Agtech - So What?
122 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 2 years ago - ★★★★★ - 21 ratingsWe tell the stories of innovators at the intersection of agriculture and technology to answer the question: what really is agtech and why should you care?
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Episodes
What Commodity Agriculture Can Learn from Organic Farming, with Amy Bruch, Cyclone Farms
August 24, 2022 20:00 - 33 minutes - 46.3 MBWhile the term “organic” tends to be associated with small-scale production and a preference for manual tools over the latest technology, organic farming advocates claim their methods can reduce the need for expensive inputs like fertilizers and herbicides, improve soil health, and allow farmers to differentiate their product in otherwise global commodity markets. So, what can commodity agriculture learn from organic farming? Our guest this week is Amy Bruch, a sixth-generation farmer of...
Defining the Future of Ag Advocacy, with Emma Germano, Victorian Farmers Federation
August 10, 2022 20:00 - 28 minutes - 26.3 MBAgriculture 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. It’s for this reason that ag has always invested deeply in advocacy groups. Our guest this week is Emma Germano, President of The Victorian ...
Bonus Ep: Audience Responses to "The Three Fears of Farm Data"
August 03, 2022 20:00 - 34 minutes - 31.9 MBBack 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 ...
The Three Categories of Autonomy in Agriculture, with Andrew Bate, SwarmFarm Robotics
July 27, 2022 20:00 - 35 minutes - 33 MBAutonomous 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 worl...
The Incentives, Barriers, and Willingness to Pay for Carbon Programs in Agriculture, with Emma Fuller, Corteva Agriscience
July 13, 2022 20:00 - 37 minutes - 34.9 MBWhen 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...
Ag Insurance...So What?
June 29, 2022 20:03 - 36 minutes - 33.9 MBThis week we're bringing you the final episode in our three-part series on the future of ag insurance. Our journey started with learning the ins and outs of how the sector currently operates (check out the ag insurance 101 episode here) and then talking to key players about new products and technologies entering the industry (check out Damon Johnson on parametric insurance here). Today, Sarah is joined by Matthew Pryor to talk through their learnings in a live attempt to develop an investm...
The Future of Insurance in Agriculture, with Damon Johnson, Global Ag Risk Solutions
June 15, 2022 20:00 - 34 minutes - 31.8 MBFor 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 approaches risk. This second episode of our exploration of ag insurance (check out the first, a 101 on ag insurance, here!) considers a digitally-native product in the hands of ...
Bonus Ep: Ag Insurance 101
June 14, 2022 20:00 - 28 minutes - 26 MBClimate 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 we...
From the Vault: Mark Wootton on Carbon-Neutral Farming at Jigsaw Farms
June 01, 2022 20:00 - 39 minutes - 36.4 MBRecently 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. In that spirit we wanted to revisit our original conversation with Mark that was published nearly two years ago. After...
Making Decisions in the Face of Uncertainty, with Hallie Shoffner
May 18, 2022 20:00 - 35 minutes - 32.9 MBIt 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 ...
Bonus Ep: The Three Fears of Farm Data
May 11, 2022 20:00 - 29 minutes - 27.3 MBOur latest bonus podcast episode is an experiment. Rather than organize the contributions that usually make up an episode, we decided to hit record on one of the conversations that are always happening internally at Tenacious Ventures. It’s a snapshot into how we think, form and test our assumptions, and decide on what might be next. It also captured the team taking on a pretty hot topic on the mind of everyone in agtech battling with adoption and scaling digitally-native solutions: Have...
Services and Software for On-Farm Autonomy, with Iftach Birger of FieldIn
May 04, 2022 20:00 - 34 minutes - 32.2 MBThere are many different views about the future of autonomous farming. One is that, out of the emerging autonomous equipment providers and established blue chip suppliers, there will be clear winners and losers in the battle for on-farm dominance. Another is that farming in the future will involve all kinds of autonomous solutions. This second possibility presents tons of opportunities to add value for farmers. Our guest on this week’s episode is Iftach Birger, Co-Founder and COO at FieldIn...
Navigating Economic Development and the Social Fabric of Agriculture, with Elizabeth Brennan, Wide Open Agriculture
April 20, 2022 20:00 - 31 minutes - 28.8 MBEvery decision made by founders, farmers, and leaders in agriculture shapes the future of our food system. Whether it’s the cost per hectare of a biological or the value of a ton of carbon sequestered, the different goals and outcomes that end up in business plans inevitably define how time, energy, and capital are spent. But there are many outcomes of a healthy food system that don’t fit in a business plan. How do leaders today account for the broad connections between people, ideas, and i...
