From the vault: Mark Ferguson on science, sheep, and the tech-enabled future of genetics

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.

What's the Role of Government in Agtech Ecosystems?

What's the Role of Government in Agtech Ecosystems?

It’s fair to say most entrepreneurs (and farmers!) aren’t big fans of government rules and regulations for fear of being slowed down by red tape and bureaucracy. However, the political environment in which a startup develops can have a big impact on its ability to find investment and support, especially in agtech, where ecosystems are still very new for most countries.

The United Arab Emirates is investing heavily in agtech, seeking to make Abu Dhabi the global center for innovation in agriculture. Salvatore Lavallo is the Head of Foreign Direct Investment at the Abu Dhabi Investment Office. He’s had a unique, and perhaps unlikely journey, to this position. Growing up in Indiana, his interest in economic development led him to become, at the age of 27, one of the youngest people to travel to every country in the world. Along the way, he became a farm owner in Tanzania, and a consultant with McKinsey in Africa and the Middle East.


Bonus Ep: Later-Stage Agtech Startup Wrap, feat. Anastasia Volkova, Regrow

Bonus Ep: Later-Stage Agtech Startup Wrap, feat. Anastasia Volkova, Regrow

Where are all the women founders in agtech, especially at later-stage startups? What does an acquisition really feel like, and when does it make sense? In this Bonus episode, we answer both these questions, as well as build on the key insights from our latest series: “Later-Stage Agtech Startup Lessons”.

This episode features Anastasia Volkova , co-founder and CEO of Regrow, an independent measurement reporting and verification platform. Regrow, (formerly Flurosat), recently acquired US agtech company, Dagan, and raised $17 million in Series A funding.

Later-Stage Agtech Startup Lessons #3 - Farmers Business Network

Later-Stage Agtech Startup Lessons #3 - Farmers Business Network

Farmers Business Network is one of the most well-funded startups in agtech. Just recently, they announced a $300M Series G round, bringing their total funds raised to $870M and their valuation to nearly $4 billion.

So, where did it all begin?

In this episode, FBN co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer, Charles Baron, explains how his Silicon Valley upbringing unexpectedly collided with rural Nebraska, resulting in an idea for a new kind of agribusiness- one that would connect farmers and increase their bargaining power for chemicals and seeds.

Charles talks about several key factors in the company’s success, including questioning Silicon Valley’s ‘founder obsession’ to instead create a ‘farmer-centric’ ideology.


Later-Stage Agtech Startup Lessons #2 - BrightFarms

Later-Stage Agtech Startup Lessons #2 - BrightFarms

Paul Lightfoot is a serial entrepreneur who has learned several lessons the hard way, from raising money to communicating purpose to hiring (and firing). After spending much of his career as a software CEO, Paul wanted to follow his “calling” to enter the world of sustainability and foodtech.

But this meant moving from a familiar career trajectory to an industry that, 10 years ago when Paul was entering it, barely even existed. In 2011, Paul founded BrightFarms, which uses hydroponic greenhouses to produce locally sourced packaged salads in the US. Along the way, he has made several critical decisions for his startup’s success, including voluntarily stepping back from the role of CEO.

Later-Stage Agtech Startup Lessons #1 - Semios

Later-Stage Agtech Startup Lessons #1 - Semios

In this 3-part series, we’ll share the lessons from agtech startup founders who have grown their agtech companies from idea to at least 100 employees.

This episode features Michael Gilbert, CEO and founder of Semios, a crop management platform initially focused on tree fruit, nuts and vines, based in Canada. Michael has a PhD in chemistry and started his career in pharmaceuticals and biotech, before realizing his knowledge could be applied to agricultural inputs.

This initial idea has led him on a journey from biologicals, to creating a company with more than 300 employees and over $225 million in external capital raised to date.


Investing in Tech to Enable Regen Ag

Investing in Tech to Enable Regen Ag

Venture investment into technology companies that have the potential to scale regenerative agriculture is accelerating. However, it is a relatively new domain for venture capital, and it comes with its own unique set of challenges.

So what role can VCs play in the regen ag landscape? And what technologies and trends are VCs looking at to guide their investments?

This bonus episode features a discussion from a live panel conversation at the Regenerative Food Systems Investment Forum (RFSIF), in California.

