Agbioscience

Latest Episodes:

414. Indigo Ag’s PJ Smith on the convergence of agbioscience, sustainability + data, the launch of Nemora + farmers shaping innovation priorities Mar 02, 2026

Show notes

For farmers looking ahead to a fresh growing season, decisions for their operations require clarity and a certainty around impact and ROI – from inputs to innovation adoption. This week, we are joined by PJ Smith, Senior Global Product Manager at Indigo Ag, to get into soil health’s impact on our food system; and how strengthening agriculture today helps reduce risk and protect food security for the future.

Highlights include:

The work Indigo Ag is leading and problems their team solves through innovation
Conversations with farmers right now as they look ahead to the growing season, their concerns and how they are making decisions based on their needs
Indigo Ag’s unique intersection of ag, sustainability and data
Balancing opportunities that data can provide with a hesitant mindset that can sometimes linger around a farmer’s data, technology adoption or participation in emerging technologies
Benchmarks and measures of success the Indigo Ag team has in front of them over the next 3-5 years
Indigo Ag’s launch of Nemora to fight soybean cyst nematode, the leading cause of soybean loss in the U.S
How in-field experience with farmers shapes R&D priorities for Indigo Ag
PJ’s thoughts on their biggest room for growth
Farmers as a part of the solution to climate and sustainability challenges over the next decade and where he sees shifts and changes coming in the market
What’s ahead for Indigo Ag in 2026

413. FoodHealth Co.’s Sam Citro-Alexander on the launch of FoodHealth Score, connecting the value chain + driving better health outcomes through food Feb 23, 2026

Show notes

There is an increasing desire from consumers to better understand food’s overall impact on their health; however, there haven’t always been the proper tools – until now. This week, we are joined by FoodHealth Company’s CEO and co-founder, Sam Citro-Alexander, to talk about the launch of their consumer and brand facing tech-platform, FoodHealth Score, which rates products and suggests smarter swaps in real-time as you shop. We also get into leveraging innovation to better connect the value chain and empowering consumers and food brands alike to make better informed decisions based on data.

Want to try out FoodHealth Score for yourself? Download the Chrome extension for free here!

Highlights include:

What FoodHealth Company does and who they aim to serve through technology
Gaps in the market that Sam identified that led to her endeavoring this new startup and systems change
How FoodHealth Co. Works across the food system to drive better health outcomes – from consumers to food brands alike
Sam’s launch of their flagship product, FoodHealth Score, and what the feedback has looked like across the value chain
Retailers and brands using data to better inform purchasing and formulation decisions
How FoodHealth Co. Is thinking about impact measured through their platform
What food is health means to Sam and her team
The role she sees farmers playing in the FoodHealth Score and the opportunity to better align food production and health
The company’s $7.5M Series A funding round from 2025 and how it’s enabled them to grow and scale
How Sam views partnerships and collaboration as a necessary tool to the growth of FoodHealth Company
Where she believes they’ve just started to scratch the surface on their full potential when it comes to FoodHealth Score
What’s ahead for the company with the launch of FoodHealth Score in 2026

412. Primient’s Jim Stutelberg on a fast-growing bioeconomy, the important role of the farmer + partnerships with Sustainea, acquisition of Primient Covation Feb 16, 2026

Show notes

From sweeteners and starches to sustainable packaging, the bioeconomy is on the move. At the helm is Primient, a leading producer of food and industrial ingredients made from plant-based, renewable sources – corn being its primary feedstock. Today we are joined by CEO Jim Stutelberg to talk about the $4 trillion global bioeconomy and the rapid innovative trajectory shaping its future.

