Idea Ventures’ secret sauce, making food and ag an investment clear of confusion and their call to the rest of venture capital: come join us, we welcome your competition and it’s necessary to feed a growing world, sustainably.

From major companies to startups, one thing holds true from Amazon Web Services: they start with the customer in mind and work backwards. This week, we are joined by an agtech veteran and now the company’s Head of Worldwide Business, Agriculture, Elizabeth Fastiggi. She dives into their service across the whole value chain, how companies use AWS and the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in its stages of early adoption. Elizabeth also talks new applications and ensuring innovation is accessible. She talks Amazon’s Project Kuiper to increase global broadband access, providing service to early customers by the end of 2024 and agriculture’s opportunity to be in the midst of the early customer base. As an environmental science major, did she ever think she’d be here? Elizabeth gets into spotting the opportunities to make a difference using innovation and how she sees the future of agtech.

Doing good by doing well – it's a concept the AgriNovus Indiana team embraced when the HungerTech Innovation Challenge was launched. Three years later, it’s still going strong; and new solutions are hitting the market that better connect food supply with food demand. The 2024 HungerTech tasks innovators with developing market-driven tech models that ensure increased and equitable food distribution that is both environmentally sustainable and economically viable. The winning team will receive $25,000 to help accelerate commercialization of their solution. Solutions could find, but are not limited to, opportunities for innovation in the following areas: Infrastructure - current critical inefficiencies exist in capturing, managing and redirecting surplus food from points of excess – such as producers and retailers – to communities grappling with food insecurity (this is exacerbated for perishable goods). Forecasting - deployment of tools for accurately forecasting the production of surplus food and quantifying demand from food-insecure populations have significant deficiencies. Preservation - there are shortfalls in current food preservation technologies to prolong shelf life of perishables without detracting nutritional value or safety. Registration to join this year’s HungerTech Innovation Challenge closes March 12. Learn more and connect with Geoff at agrinovusindiana.com/hungertech.

What exactly is the microbiome? And why is it important when it comes to animal health – both in livestock and pets? All those questions and more get answered this week as we are joined by Aaron Schacht, CEO, and Eric Bonabeau, CTO, of BiomEdit. They talk the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in microbiome science, the intersection of human and animal health and new partnerships paving the way for the acceleration of innovation. From collaborative partnerships with Nutreco and funding from The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, what’s ahead for BiomEdit? Aaron and Eric get into new challenges, leveraging the microbiome to reduce methane emissions in cattle and taking advantage of studying things in animals that can be translated to humans.

We are bringing you something new with this episode: a look back at February’s news in agbioscience including Elanco’s sale of their aqua business, a new partnership between Corteva and John Deere, Indiana as a top ag state and the current operating environment for the farmer. Show Notes: QUADRANT is coming 3/6. Register here: https://agrinovusindiana.com/quadrant/ HungerTech Innovation Challenge registration closes 3/12: https://agrinovusindiana.com/hungertech/ Kristen Owen, Oppenheimer + Co. Episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bonus-ai-moving-from-hype-to-help/id1412179095?i=1000641950597

We are days away from guidance from the federal government on how it will calculate the carbon intensity of corn production for ethanol and how that will impact farmers, ethanol producers and the economy at large. Kevin Summers, North American Carbon Sustainability Lead for Trimble, joins us to talk about the Wild West that is the current carbon market structure and Trimble’s Connected Climate Exchange as a voice of reason platform in it all. Originally launched in Canada, Kevin talks through CCE’s 5 million tons of ag carbon offsets, the $50 million dollars for Canadian farmers and how Trimble plans to roll this program out in the United States. From data security to education, he also talks about the challenges of carbon markets today and their potential for growers and CPG companies in the future. In the launch of Connected Climate Exchange, what has Trimble learned? Kevin says it’s about keeping the grower first in mind, connecting sellers and buyers in the marketplace and continuing to tell the story of its measured impact on the climate.

Today’s guest is an entrepreneur who got her skills in organizing business systems where any young talent might consider learning efficiency: the Chick-fil-a drive-thru. Sarah Hinkley, CEO of Barn Owl Precision Ag, actually helped to build the fast-food chain’s drive-thru system as we know it today (alongside her brother). Watching a major company leverage technology to solve problems really inspired Sarah and from that, a company was born. Sarah gets into Barn Owl’s inception, creating new innovation to supplement a massive labor problem and listening to what growers need today, tomorrow and what would be nice in the future. She dives into how a Barn Owl robot functions and what factors are driving the need for more agility on-farm. As a serial minded entrepreneur, Sarah also provides insight into launching an idea into a business, creating solutions to problems and making a difference through your work (even when it hurts).

Ryan Priest is no stranger to hard work and servant leadership, assets that have been integral to his role as COO at Premier Ag Cooperative today. And as someone that has done many jobs – from welding to executive leadership – he identified a problem that needed a new, fresh idea to solve: developing an emerging workforce that’s equipped with the tools to understand farmers, the broader agbioscience economy and the technical knowledge required to be successful in the industry. Ag equipment today has more in common with an airplane than a pickup truck and there is an under-appreciated level of knowledge required to operate this machinery. Ryan talks about Premier’s cutting-edge work-based training program with Ivy Tech designed for workers to better understand and function in high-tech agriculture. He notes the ripple effect of talent starting in the program and learning more about the industry, and the earning potential for someone in the program. Mitch Frazier recently joined Ryan’s podcast, The High Ground, which can be heard here.