Unscrambling Go-to-Market and Brand in Alternative Protein, with Tanja Bogumil, Perfeggt
April 06, 2022 20:00 - 33 minutes - 30.8 MBLet’s talk about eggs. Hardly anything can match the egg for complete versatility. Eggs are a crucial ingredient that unlocks the tastes, textures, and experiences we take for granted in everything from the simplest home omelette to food manufactured on an industrial scale. So, how would you approach replacing the egg with a plant-based alternative? This week on EggTech…So What?, we spoke with alternative-protein entrepreneur Tanja Bogumil. Tanja is the Co-Founder and CEO of Berlin-based...
Bonus Ep: The State of Fundraising in Agtech
March 30, 2022 19:00 - 49 minutes - 45.7 MBLife is moving pretty fast for founders and investors working in agtech. Recent years have seen record flows of capital into agrifood, driven in part by agriculture potential to provide climate solutions. And the massive disruptions of COVID-19 meant developed markets received a historic taste of what changes will be needed in a world impacted by climate change and further uncertainty. So, how have the last few years impacted agtech founders looking to raise capital, and investors on the l...
Investing Beyond the Farmgate with Ben Barlow, New Edge Microbials
March 23, 2022 19:00 - 32 minutes - 29.9 MBBiologicals in agriculture have a wildly exciting future. It’s a segment responding to innovation in science, changes in markets, and the urgent pressures of adapting to climate change. New startups coming into the space are generating plenty of buzz, but there are also established players with products in the hands of farmers today. Ben Barlow is a veteran executive and the Managing Director of New Edge Microbials, a company that has been supplying farmers with legume inoculants and other ...
Meeting in the Middle on Sustainable Supply Chains - Jessie Deelo, Vayda
March 09, 2022 19:00 - 34 minutes - 31.8 MBSustainability in food and agriculture has come a long way. Far from being “the dirty word” it used to be in boardrooms and at farm-gates, it’s now business as usual to expect CSR policies, ESG strategies, and decarbonization targets from all major agri-food companies. But, according to Jessie Deelo, Chief Hub Officer at Vayda, sustainability is moving beyond typical “top-down” commitments. In her work improving the environmental and social impact of supply chains, Jessie sees a huge opport...
The Authenticity Premium in AgTech Marketing with Camille Grade from Bushel and Travis Martin from Magnetic Ag
February 23, 2022 19:00 - 34 minutes - 31.9 MBAgTech companies make promises to investors to grow fast and be quick to iterate or change direction. But they also make promises to customers who think more in seasons instead of product development cycles, and who value long-term relationships with a mutual investment. These are difficult pressures for agtech marketers to manage. In this episode, we hear from Camille Grade, Chief Marketing Officer at Bushel, and Travis Martin, an agtech marketing consultant and founder of industry newslet...
Win-Win Business Models for Farmers and Startups with Marissa Cuevas Flores of MicroTERRA
February 09, 2022 19:01 - 31 minutes - 29.5 MBBalancing the desire to do good with the need to build a business that can scale is a challenge for every entrepreneur. Particularly in agriculture, finding strategies that solve for both the users of the product as well as beneficiaries of the solution is key. For Marissa Cuevas Flores, Founder and CEO of MicroTERRA, it took several iterations before her team settled on a workable value proposition that could contribute to massive global challenges like preserving fresh water and feeding th...
Genetics, biosecurity, and the cutest sheep in the world with Dr Belinda Cardinal, Caprotek
January 26, 2022 19:01 - 39 minutes - 36 MBManaging the genetic quality of a herd can be a wicked challenge for Australian farmers. We’re a country with a small number of animals relative to the rest of the world, and formidable, complex biosecurity protocols. Fortunately, Belinda Cardinal, Founder of breeding and genetics company Caprotek and career dairy goat farmer, enjoys spending time on wickedly difficult problems. After years spent strengthening the genetic diversity of her herd of dairy goats, Belinda attracted all kinds of ...
The Tricky Business of Scaling Soil Tech - Adam Litle, CEO, Sound Agriculture
January 12, 2022 19:01 - 34 minutes - 31.6 MBThe science and technology of soil is rapidly evolving, but translating it into a scalable business that can offer viable products to farmers has long been a tricky proposition. But it’s one that Adam Litle, the CEO of Sound Agriculture, has devoted much of his career to answering. Adam was part of the executive team at Granular, the farm management software company acquired by Dupont (now Corteva) for $300M. Now, at Sound Ag, he’s leading a company that’s raised more than $95M to develop a...
FROM THE VAULT: Mark Ferguson on science, sheep, and the tech-enabled future of genetics
December 22, 2021 19:01 - 34 minutes - 32.1 MBOriginally released: 20 February, 2020 We’ll be back with new episodes in January 2022, but for the holidays we thought we’d bring back a favorite episode from the vault! Mark Ferguson or “Ferg,” is a sheep geneticist who’s paying attention to how both consumer demands and emerging technologies are impacting growers. He’s the co-founder and Director of neXtgen Agri, an online livestock consultancy, and Genesmith, a startup applying facial recognition and machine learning to the global live...
