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 F ..read more

Sustainability investments have gained headlines and attracted support and ire of many across the country and around the world. However, one of the leading global animal health companies is proving that innovation is making it possible for sustainability and profitability to coexist. Today we are joined by Katie Cook, Vice President of Farm Animal Global Innovation and Marketing at Elanco. From growing up on a Michigan farm to launching her Elanco career out of college, she talks leading farm animal innovation strategy, what the company is doing today and looking ahead to the future of animal ..read more

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 cha ..read more

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 ..read more

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 ..read more

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://agrinovusindia ..read more

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 technolo ..read more

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 ..read more

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 crea ..read more

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 t ..read more