Highlights include:

The Primient story and who they aim to serve through innovation
How Jim has seen the bioinnovation market evolve and what the competitive landscape looks like for bioinnovators like Primient today
The collective headwinds facing the industry
Primient’s market differentiation
Consumer behaviors influencing company priorities and how they set the tone for R&D and product pipelines
The critical role of corn and other feedstocks in the work Primient does and how Jim sees that relationship evolving over the next decade
Acquiring Primient Covation and what integrating them into their portfolio will enable their team to do
The power of partnerships for the Primient team, how they approach collaboration and what it means to their business
Jim’s approach to the business of people, his belief in team culture and how he sees building a talent pipeline for the future
What Jim believes to be Primient’s biggest areas of untapped potential
What’s ahead for Primient in 2026

410. Nutrition 101’s Rick Shipley on food upcycling into livestock nutrition, servicing the value chain + turning waste into solutions Feb 02, 2026

Show notes

The USDA estimates that 30-40% of the U.S. food supply is lost each year, a massive addition to landfills and negative contributor to environmental health. What if that waste stream was handled differently and innovated into dependable feed ingredients for farmers? This week, CEO of Nutrition 101 Rick Shipley, joins the podcast to talk upcycling feed, servicing the entire value chain and flying under the agbioscience radar.

Highlights include:

How Nutrition 101 leverages food waste management to serve the entire food value chain
What conversations look like with producers in this era and how their team is positioned to help drive on-farm impact in a time of unique challenges for their operations
Nutrition 101’s relationship with processors on the other end and how they create opportunities for growth, sustainability and more
Rick’s tenure as CEO (8 months) and how he sees the company as a differentiator in the agbioscience industry
The company’s roots originating on the farm and how that translates to solving problems and generating better feedback to shape priorities for the future
What success looks like for the Nutrition 101 team when it comes to working with producers and processors alike
How Nutrition 101 focuses on solutions that are practical, effective and easy to implement – and why that’s so critical
The company’s acquisition of Value Feeds in 2025 and what it will enable them to do on their growth trajectory
Rick’s belief in the company’s greatest untapped potential to date
How Rick sees the industry leveraging tech, automation and other innovations to grow a young base of talent interested in focusing on animal nutrition and agriculture
Nutrition 101’s impact growing over the next decade as the role of the farmer evolves
What’s ahead for the company in 2026

409. January Recap - Corteva + bp launch Etlas, big investments from Elanco + POET, Primient makes acquisition, Gripp adds agtech honor Jan 30, 2026

Show notes

January's recap episode with Christy Wright, CEO of AgriNovus, and Libby Fritz, VP of AgriNovus, includes:

Corteva and bp's 50:50 joint venture, Etlas, and its plans to advance production of biofuels made from crops.
Elanco's $400 million investment in U.S. manufacturing, R&D and workforce. Listen to Jeff Simmons on Fox Business here.
Primient's 100% acquisition of Primient Covation to advance their competitiveness in the bioeconomy.
POET's $203 million investment in their Indiana location with plans to double production and nearly double workforce.
Gripp winning honors from the ASABE for advancing agtech innovation.

The bioeconomy is on the move this month! Get our Bioinnovation Playlist on YouTube. Click .

Gripp was a former winner of AgriNovus' Velocity accelerator, which is set to kick off soon. Learn more about the program here.

AgriNovus' Quadrant is back on March 11! Get details and register here.

408. Traction Ag’s Hannah Parsons on farmer-led fintech, driving yield through better decisions + partnerships with impact Jan 26, 2026

Show notes

From partnerships and acquisitions to considerable growth in 2025, Traction Ag has had an incredible story to tell as innovators and entrepreneurs. Woven in the fabric of that story, though, is how that growth came to be: direct farmer relationships, focused on creating solutions that will ultimately drive their yield. This week, we are joined by Traction Ag’s COO, Hannah Parsons, to talk fintech for the farmer, making the barrier to entry accessible and what’s ahead for the company.

