Agbioscience

Latest Episodes:

363. Oaken’s Shashi Raghunandan talks the landowner + farmer relationship, agtech that saves time + money May 05, 2025

Show notes

The American Farm Bureau estimates that roughly 40% of US farmland is either rented of leased. It’s a reality that creates a labyrinth of contracts and agreements between farmers and landowners that the two have to navigate together. One entrepreneur is turning to the power of software to transform that challenge into an opportunity that makes that relationship a little easier to navigate. Shashi Raghunandan, CEO of Oaken, joins us to talk the complex web between landowners and farm operators. We get into:

The existing challenge between landowners and farmers, especially as farms grow to significant acreage
Oaken as a platform not only manage multiple contracts for large acre farms but to also manage the unique specifics of each individual deal
How the migration to cloud-based technologies like Oaken balance in an industry like agriculture that is largely relationship-based
The feedback farmer customers are giving on the Oaken platform thus far
Shashi’s background in payments and financial services and how it paved the way to him connecting with Purdue DIAL Ventures and eventually leading Oaken
What to expect from Oaken in the next 12-18 months

362. Mitch Frazier recaps April, talks Midwest resilience + looks ahead to Quadrant + Velocity's first Demo Day Apr 30, 2025

Show notes

At the end of April, AgriNovus CEO Mitch Frazier jumps on the podcast with Cayla Chiddister to recap the month gone by and events coming up, including:

Recent travels and discussions around how the Midwest can add additional value to its commodities, an existing strength and something we've done time and again.
Mitch recently spoke with AgFunder News' Elaine Watson on challenges meeting opportunities in this tough environment right now and how "pessimists might sound smart, but it's the optimists who will win. That story is here.
Our next Quadrant event is coming up in Indianapolis focused on the evolution of food ingredients based on shifting consumer preferences, how food companies are responding and what that means for farmers. You can register for the free event here.
Quadrant's discussion aligns nicely with a gigantic event -- The Sweets and Snacks Expo (learn more here).
Field Atlas just closed its May Company Tour application window, but August is still open for college students to apply. Learn more here.
Velocity Demo Day is coming up June 18 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. Register for the free event here.

361. IBOAH’s Dr. Kelli Werling on animal disease pressure, biosecurity risks + farmers innovating to combat the spread Apr 28, 2025

Show notes

The USDA calls biosecurity the cornerstone of animal livestock production and it’s one that’s taken center stage of late as farmers have battled disease. Dr. Kelli Werling, Director of Animal Health Programs at the Indiana Board of Animal Health, joins to talk biosecurity, how farmers are protecting the farm and how the spread of disease among animal production is ultimately impacting consumers. We get into:

The current state of biosecurity across the Midwest, avian flu’s impact three years into its reign and how farmers are working to attempt further spread on their operations
Consumer pressure being felt by avian flu and how egg prices are being impacted
The migration of the disease from birds to other species – from cattle to cats – and why it’s happening
As a regulatory body, IBOAH balancing the heightened state of alert, practicality of science and emotion
Where Kelli sees new innovations emerging on farms to combat the spread of disease
The best defense to avian flu – is a good offense
What IBOAH sees ahead with disease pressure and their call to action for farmers and industry alike

360. BONUS: The FBI’s Herb Stapleton on the complexity of threats affecting agbioscience + calls to action for defense Apr 23, 2025

Show notes

Agbioscience was on-site at the Indiana Farm Bureau’s Ag Threats and Security Summit in March and had a chance to sit down with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)’s Special Agent in Charge Herb Stapleton to talk all things biosecurity. We get into:

The complex labyrinth of threats and risks affecting agriculture in the Midwest and across the United States
How threats to agriculture are evolving and what that evolution means for farmers and agbioscience companies alike
As Special Agent in Charge, what Herb has witnessed as the most prevalent cyber threats to ag across the Midwest in recent years
Herb’s perspective on the relationship between food security and national security
What controls farmers and agbioscience companies can put in place to be prepared
Action items Herb hopes attendees take from the event – from the simple to the complex

359. Dr. Mahsa Vazin on PawCo Foods leveraging AI to optimize pet nutrition + disruption in pet health innovation Apr 21, 2025

Show notes

Pet ownership in the U.S. has increased dramatically over the past three decades according to Forbes – showing 66% of households own a pet. That’s almost 87 million houses, up 58% from 1988. Staggering growth drives dramatic need for innovation in pet health...and pet food. Dr. Mahsa Vazin, CEO and founder of PawCo Foods, joins us fresh off a venture capital raise to talk innovation and what’s ahead, including:

The overall macro challenges in the pet health market, including obesity in dogs and cats
How the pet food market is responding to a consumer desire and demand for more nutrient-dense food for their companion animals
How plant-based brands are capturing market share in the pet health space
PawCo’s leveraging of AI in tandem with nutritionists to optimize recipe formulations
The company’s recent venture capital raise and what it will enable them to expand and do in the future
Investor feedback, questions and response to the PawCo model during the recent fundraise
Mahsa approach to driving sales for PawCo
What’s on the horizon for the company as it continues its growth trajectory

358. Keystone Cooperative’s Phil Brewer on farmer-led innovation + the evolution of service provider to on-farm business partner Apr 14, 2025

