Agriculture is exposed to a complex tangle of laws, trade agreements, and competing visions of the future. For farmers, adjustments by legislators at any level of government can have an impact. So while policy is often an afterthought for operators in tech, the pressure for farmers to be engaged and represented in the formulation of new policy is real.
Bonus Ep: Audience Responses to “The Three Fears of Farm Data”
Back in May, we published an experimental bonus episode called “The Three Fears of Farm Data”. The conversation centered around the legitimacy of fears held by farmers about sharing their farm data, and kicked off with a particularly hot take:
“We in agtech have completely f*****d farmers by making them afraid of sharing their data.”
The episode got a huge reaction from around the industry - both positive and critical. It’s clear that the conversation around farm data is one that everyone in agtech, from farmers and startups to analysts and operators in agribusinesses, seem interested in continuing.
The Three Categories of Autonomy in Agriculture, with Andrew Bate, SwarmFarm Robotics
Autonomous farming equipment and robotics in ag is more crowded than ever. Every new acquisition from an incumbent or deployment of venture capital into the space creates more buzz to sort through in the inboxes of analysts, entrepreneurs, and farmers.
With the industry growing so quickly, it’s helpful to have a bird’s-eye view of what’s happening, and what it means for the future of agriculture.
So, in this week’s episode we give listeners a framework to understand the rapidly moving world of autonomy in ag. Our guest is Andrew Bate, Co-Founder and CEO of SwarmFarm Robotics, who joins us to share his observations on the three major categories of autonomy that are emerging in ag.
The Incentives, Barriers, and Willingness to Pay for Carbon Programs in Agriculture, with Emma Fuller, Corteva Agriscience
When it comes to designing carbon programs in agriculture, there is a very real tension between the science and the commercial realities of drawing down carbon at scale. Particularly, the question of how to incentivize on-farm practice changes is one that many companies in ag carbon have failed to answer.
Working at the intersection of these tensions is our guest this week, Emma Fuller, Carbon and Ecosystem Services Portfolio Leader at Corteva Agriscience. An accomplished data scientist and ecologist, Emma began her career in agrifood systems publishing research on West Coast fisheries in the US, before jumping into the world of startups at Granular. After their $300M acquisition by what is now Corteva Agriscience, today Emma designs programs that credit farmers for reducing greenhouse gas emissions or sequestering carbon in their soils.
Ag Insurance…So What?
The Future of Insurance in Agriculture, with Damon Johnson, Global Ag Risk Solutions
For a traditionally low innovation industry, things are starting to heat up in agricultural insurance.
While it remains something of a black box for many people in agriculture, the forces of climate change and technological innovation are creating the right mix of incentives that could change how the whole industry manages risk.
This second episode of our exploration of ag insurance considers a digitally-native product in the hands of farmers today. While still in their infancy, these digitally-native reimaginings of insurance as it exists will be the difference between farmers spending hours, days, and weeks dealing with brokers and getting payouts, compared to almost instant quotes, claims, and reimbursements.
Bonus Ep: Ag Insurance 101
Climate change will mean more frequent, extreme weather and more risk exposure for farmers around the world. This increased risk should be a driver for the business of agricultural insurers. But, it’s not easy to predict how climate change and digital-disruption might transform one of the world’s oldest industries.
Actually, we’ve come to realize it isn’t easy to understand how agricultural insurance works at all.
So, in the spirit of learning out loud, we’re releasing TWO episodes this week. This first one dives into the mysterious world of ag insurance with a 101-style conversation with Matt Coutts, Chief Investment Officer of Coutts Capital, and Tenacious Ventures General Partner Matthew Pryor.
Making Decisions in the Face of Uncertainty, with Hallie Shoffner
It isn’t surprising that most farmers have to be expert planners and investors. But getting an inside view into how a farmer plans for the future of their business is a rare opportunity.
In this episode, you’ll hear firsthand how Hallie Shoffner, a sixth-generation row crop farmer in the Mississippi Delta, makes decisions for her farm and company, SFR Seed. While Hallie is an enthusiastic adopter of new farming innovations, this conversation shows that every decision must be well supported by reliable data and the right incentives.
From the vault: Mark Ferguson on science, sheep, and the tech-enabled future of genetics
Mark “Ferg” Ferguson is a sheep geneticist who’s paying attention to how both consumer demands and emerging technologies are impacting growers. Drawing on his experience with dozens of clients around Australia and New Zealand, Ferg shares:
insights for agtech companies, like the importance of personas and how to build relationships in a digital world;
what the future of extension and consulting in livestock looks like;
the role of cutting edge technologies in the sheep industry; and
a vision for the future where consumers expectations are met and growers are profitable.
100th Episode Special: soil carbon & the future of agtech
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.