Highlights include:

Traction Ag’s tech stack and how the platform functions to specifically serve farming operators
What their team is hearing from customers right now as they navigate challenges in financial management and decision making
Gaps in a farming operation’s data that can create inefficiencies and how Traction Ag is designed to integrate for more streamlined impact
How farmers respond to a platform like this, barriers to tech adoption and their biggest questions about how it can help their operations
Strategic partnerships and integrations with FS and Keystone Cooperative and how they better serve the farmer
The acquisition of PcMars and what it added to the company’s tech stack
Hannah’s perspective on Traction Ag’s biggest untapped opportunities for growth
What’s ahead for the company in 2026

407. Ingredion’s Eric Seip on advancing food is health, investing in Indianapolis + ingredient innovation to meet an evolving consumer Jan 19, 2026

Show notes

For more than 100 years, Ingredion has been providing the world ingredient solutions. From sweeteners to starches, that type of innovation has to be grounded in a consumer-forward attitude and understand what comes next in the food industry – all around the world. Today we are joined by Eric Seip, SVP of Global Operations and Chief Supply Chain Officer at Ingredion, to explore global ingredients in more than 120 countries across 60 diverse sectors and how they stay on the cutting edge of providing innovative solutions.

Highlights include:

What Ingredion does and who they aim to serve through innovation
Common gaps and challenges emerging for customers across their food and beverage portfolio
How Eric sees Ingredion helping to advance Food is Health
Consumer preferences shifting and how those translate into operational and R&D priorities
Ingredion’s recent $100 million investment in its Indianapolis facility, what it entails, the capabilities it adds and why now
What this upgrade to the Indianapolis locate will differentiate from their competitors or others in the space
What technologies Eric believes have the biggest potential to transform how Ingredion innovates in the future
The food value chain, texture and challenges that have risen in recent years – and how Ingredion has found themselves adapting through headwinds to build resilience
Ingredion’s perspective on partnerships and how they’re used to drive outcomes forward
The relationship with the farmer and what that means to the Ingredion innovation portfolio
Biggest challenges and opportunities facing the food ingredients industry
What has Eric most excited for Ingredion in the future

406. United Animal Health’s Trent Torrance on transforming food production, food is health + innovative collaborations driving impact Jan 12, 2026

Show notes

So much can happen in a year – transformative change can happen in 70. From applied research to precision fermentation, United Animal Health has continued to accelerate innovation and growth of its portfolio on behalf of producers over their seven decades of business. This week, we are joined by COO Trent Torrance to cover it all – joint ventures, animal nutrition, food is health, artificial intelligence and beyond. Highlights include:

United Animal Health’s pursuit to grow and serve a broader range of agriculture and food production
Some unique challenges and emerging issues that they’re trying to get ahead of on behalf of producers
The state of discussion with producers United Animal Health works with and how they feel about the year ahead
How their investment in applied research has defined and differentiated them as a company
Trent’s thoughts on the biggest opportunities for transformational change in food production
The critical intersection of animal and human health – and United Animal Health’s role in that space
What seventy years of business and longevity can bring to a company, Trent’s thoughts on the future of United Animal Health and their biggest untapped potential to date
How artificial intelligence (AI) is playing an additive role to the work they’re doing
United Animal Health’s focus on joint ventures and striking balance between internal validation and seeking collaboration without outside partners
What’s ahead for United Animal Health in 2026

405. Sandra Vijn on Kipster US' partnership with MPS Eggs, consumer transparency + revolutionizing sustainable food production Jan 05, 2026

Show notes

404. The Agbioscience Best of 2025 Dec 29, 2025

Show notes

From gene editing to food is health and consumer education to bioinnovation, we’ve had no shortage of amazing conversations on the podcast this year. This episode is a celebration of some of your favorite guests combined into one ultimate audio experience. And let’s face it, you have the holiday windshield time for this podcast. Don’t you?

Featuring the following guests:

Wendy Srnic, Corteva Agriscience
Jay Hulbert, Ag Alumni Seed (Retired)
Ronda Hamm, Conner Prairie’s Food, Farm and Energy Experience
Mike Jacob, TerraForce
Mark Warner, Liberation Bioindustries
Ed Fish, Bay State Milling
Sarah Glaven, Princeton University’s Andlinger Center
Aaron Schacht, BiomEdit
Christy Wright, AgriNovus

We can’t wait to bring you even more fantastic Agbioscience content in 2026! Season 9 starts January 12.

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