Recently the whole team here at Tenacious Ventures had the chance to get out of town and on to the farm. And not just any farm – we visited Jigsaw Farms, home to sheep farmer and long-time friend of the show Mark Wooton and his wife Eve. While out at Jigsaw, Mark and Eve gave us an update on their vision for “sustainable intensification” and their ethos for farm management.
For our 100th episode (hooray!), we’ve brought back some of our most popular guests to check in on what’s changed in their businesses and in agtech since we spoke, and the new technologies and opportunities we can all be looking out for. This episode features Mark Wootton, Stu Austin, Sarah Mock, and Derek Norman.
Agriculture experts and tech companies alike are claiming soil carbon payments hold huge potential as a new revenue stream for farmers and as a weapon against climate change. Yet, others say it’s all hype. One thing is clear though: it’s a confusing and rapidly evolving space. This episode features a panel of experts from across tech, policy, and corporate agribusiness to tackle the deeper issues in the soil carbon debate around business models, accuracy and measurement.
The race is on globally to scale carbon markets, where farmers can sell the carbon they sequester in their soil to buyers who want to offset emissions. But right now, the space is often confusing for buyers, sellers, and the intermediaries working between them. And further, both public and private market schemes have been criticized for inefficiencies and high costs to participate.
Sam Trethewey believes ‘regenerative agriculture’ is not a dirty word - but simply the future of farming. Astonishingly, he produces wagyu beef in Tasmania without actually owning any cows. He does this by combining insights about business models from startups such as Uber and Airbnb with the farming practices of regenerative agriculture.
Karmen Mehmen is a corn and soybean farmer in Iowa alongside her husband Stan and their son Kyle and daughter-in-law Kerri. Their farm, MBS Family Farms, has grown from 160 acres and 40 cows back in the ‘60s to an operation that today supports 20 families. In this episode, Karmen talks about
How technology has enabled them to manage through substantial growth
Learnings from transitioning the farm to the next generation
How structured coaching and support has helped them become better farmers & business owners
Today’s guest is Alisdair Tulloch, a fourth generation grape grower, who has been on a journey to make his family business, Keith Tulloch Wine, carbon neutral.
In this episode, Alisdair shares:
Why they decided to go carbon neutral;
What practices and technologies they’re using, and what is and isn’t working; and
The financials - what the expensive parts are, and where the returns are coming from.
Stuart Austin is a regenerative farmer and self-proclaimed early adopter of technology.
In this episode we cover everything from how Stuart got involved in regenerative ag, to the tools he's using (and helping build) to make 6 and 7 figure decisions at Wilmot Cattle Company.
Stuart also shares his views on alternative proteins, transparency in agriculture, and the books and movies that he's found inspirational.
![What's the [soil carbon] incentive?](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/597bf7e9db29d6c2e336c008/1617680520818-1FJ98DN70I3FP2INPPH6/3.png)
