Agbioscience

Latest Episodes:

313. Mitch Frazier on AgriNovus’ newly released study, Heartland BioWorks’ $51M grant, Vital Farms coming to Indiana and more Jul 31, 2024

Show notes

July was a month of momentum for the agbiosciences, including the release of new research that revealed Indiana agbioscience contributes nearly $70B to the state’s economy. We are here to recap the month:

Accelerate 2050 – a new study that highlights three priority opportunities for the agbiosciences including Food is Health, Farmer-Focused Innovation and Farmer-Focused Innovation. We also hear RTI’s Jim Redden’s comments on what these areas of focus mean for Indiana – and around the world.
Heartland BioWorks – recently announced a nearly $51 million implementation grant made possible by the Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs program created by the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022.
Vital Farms – expanding its supply chain to Seymour, Indiana with plans to break ground in 2025 and be fully operational in 2027. This will add 150 new jobs to the area.
IBJ 250 – celebrating agbioscience representation on Indiana’s list of most prominent leaders!
We are hitting the road for more! West Lafayette and Bedford – join us! Click here to register for these free events: https://agrinovusindiana.com/events/accelerate-2050-driving-growth-in-the-future/
QUADRANT is also back in September. Register here: https://agrinovusindiana.com/quadrant/

Other episodes of Agbioscience mentioned:

Dr. Kofi Essel, Elevance Health - https://podcast.agrinovusindiana.com/public/215/Agbioscience-8a9a4381/6d11d81a
Dave Roberts + Andrew Kossack, Applied Research Institute: https://podcast.agrinovusindiana.com/public/215/Agbioscience-8a9a4381/22551e39

312. Dr. Kofi Essel on food is health, nutrition security, innovative collisions with agbioscience + making sure to measure outcomes Jul 29, 2024

Show notes

Food – it's the only economy in the world that touches every person on the planet and it’s foundational to human health. So much so that leaders across the economy are uniting the power of food to drive health. It’s a new category of innovation called Food is Health and the nation’s 2nd largest health insurer, Elevance Health, is investing in this area. Dr. Kofi Essel, Food as Medicine Director at Elevance Health, joins today to talk food preventing, managing and treating disease.

Poor diet is one of the leading risk factors for decreased quality of life and premature death. A former pediatrician, Kofi talks about food as medicine being great healthcare and social drivers of health being critical to what happens within the four walls of a doctor’s office. He also stresses the importance of thinking beyond those experiencing food insecurity to nutrition security – ensuring access to the right types of food for their overall health.

The innovative intersection of human health and food is headed for a revolution – and digital is a big piece of that. Kofi gets into Elevance Health’s role in this space and bridging the gap between nutrition supply and demand. As he speaks on hunger as a pervasive problem in the United States, Kofi talks about the innovative solutions that will be needed – and that includes the AgriNovus HungerTech Challenge – designed to create digital solutions that increase access to food and nutrition.

How will we know if food is health is making a difference? Kofi talks health outcomes data, costs of healthcare and thinking about nutrition equity no matter your location.

311. RTI International’s Amanda Rose on Indiana’s $69.6B agbioscience economy, three defined priorities for the future Jul 22, 2024

Show notes

A team of researchers recently dug in to Indiana’s $69.6 agbioscience economy and its opportunities for growth well into the future – 2050, to be exact. Amanda Rose, agri-food systems lead for RTI International, joins us to elaborate on the newly released study, Accelerate 2050: A Vision for Indiana Agbioscience, and three defined opportunities for differentiated growth amid future uncertainty, including:

Farmer-Focused Innovation
Food is Health
BioInnovation

Why these opportunities? Amanda gets into the study’s methodology, marrying economic data with strategic foresight and creating the conditions for a future economy you want. These aren’t ideas bouncing off the wall but are grounded in existing assets that make Indiana unique. She also talks economic data, establishing a benchmark for future competitive analysis and how the data compares relative to other industries.

This study was largely about the future, so what’s ahead? Amanda talks about possible future scenarios for agbioscience on a global scale and the importance of operating and innovating at unique intersections to drive big outcomes – for people, plants, animals and the planet.

309. Traction Ag’s Dustin Sapp on farm accounting technology, responsible growth + enabling economic prosperity for farmers Jul 19, 2024

Show notes

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has projected to move from hype to help in 2024, generated by a shift in the global economy. There are tech companies taking that ambition and turning it into a reality and one of them joins us today. Dustin Sapp, CEO of Traction Ag, addresses farm accounting through technology, the sophistication of farming operations and how little of that innovation has hit farmers’ back offices.

How do farmers actually manage their books? Dustin says it’s a patchwork of solutions that take lots of time, spreadsheets and occasional uncertainty – something Traction Ag is well positioned to solve. He also gets into the vote of confidence from investors of late, all centered around the idea of improving the economic prosperity of farmers. Dustin also talks about their approach to responsible growth and building something that lasts so that farmers count on it as a trusted source for years to come.

In a tough time for innovators trying to fundraise, what is Traction Ag doing different? Dustin stresses the importance of demonstrating value, telling your story well and the vision you have for your business. How will AI create more help at the farmgate? Dustin talks about AI not being a hero for bad solutions and how his tech background has paved the way to the opportunities he’s had to date.

310. Dr. Jaleh Daie on investing for humanity, emerging trends in agbioscience + farmer needs as the priority for the future Jul 15, 2024

Show notes

Capital and science – two key ingredients that are shaping the future of the agbioscience economy. Dr. Jaleh Daie, Managing Partner of Aurora Equity, joins us today to talk about the state of risk capital in agbioscience, the round trip we’ve taken in the last six years and how it compares to other areas of investment.