Carbon neutrality and tackling misinformation in red meat
Red meat can sometimes be seen as the “bad guy” when it comes to climate change. Undoubtedly, animal agriculture has an impact on the environment, but Australia's leading meat producer organisation, the Meat and Livestock Association (MLA) says the negative environmental impacts from red meat are often overblown.
While lamb and beef are still very popular in Australia, red meat consumption is becoming more contentious. The MLA has already committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2030, to address environmental concerns. However, there is also currently a battle over food labeling between the meat industry and the growing plant-based protein industry over the use of the word “meat.”
Is the future of farming hands-free?
For some, the concept of hands-free farming is terrifying; for others, the prospect is game-changing and exciting. But, is fully autonomous farming really possible?
In this episode, we chat with Kit Franklin, senior lecturer in agricultural engineering at Harper Adams University in the UK, who in 2016 set out to prove an entire crop cycle could be done autonomously. The project was called Hands Free Hectare, which later expanded into Hands Free Farm after garnering worldwide attention for producing what is believed to be the first crop to be planted, cultivated, and harvested - completely autonomously.
While Kit started this farming experiment simply to prove robotic farming was possible, how transferable is his autonomous trial crop to the real world?
Biologicals and chemistry: finding ways to commercialize the science
In agtech, cutting edge science and flashy technologies are just not enough to solve problems on farm and realize impact and returns for investors. In this episode, we chat with two scientists who, instead of viewing the publication of their research as an end point, have made it the beginning of a venture-backed startup journey. Our guests are Dr. Jacqueline Heard, CEO of Enko Chem, and Dr. Nancy Schellhorn, CEO of RapidAIM.
Biologicals: snake oil or science, and how do we know?
Farmers are under pressure to shift toward lower chemical intensity production. Biologicals are touted as one possible solution, promising natural, chemical-free alternatives to fertilizers and pesticides. But biologicals also have a reputation for being ‘snake oil,’ with companies making claims that are too good to be true, or that don’t stack up outside the lab. So what’s the science behind biologicals, how do we know they work, and how can they get to scale?
This episode features Jarrett Chambers, founder and President of ATP Nutrition, and Shane Thomas, author of Upstream Ag Insights.
Farmer protests in India: causes, insights, and what they mean for innovation in agriculture
Agriculture in India has been thrust onto the international stage as the world watched and celebrities tweeted about the tens of thousands of farmers camped out in Delhi to protest against governmental reforms which loosen rules around the sale, pricing, and storage of produce. Farmers say these changes prioritize corporate interests and threaten livelihoods, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi argues they will lead to greater efficiency and ultimately income for smallholder farmers.
In this episode, Sarah is joined by colleague Komal Patel to unpack why farmers are protesting, what’s working (and what’s not) in India’s agricultural system, and what it means for agtech and innovation. It features Mekhala Krishnamurthy, Associate Professor of Sociology and Anthropology at Ashoka University and Venky Ramachandran, agritech consultant and author of Agribusiness Matters.
Sustainable Supply Chains: eliminating waste and unlocking business opportunities
Agrifood value chains are known for their efficiencies: they’ve been optimized to grow, process, and deliver massive amounts of safe food all over the world. But efficiency is no longer enough. Consumers and investors want supply chains that are climate resilient (or positive), sustainable & ethical, and free from waste.
In this episode we examine how farmers can capitalize on the increasing value of growing sustainable food, the opportunities for new players such as Goterra and Apeel, and new technologies to remove food waste and packaging from the supply chain, and signals indicating that the mood around sustainability might be about to shift.
Lean Farming - Jana Hocken brings Toyota’s famous operating model to agriculture
Jana Hocken is a dairy farmer and “lean farming” consultant. After an international career in engineering at Toyota, including training staff in the principles of lean manufacturing to increase efficiency, eliminate waste, and encourage continuous improvement from the team, Jana moved to farm in New Zealand with her husband. At the time, she knew very little about agriculture, but she quickly realized that the principles of lean could also be applied at her own farm….and on many others.
New Zealand’s dairy pollution problem: how an urgent issue is driving innovation
New Zealand is on a mission to clean up its waterways and restore its ‘clean and green’ image, after the problems of nitrate runoff from dairies made international headlines. It’s now requiring all farmers with over 20ha to report on their pollution levels and sustainability measures. In this episode, dairy farmer Mat Hocken and sustainability veteran Brdgit Hawkins discuss what these regulations mean for innovation and whether they will act as a driver for agtech adoption.
Ep 69: Renée Anderson "Cotton Farm Girl" on social media and social license
Renée Anderson is a farmer in Emerald, Queensland, Nuffield Scholar, agronomist, and overall champion for the cotton industry. In this episode, she shares her insights from Australia and around the world on social license, science communications, and the role that tech can play in helping farmers both improve production and change the narrative about agriculture.