What's the role of government in agtech ecosystems? Salvatore Lavallo, Abu Dhabi Investment Office
December 15, 2021 19:01 - 44 minutes - 40.9 MBIt’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 agri...
Bonus Ep: Later-Stage Agtech Startup Wrap, feat. Anastasia Volkova, Regrow
December 08, 2021 19:01 - 41 minutes - 38 MBWhere 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 ...
Later-Stage Agtech Startup Lessons #3 - Charles Baron, Farmers Business Network
December 01, 2021 19:31 - 48 minutes - 44.4 MBFarmers 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...
Later-Stage Agtech Startup Lessons #2 - Paul Lightfoot, BrightFarms
November 17, 2021 19:01 - 39 minutes - 36.9 MB“When you say, ‘can I have your money?’ Then, people speak the truth.” 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 ...
Later-Stage Agtech Startup Lessons #1 - Michael Gilbert, Semios
November 03, 2021 19:01 - 36 minutes - 33.6 MBIn 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. We’ll be examining what’s worked (and hasn’t), differences between agtech and other industries, and what the founders have learned along the way about the industry and themselves. This episode, the first in the series, features Michael Gilbert, CEO and founder of Semios, a crop management platform initially focused on tree fruit, nuts and vin...
Bonus: Investing in tech to enable regen ag
October 28, 2021 19:02 - 31 minutes - 28.9 MBVenture 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)...
Why You Should Give a F*ck About Farming - Gabrielle Chan
October 20, 2021 19:01 - 39 minutes - 36.3 MBDoes 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 are over for most Western countries, Gabrielle argues the future of food and farming is beco...
Farmers and Startups: Lessons and Tips for Collaborating
October 06, 2021 19:00 - 41 minutes - 37.8 MBThe 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...
Bonus: The Economics of Valuing Natural Capital - Ken Henry, former Treasury Secretary of Australia
September 29, 2021 20:01 - 39 minutes - 36.9 MBDr. 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, h...
100th Episode Special: our most popular guests on soil carbon, regen ag, and the future of agtech
September 22, 2021 20:01 - 59 minutes - 55.1 MBFor 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. These guests were popular for a reason: Mark Wootton - dubbed the ‘carbon neutral farmer,’ Mark is a pioneer in measuring natural capital… yet, he’s also highly skeptical of the regenerative agriculture movement. Stu Austin - manager of Wilmot Cattle Co, ...
Getting Off the Commodities Treadmill - Loran Steinlage
September 08, 2021 20:01 - 38 minutes - 35.5 MBLoran 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 unlo...
Designing Crops to Change the Plant-Based Food System - Matt Crisp, Benson Hill
August 25, 2021 20:01 - 40 minutes - 37.6 MBBenson 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 gr...
Bonus Episode: Did Silicon Valley Kill Agtech?
August 18, 2021 20:01 - 44 minutes - 41.3 MBThe 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 founding partner of Better Food V...
Carbon neutrality and tackling misinformation in red meat - Jason Strong, Meat and Livestock Australia
August 11, 2021 20:01 - 42 minutes - 39.4 MBRed meat is increasingly seen as the “bad guy” when it comes to climate change. Undoubtedly, animal agriculture has an impact on the environment, with 10 percent of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions coming from livestock. But Australia's leading red meat marketing and R&D organization, Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) says the negative environmental impacts from red meat are often overblown. While lamb and beef are still very popular in Australia, and cattle farmers are currently enjoy...
Is the Future of Farming Hands-Free?
July 28, 2021 20:00 - 39 minutes - 36.3 MBFor 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 and fo...
Biologicals and chemistry: finding ways to commercialize the science
July 14, 2021 20:20 - 40 minutes - 37.7 MBJust because something can be done, doesn’t mean it should be. In agtech, this is a reminder that no matter how cutting edge the science or technology, when it comes to commercialization, functionality and novelty are simply not enough. This is especially true in the complex area of chemistry and the emerging industry of biologicals. This episode features two scientists who, instead of viewing the publication of their research as an end point, have made it the beginning of a venture-backed ...
BONUS EP: Capitalism for Good, feat. David Lee from AppHarvest and Impossible Foods
July 07, 2021 20:00 - 28 minutes - 26.1 MBCan 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 move...
Biologicals: snake oil or science, and how do we know?
June 30, 2021 20:00 - 42 minutes - 39.2 MBFarmers are under pressure to shift toward lower chemical intensity production. Biologicals are touted as one possible solution, promising natural, chemical-free alternatives to inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides. But biologicals also have a reputation for being ‘snake oil,’ with companies making claims that seem too good to be true, or that don’t stack up outside the lab. So what’s the science behind biologicals, and how do we know they work? And when they do work, how do we get the...