Why You Should Give a F*ck About Farming

Why You Should Give a F*ck About Farming

Does the average citizen actually need to care about how their food is produced? This is the central question Australian author and journalist, Gabrielle Chan, set out to answer. Her latest book, “Why you should give a f*ck about farming” details her firm conclusion, that yes, if you eat food, you should in fact care about agriculture.

While the old days of agriculture as the top contributor to GDP is over for most Western countries, Gabrielle argues the future of food and farming is becoming increasingly important for a raft of other reasons such as climate change and food security.


Farmers and Startups: Tips for Collaboration

Farmers and Startups: Tips for Collaboration

The divide between farmers and startups can seem like a chasm. Tech culture and agriculture have evolved from completely different backgrounds, and even seem to have their own languages. So how can agtech bring together two very different groups?

In this episode, you’ll hear practical tips from farmers and agtech experts on how to build mutually beneficial relationships. For startups, this includes approaching farmers as partners, rather than ‘customers,’ and understanding ‘grower economics’. And for farmers, it’s about finding opportunities to access and help shape new products as the startup iterates.

The Economics of Valuing Natural Capital: Ken Henry

The Economics of Valuing Natural Capital: Ken Henry

Dr. Ken Henry became well-known in Australia for his bold economic reforms as the Treasury Secretary throughout the 2000s. His approach to conservation and agriculture is equally as bold, advocating for the natural environment to be valued, and even predicting “an explosion” in financial instruments to measure soil carbon, vegetation, biodiversity and other aspects of nature.

As an economist, former Chair of the National Australia Bank, and current board director of Accounting for Nature, he brings a unique perspective to agtech and agriculture.


100th Episode Special: soil carbon & the future of agtech

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.

Getting Off the Commodities Treadmill

Getting Off the Commodities Treadmill

Loran Steinlage has been labeled a ‘regenerative’ farmer and branded a conservationist, yet as a farmer in Iowa, in many ways he’s far from the stereotypical image of either. He lives in the heart of the Iowa corn belt, but says he now doesn’t care whether he grows corn or not.

In this episode, Loran shares how his drive for innovation has come from a series of difficult and life-changing events in his personal life. This, coupled with his love of tinkering with machines has helped him unlock new ways of farming, such as cover cropping, interseeding and relay cropping, that have not only won him awards and improved profitability, but also caught the attention of machinery manufacturers and helped him spend more time with his family.


Designing Crops to Change the Plant-Based Food System

Designing Crops to Change the Plant-Based Food System

Benson Hill is designing crops and ingredients for some of the world’s most popular plant-based food brands. But the company has no intention of becoming a brand itself. Instead, it’s focused on revolutionizing the entire food system, from how plants are grown, to what they taste like, to the range of crop varieties on offer.

Founder and CEO, Matt Crisp, started Benson Hill nearly a decade ago as a plant biology company, using analytics and machine learning to increase yields. Now it has grown to become a technology platform as well as a vertically integrated food and ingredients business, designing high protein soybeans and yellow peas to fuel the growing plant-based protein industry.

Did Silicon Valley Kill Agtech?

Did Silicon Valley Kill Agtech?

The Silicon Valley model for innovation has worked famously for many software based companies, such as Facebook and PayPal. However, when it comes to agtech, the Silicon Valley template for startup success hasn’t translated very well. This template, of either “user is the customer” or “user is the product” is rather limited in agriculture, where the farming population is small (restricting scale) and the stakes are high.

This episode features Rob Trice, the founder of Better Food Ventures and The Mixing Bowl, along with Sarah Nolet and Matthew Pryor, who both lead the Agthentic Group and Tenacious Ventures. All three guests have a solid tech history in Silicon Valley and discuss why the business models typically used by venture-backed software companies, can’t just be copy-pasted to agriculture.


Carbon neutrality and tackling misinformation in red meat

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?

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

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.

Capitalism for Good

Capitalism for Good

Can capitalism be a force for good? David Lee left the traditional corporate world to work for some of the most bullish startup companies in agrifood tech, including Impossible Foods and AppHarvest, where he was appointed the company’s President earlier this year. David did this out of a belief that the levers of capitalism and consumerism are the fastest ways to transform the food system. He says the key to address the world’s urgent food sustainability problems is by creating consumer movements.

Biologicals: snake oil or science, and how do we know?

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

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.