With Jaleh’s rich background in education and focus on science, what unique opportunities have been created for her? She talks doing good for humanity, trailblazing for women in science and seeing innovation through a scientific lens. Jaleh talks investment in agtech being in the “early innings” and big trends getting a lot of traction – including biologicals, gene editing and artificial intelligence (AI).

Jaleh gets into digital and its potential to transform agriculture – from the farmgate to the dinner plate – and the opportunities to innovate in a tightening farm economy. She stresses the importance of understanding the needs of farmers and her excitement surrounding upstream innovation to create better margins and profitability for farmers around the world.

308. Biodyne USA’s Bodie Kitchel on the economics of biologicals, the pursuit of answers + innovating with urgency Jul 01, 2024

Show notes

Biologicals – the broad category of ag input products derived from living organisms – have experienced significant growth in terms of adoption and investment. An analysis of Pitchbook data reveals there have been more than 6,000 deals in the global ag biotech market over the past decade. One of those companies driving growth is Biodyne USA. This week, we are joined by their National Director of Agronomy, Bodie Kitchel, to talk Biologicals vs. Biostimulants and what’s driving growth in the space.

For Bodie, everyone’s “why” looks a little different when it comes to the adoption of biologicals and farm economics are certainly a piece of that. He gets into the farmer mindset around adopting innovation to leverage net farm income and Biodyne being an education company to help farmers learn where their dollar has the most value. Bodie also talks about needing economic impact right away but also balancing that belief with the value of economic impact in years two, three, four and five.

With his experience in ag retail, how has Bodie seen innovation evolve? He talks about positioning, investment and companies being afraid of the unknown. Looking ahead, Bodie talks about that fear being outweighed by the urgency around innovating – and Biodyne USA doing it with speed.

307. Mitch Frazier recaps June, talks Animal Health Boston, Elanco’s FDA approval of Bovaer, opportunities to join us + a big announcement! Jun 27, 2024

Show notes

June was a busy one! From a trip to the Animal Health Nutrition Technology and Innovation Conference in Boston to hosting college students at agbioscience companies across Indiana, Mitch Frazier and Cayla Chiddister look back at the past month, what’s happening and what’s ahead.

Hear from animal health innovators including Dr. Johanna Majamaa of GekkoVet and Celine Halioua from Loyal on bringing new solutions to market, the challenges they face and the opportunities that lie ahead in the future. We also dive into Elanco’s announcement of FDA approval for Bovaer, a feed additive for lactating dairy cows that reduces methane emissions.

We also welcomed nearly 30 college students from campuses across Indiana to tour agbioscience companies over the last month! Hear from Ball State chemistry student, Rilynne Puckett, on her experience and what she learned.

QUADRANT is coming July 17 in Indianapolis! Register here at agrinovusindiana.com/quadrant.

Lastly – Agbioscience is adding video! Watch, listen – whichever you prefer.

306. Ruminant BioTech’s Mark Weldon on methane knockdown, the link between environmental + economic sustainability Jun 24, 2024

Show notes

There are over one billion cattle globally, emitting methane through a natural process called enteric fermentation. Reducing emissions have become a top target of innovators across animal health and one company out of New Zealand is tackling the challenge from inside the cow. This week, we are joined by Mark Weldon, chairman of Ruminant BioTech, to talk about their bolus – a slow-release device that sits in the cow’s stomach for up to six months and delivers high levels of methane knockdown (think over 70% across a 90-day window).

How was this bolus developed? Mark talks about the mini pilot that launched Ruminant BioTech and the growing conversation around methane emission suppression. He also gets into factors that are paving the way for innovations like this to emerge and creating value -- starting with the rancher and moving all the way through the food system.

What makes Ruminant BioTech different than other aiming to mitigate methane emissions? Mark talks about their differentiation, acquiring funding (good returns for doing good) and their plans to scale outside of New Zealand.

305. Eve Hanks of MI:RNA Diagnostics on early disease identification, transforming the future of animal health Jun 17, 2024

Show notes

Early identification of diseases in animals is critical to the future of the food system, national security and our ability to care for our pets. One company is harnessing the power of biology to accelerate identification and joined us from the Agbioscience Podcast Corner at the Animal Health, Nutrition, Innovation and Technology Conference in Boston. Eve Hanks, founder and CEO of MI:RNA Diagnostics, joins us to talk their biomarker platform reliant on microRNA that has the potential to transform the future of animal health.

Eve gets into how the platform works and success her team has experienced since spinning out of Scotland’s Rural College. She also talks the importance of partnerships to drive innovation forward.

With diseases like Avian Flu and African Swine Fever threatening the global food system, how can a tool like MI:RNA help? Eve talks combatting disease in animals and how an increased awareness of microRNA is driving interest in her team’s work.

304. Atarraya’s Daniel Russek on real sustainability, innovation in aquaculture and bringing food production back to its natural cycle Jun 10, 2024

Show notes

Innovation in the agbiosciences is foundational to life – and it’s only accelerating. From biotech to production, food is transforming; and today’s guest is leading the charge on a new way of producing protein. Daniel Russek, CEO of Atarraya, joins us to talk the idea of sustainability, what it actually is and thinking long-term to achieve meaningful outcomes in this space.

From greenwashing to social media allowing people to be “kind of informed” about the state of the planet, Daniel says sustainability has to coexist with strong economics. He dives into how he sees the future of food and Atarraya tackling the fastest-growing source of protein: shrimp.

Atarraya’s innovation in aquaculture has been evolving for over a decade at this point and Daniel talks about the best resource for developing their technology: conversations with people. And it’s paid off. TIME Magazine named Atarraya one of the top 200 inventions of the year. The team also was a gold recipient of The Edison Award; with all this momentum, where do they go next?

Daniel talks expanding production, the importance of partnerships and bringing food production back into its natural cycle.

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