Show notes

With 2.4 million U.S. agriculture jobs to fill each year and an unemployment rate that still remains below 5%, leaders in agbioscience and farmers are facing a challenge. Like the rest of the economy, they’re in a battle for talent. One unique ally in agriculture is the cooperative system, a collective buying group and service provider network that’s serving American farmers. Phil Brewer, Vice President of Strategy at Keystone Cooperative, joins us to talk about the evolution of the cooperative from what it was – to what it is. We get into:

Keystone Cooperative’s footprint across Indiana, Kentucky and Michigan and the health of farmers heading into planting season
The evolution of the cooperative system over the last two decades – from service provider to business partner
How the farmer-led model of a cooperative ultimately drives adoption of new innovation and fills gaps for its members on their operations
Areas where Keystone needs to move quicker and capture market opportunities to deliver value to farmers
How they approach working with small companies and early-stage, venture-backed innovators

357. Conner Prairie’s Ronda Hamm on becoming The Smithsonian of the Midwest focused on food and agriculture Apr 07, 2025

Show notes

The power of experience is undeniable. The context it creates, the insight that it develops is far more than could be accomplished than by simply reading. Benjamin Franklin, one of our nation’s founding fathers, I think, said it best. “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I’ll remember. Involve me and I’ll learn.” Dr. Ronda Hamm, Director of Food, Farm and Energy Experience and Conner Prairie, joins this week to talk experiential learning and what lies ahead for the National Register of Historic Places in the coming years. We get into:

Ronda’s scientific background and how she’s seen biology accelerate innovation over the last two decades
Her love for entomology – that’s it – she loves bugs
The exciting idea that science is continuing to educate itself, always evolving – and the endless career possibilities that it can present
The Food, Farm and Energy Experience at Conner Prairie – what it is, what it’s designed to bring to consumers and industry alike – from grower to grocer
How she hopes this new addition to Conner Prairie engages a new generation of agbioscience workforce – and to understand that it expands well beyond farmers to supply chain, food scientists, data analysts and more
Her ambition for this site to become The Smithsonian of the Midwest focused on food and agriculture
A call to action for industry wanting to be involved in this project and timelines for when to expect this to be rolled out at Conner Prairie

356. Mitch Frazier recaps March from Indiana Farm Bureau’s Ag Threats + Security Summit Mar 31, 2025

Show notes

Agbioscience comes to you from the first ever Indiana Farm Bureau Indiana Ag Threats and Security Summit hosted in partnership with Beck’s Hybrids, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance. We had the opportunity to speak with Megan Ritter (Indiana Farm Bureau), Herb Stapleton (FBI) and Aaron Pierce (Pierce Aerospace) on the breadth, timeliness and criticality of keeping farming operations secure to maintain a safe, abundant food supply.

We also cover:

A March Quadrant recap and a look ahead to our May 14 event. Register here: https://agrinovusindiana.com/quadrant/
Big pre-seed funding news for startup Gripp. Listen to their recent episode of Agbioscience here: https://podcast.agrinovusindiana.com/public/215/Agbioscience-8a9a4381/f0137c47
ReproHealth Technologies as the winner of the first-ever Agbioscience Innovator Award at the TechPoint Mira Awards

355. Claudia Nari on Inari’s unique advantage + gene editing as a new paradigm in agbioscience Mar 31, 2025

Show notes

Gene editing in plants – it's been heralded as the next step-function change in the advancement of agriculture. One Indiana company is advancing the technology fresh off a $144 million venture capital raise. Claudia Nari, Chief Product Officer of Inari, joins today to talk through this historic time for gene editing and biotechnology at large. They get into:

From speed to precision, Claudia lays out the differentiation of gene editing to other types of plant breeding
Crops of focus for Inari right now and stresses they’re focused on to enable farmer success
The company’s recent venture capital raise, their value proposition and educating investors
Inari’s unique advantage (knowing what to do, having the tools to do it and being able to do those at the same time)
The status of field trials and what commercialization will look like for Inari
Biggest problems in-field to be solved through gene editing – from yield to resource efficiencies
Regulatory hurdles and Claudia’s perspective on the acceptance of gene editing as a technology
When will Inari technology be in customer fields? And what’s next?

354. TerraForce’s Mike Jacob on farmer-led innovation, solving for the labor gap + jobs to be done Mar 24, 2025

Show notes

The Economic Policy Institute estimates there are 2.4 million employees in U.S. agriculture and Purdue finds that 40% of new ag jobs go unfilled. One entrepreneur is turning to computer vision, artificial intelligence and robotics – maybe a little autonomy – to try to address these challenges facing farmers. Mike Jacob, founder and CEO of TerraForce, joins to talk farmer-led innovation, solving for the labor gap and jobs to be done. We get into:

The overview of the farm labor market, its challenges and where TerraForce specifically focuses right now in the specialty melon crop market
What challenges face melon producers when it comes to harvest
How Mike sees this new era of AI and computer vision shaping precision in agbioscience innovation
What TerraForce does, solving labor challenges and how they plan to tackle a real problem facing farmers
Mike gets into seeing his first melon harvest, identifying the problem to be solved and innovating from there
The criticality of melons – yes melons – to make an impact on his community as an entrepreneur
Where the TerraForce product sits today and how regional producers are the critical testbed to the company’s success
TerraForce’s recent fundraise and what it will enable them to do
Mike’s take on the ag’s jobs to be done: ag becoming less optimized and finding ways to become more resilient to big changes

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