What's caused the farmer protests in India and what does it mean for innovation in Ag?
June 16, 2021 20:39 - 32 minutes - 30.1 MBAgriculture 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 e...
Bonus Episode: The five forces shaping the future of food and ag, with Sarah Nolet
June 09, 2021 20:02 - 34 minutes - 32 MBWe’d all like to be able to predict what the next big technological disruption or trend will be. But while we can't exactly do that, we can look at signals happening today, and use them to drive our thinking about the future. In this bonus episode, Sarah Nolet presents five future forces shaping innovation in food and agriculture, and shares insights about what these forces mean for producers, investors, and entrepreneurs today. You may know Sarah as the host of this podcast, but in this bo...
Sustainable Supply Chains: eliminating waste and unlocking business opportunities
June 02, 2021 20:01 - 39 minutes - 36 MBAgrifood 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. How can we deliver against these pressures? What changes in technology and practices will be needed? How do we build trust so consumers and industry alike have confidence i...
Lean Farming - Jana Hocken brings Toyota's famous operating model to agriculture
May 19, 2021 20:01 - 39 minutes - 36.2 MBJana Hocken is a dairy farmer and “lean farming” consultant. After an international career in engineering and lean manufacturing at Toyota, Jana moved to a farm in New Zealand with her husband. At the time, she knew very little about agriculture. But, after witnessing inefficiencies on her own farm, such as people regularly making multiple trips to the same paddock, she quickly realized the principles of lean could be applied. Jana has now released her own book and training materials, to hel...
New Zealand's Dairy Pollution Problem - how an urgent issue is driving innovation
May 05, 2021 20:01 - 36 minutes - 34 MBNitrate leaching in New Zealand, largely driven by the rapid expansion of dairy, has left waterways so polluted that some are unsafe to swim in. But the government is on a mission to fix this and restore the country’s ‘clean and green’ reputation. To tackle this issue, as well as other environmental concerns, the government is mandating that all farmers (not just dairy) report on water contaminants and other sustainability measures, including greenhouse gas emissions. In this episode hear f...
Bringing the public with you... lessons in social license and plant genetics, with Vonnie Estes
April 21, 2021 20:01 - 33 minutes - 31 MBVonnie Estes has been at the forefront of genetics in agriculture for 30 years. She’s witnessed the public backlash over GMO crops in the 1990s, as well as the hype over biofuels in the U.S in the 2000s. Vonnie has also seen great advancements in plant breeding and genetics, working for Monsanto, Dupont, and Syngenta, as well as with multiple ag and biotech startups. In her current role as Vice-President of Technology at the Produce Marketing Association, Vonnie helps companies navigate the...
What's the incentive? Drivers and barriers to turning soil carbon into a commodity
April 07, 2021 22:38 - 36 minutes - 33.4 MBExperts and tech companies alike are claiming that soil carbon payments hold huge potential as a new revenue stream for farmers and 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, with new technologies and incentive schemes emerging weekly. In this week’s episode, we feature a panel of experts from across tech, policy, and corporate agribusiness. We tackle issues and barriers in soil carbon, and the pot...
The agtech adoption dilemma: Irrigation
March 24, 2021 19:01 - 32 minutes - 30.5 MBWe have the technology to measure and improve water efficiency on farms, yet adoption remains low- why is this? This episode explores our hypothesis in our recent report: that the problem is not with the technology, but rather with a limited understanding of the nuances of farmer psychology. We explore how tech developers, both startups and incumbent firms, can design business models that encourage irrigation tech adoption. We also discuss how farmers can make sure they’re getting the info...
The promises and pitfalls of making livestock sustainable
March 10, 2021 19:01 - 40 minutes - 37.7 MBLivestock, and especially cows, get a bad rap when it comes to climate change. But is this fair? There’s no doubt that cows emit methane; however, scientific advancements are increasing our understanding of how methane contributes to global warming, and emerging companies are developing solutions to reduce enteric emissions through advancements such as feed additives and methods to accelerate genetic progress. The path to sustainable livestock is fraught with controversy, but this week’s gu...
Can a small non-profit farm near NYC change the food system?
February 24, 2021 20:01 - 40 minutes - 37 MBThe Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture has a lofty mission: to change the food system. It’s an idyllic 400 acre farming property just north of New York City. It features an on-site, partner restaurant called Blue Hill, which has been made famous by chef Dan Barber and his book The Third Plate. Stone Barns also runs education programs and regenerative agriculture trials in crops and livestock, and welcomes the public to watch how it’s all done. Jason Grauer is their Crops Director....