Coming to you live from the AgTech Meetup in Sydney, this panel explores what it takes for startups and researchers to collaborate successfully in agrifood. Panelists for the evening were: Dr Peter Thorburn, Chief Research Scientist at CSIRO; Tegan Nock, Co-Founder at SoilCQuest 2031; and Nick Hazell, Founder and CEO at V2 Food.
The AgTech Meetup is proudly sponsored by SproutX, Australia’s first agtech accelerator.
Today’s guest, Victor Friedberg is the co-founder of S2G ventures, a Chicago-based firm that has backed companies across the ag and food industries such as Beyond Meat, Maple Hill Creamery, Benson Hill Biosystems, and Mercaris. Victor is also the founder of Foodshot Global, a non-profit consortium of companies focused on creating a food system that's more healthy, sustainable, and equitable.
Tim Hammerich, who grew up on a hobby farm in Northern California selling pigs, goats and ducks, is the Founder of AgGrad and the host of the Future of Agriculture podcast. In this episode, Tim chats about careers in agriculture, including what companies are looking for, tips for getting a job, and what’s different about jobs in agtech.
For more on Tim, check out AgGrad (https://aggrad.com/) or find him on Twitter @TimHammerich and #FutureOfAgriculture Podcast
This week, Dr. Rachel Hay, social scientist at James Cook University and boutique pig farmer, shares insights from her PhD on the role of women in agtech adoption. Published in 2014, Rachel’s findings still hold true and could be helpful for agtech companies looking to understand the industry and develop marketing strategies that can cut through the noise.
Today’s episode is the 4th in the theme Responding to Climate Risk, brought to you in partnership with the Australian Farm Institute. Check out episodes 42, 44 and 46 to hear more on this theme.
Today’s guest is Peter Thompson, a farmer based in rural Queensland, Australia that has been farming regeneratively before the word existed. He and his wife Nicki run grassfed beef cattle, do broadacre cropping, and have about 6000 acres of wilderness conservation country.
Ben Krasnostein, co-founder and managing director of Kilara Capital, a company that helps facilitate investment opportunities that provide both commercial returns and environmental impacts.
Ben believes that we as consumers, primary producers, and global economies need to shift away from a mindset of extraction to one of regeneration. And he believes that business and technology are tools to enable this transition.
When it comes to agriculture, Ben sees great opportunities for farmers to benefit during this transition.
This episode is the 3rd the theme, responding to climate risk, brought to you in partnership with Australian Farm Institute, an independent organisation conducting research into the strategic issues facing Australian farmers and the agriculture sector. Find them on social media @AustFarmInstitu
Andrew Whitlock is a farmer who’s spent his career helping farmers to adopt science-based, practical, precision agriculture solutions.
With a deep seeded love of farming, Andrew has many insights into how farmers make decisions about technology adoption and getting agtech ready.
In this episode, Andrew shares these insights as well as lessons from his journey from agronomist to farmer and finally to founder of a precision agriculture business.
This episode is the fourth and final in our theme: Getting Agtech Ready. This theme is brought to you in partnership with Decipher, an easy-to-use precision agriculture solution helping growers and agronomists in 60 countries make data driven decisions. To learn more about Decipher, visit their website or follow them on twitter.
Want more on getting agtech ready? Check out our eBook!
Cotton farmers Jon Elder and Karin Stark have looked to technology (and their neighbors) for innovation that can help them respond to climate risk. The 500 kW hybrid solar-diesel pumping system they’ve installed- Australia’s largest- is helping them combat rising energy costs.
As farmers who are passionate about the environment, Karin and Jon say it’s a win-win. The system is reducing their carbon footprint and building financial resilience. On top of that, Karin has been organizing field days and conferences to share her message that communication and trust are key to building knowledge and confidence when it comes to adopting new technologies that can help farmers respond to climate risk.
This episode is the second in the Responding to Climate Risk theme, brought to you in partnership with Australian Farm Institute, an independent organisation conducting research into the strategic issues facing Australian farmers and the agriculture sector. Find them on social media @AustFarmInstitu
In this episode we hear from a farming couple, Jess and Matt, about social media, robotics, and picking low hanging fruit when it comes to innovation. Jess and Matt Fealy returned to farm life after a long stint in the corporate world to grow avocados, mangoes, and limes in Far North Queensland.
For them, being agtech ready is about having an open mind, trying new things, and thinking beyond business-as-usual. Their advice is lean in and take control of what you can. But when it comes to implementing technology, to remember that innovation is not a band-aid for sound business practices- it’s a natural progression of good decision making.
Matt also shares insights from his recently completed Nuffield scholarship on robotics and automation in horticulture.
This episode is the third in the theme, Getting AgTech Ready, brought to you in partnership with Decipher, a precision agriculture solution that helps growers and agronomists make data driven decisions. Find them on social media @DecipherAgTech
Want more on getting agtech ready? Check out our eBook!
Anika Molesworth is a passionate advocate for sustainable farming and climate change action. She can be heard across Australia and abroad discussing the balance of rural landscapes and managing climate risk in agricultural systems.
In this episode we talk about managing climate risk and how Anika’s family experience taking on a property in far west NSW sparked her interest in this style of agricultural study. We also look at the differences she sees between the Riverina and South East Asia, and what we can learn from each. We also touch on technology of course, and its role in managing climate risk and telling the stories of the land.
This is the first of four episodes in partnership with the Australian Farm Institute on the theme "responding to climate risk".
Lachlan Sutton, Agribusiness Manager for Southern Cross Farms, has been involved with agriculture for his whole life. He was born and bred on his family’s sheep and wheat farm, worked in various rural services roles for over a decade with Elders, and now looks after agtech for the Corporate farming outfit Southern Cross Farms.
Because of his experiences working in both corporate and family farming businesses, Lachlan is in the unique position of being able to shed light on his experience incorporating agtech into each of these different farming models. Lachie discusses 5 key insights that we hope will help farmers of all types make their businesses agtech ready.
This episode is the second of four that we will be releasing on the theme of “getting agtech ready.” This theme is brought to you in partnership with Decipher, an easy-to-use precision agriculture solution helping growers and agronomists in 60 countries make data driven decisions. To learn more about Decipher, visit their website or follow them on twitter.
Want more on getting agtech ready? Check out our eBook!
Tim Rethus and his family are cropping farmers near Horsham in Victoria, Australia. They are early adopters and innovators who are leveraging best practices achieve their commitment to “sustainable, low cost farming”.
Tim has some valuable insights to share about adopting (and building) new technology, where to look for inspiration, deciding to shift to a whole new farming system, and more.
This episode is the first of four that we will be releasing on the theme of “getting agtech ready.” This theme is brought to you in partnership with Decipher, an easy-to-use precision agriculture solution helping growers and agronomists in 60 countries make data driven decisions. To learn more about Decipher, visit their website or follow them on twitter.
Want more on getting agtech ready? Check out our eBook!
Anthony began as John Deere Australia’s first integrated solutions manager. John Deere’s precision ag technology was tested in the USA and then brought to Australia. Anthony was integral in joining the technology to the dealership, and then helping connect the value to the grower. After leaving John Deere, Anthony, not wanting to abandon the relationships he had fostered but also recognizing the gaps in the market around managing on-farm data, founded I-AG. I-AG aims to bridge the gap between, “I’ve bought this piece of equipment and we can’t get it to work” and “I can now use and harvest the data to benefit my production”.
