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Episode 65: The Alternative Protein Debate: live from Australia's first virtual, national agtech meetup Apr 22, 2020

Show notes

Coming to you live from Australia's first national, virtual AgTech Meetup, this episode explores what alternative proteins are, how big they'll become, and whether this is a pending disruption or untapped opportunity for agriculture.
Panelists included:

Catherine Tubb- chemistry PhD and Research Fellow at RethinkX
Paul Wood- internationally recognized veterinary immunologist, inventor, and Chairman at AusBiotech
George Peppou- chef and CEO/Co-founder at cellular ag company VOW Foods

In this episode, we cover:

The different types of alternative proteins, from plant-based to cultured meat;
What’s driving their cost, and when it will come down;
When they'll hit the market, and how much market share they’ll get; and
What all this means for farmers, investors, and consumers.

This meetup was co-hosted by us (AgThentic) alongside SproutX and Platfarm.
Check out our website for the live video, slides, and more resources.

Ep 64 Pete Nelson on partnering with growers to build better agtech Apr 08, 2020

Show notes

This week Sarah is joined by a guest host, Cass Mao, Principal Advisor at AgThentic, to chat with Pete Nelson of AgLaunch about how growers and agtech companies can work together in a model that they call "farmer-centric innovation"
Pete Nelson, originally a farmer and an English major at University, has been actively involved in building the support ecosystem for new agricultural enterprises for over 15 years. He has worked with a variety of public and private sector partners and helped to launch multiple startup companies. More recently he's been working on sector-specific initiatives to fund, incubate, and accelerate agricultural companies with high growth potential.
AgLaunch, which includes accelerator programs, a fund, and more, is focused on commercializing early stage agricultural innovation by working with farmers.
Cass and Sarah wanted to speak with Pete after writing a report last year on innovation ecosystems, and how best practices in the US can be applied to Australia. Rather than just look at hotspots like Silicon Valley, the report explored ag-focused places, like St. Louis and Tennessee, where AgLaunch is located. The report, called Building a globally Recognised AgTech ecosystem in Australia, is available here: https://agthentic.com/reports
In this episode, Pete explains what “farmer-centric innovation” means, how AgLaunch is driving it, and how having growers at the table fundamentally changes outcomes for startups and regional communities.
For additional resources and info, check out our blog: www.agtechsowhat.com/agtechsowhatepisodes/2020/4/8/ep-64-pete-nelson-on-partnering-with-growers-to-build-better-agtech

Ep63 Evan Fraser on 3 barriers to agtech adoption and impacts of COVID-19 on agriculture Mar 25, 2020

Show notes

Evan Fraser is a food systems innovation expert, the Director of the Arrell Food Institute at the University of Guelph in Canada, and the Founder of Feeding9Billion.
Though he didn't grow up on a farm, he brings a multi-disciplinary and systems approach to his work, with degrees and work experience in various fields from anthropology to atmospheric chemistry to agriculture. His passion for agriculture comes from his love of good food and summers spent spent working on his grandfather’s farm (more on that in the episode).
In this episode, Evan and I cover two main topics:

Three big barriers to agtech adoption, and what’s being done to overcome them; and
The impact of COVID-19 on agricultural supply chains.

Thanks to Connie Bowen for suggesting Evan. We're always open to suggestions and feedback from our listeners!
Additional Links and Resources

Arrell Food Institute (check out the videos and card game!)
Feeding9Billion
Evan on Twitter
Evan on LinkedIn
More thoughts from Evan on COVID-19
Empires of Food: Feast, Famine, and the Rise and Fall of Civilizations (Evan’s book)
Global Open Data for Agriculture and Nutrition (GODAN)

Ep 62 Allison Kopf on indoor ag business models and women in agtech (rebroadcast) Mar 18, 2020

Show notes

We hear all the time that we need to "feed the world" and that "agtech can help" But what role will indoor farming play? How do these systems work, what can they grow, and how do they make money?
Today’s guest, Allison Kopf, is an agtech entrepreneur and indoor ag expert. Her company, Artemis, builds software for indoor farms and specialty crops. In this episode, rebroadcast (with updates and edits) from a couple years ago, Allison shares an indoor ag 101.
We also cover the challenges for women in agtech, and how we can increase gender diversity in big and small ways. Happy (belated) International Women's Day to all our female listeners.
Resources and Links

Artemis (formerly Agrilyst)
Allison’s Forbes 30 under 30 interview
2017 State of Indoor Ag Report
List of women in agtech that Allison started (and some press on it here)
Allison and Artemis on twitter

BONUS Episode: Live panel from evokeAG 2020 featuring global agrifood tech experts Mar 11, 2020

Show notes

evokeAG, Asia Pacific's largest agrifood tech event, brought together 1300 innovators earlier in February this year in Melbourne, Australia. The jam-packed event featured international experts, innovative farmers, dozens of startups, and much more, showcasing what the region has to offer in agrifood tech innovation.
This bonus episode gives a taste of evokeAG and a live recording of the first panel on the main stage: The Asia-Pacific region and how we are rising. Panelists included:

Andrew Coppin - Farmbot
David Downs - NZTE
John Hartnett - SVG Ventures/THRIVE
Liza Noonan - CSIRO
Sarah Nolet - Tenacious Ventures and host of AgTech...So What?

For additional shoutouts and relevant links, check out the AgTech...So What website here.

Ep61 Alisdair Tulloch on the first-mover advantages of going carbon neutral Mar 04, 2020

Show notes

Agriculture is often vilified for its environmental impact. But what if agriculture could be carbon neutral? Is that even possible? And what would it cost?
Alisdair Tulloch, a fourth generation grape grower, believes it’s not only possible but also profitable.In this episode, Alisdair shares his family's journey to carbon neutral. Why did they decide to take action? How are they measuring? What improvements have they made, and how did they prioritize?
We also cover:

The practices and management decisions Alisdair has made, and what’s working (or not);
Why there’s a first-mover advantage of going carbon neutral;
The ROI of carbon neutrality; and
The potential of policies and carbon markets to unlock value for farmers.

To follow Alisdair’s journey

Instagram @keithtullochwine and @alisdairtulloch
Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/KeithTullochWine/

Looking for Keith Tulloch wines?

https://keithtullochwine.com.au/
info@keithtullochwine
The Fine Wine Specialist, their national distributor: https://www.tfws.com.au

Ep 60 Mark Ferguson on science, sheep, and the tech-enabled future of genetics Feb 19, 2020

Show notes

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.

For more from Ferg and resources mentioned, see:

https://www.nextgenagri.com/
https://twitter.com/neXtgenAgri and https://twitter.com/Fergenetics
https://www.nextgenagri.com/articles/farmer-people-that-farm-article-1
Artificial Intelligence work: https://www.nextgenagri.com/articles/seen-one-seen-them-all
NZ Merino: https://www.nzmerino.co.nz/

Ep 59: Mic Fels on startup buzzwords and where the real value is in agtech Feb 05, 2020

Show notes

Mic Fels is someone I’ve wanted to speak with ever since I read an article he wrote about how his agtech is really making him money.
Mic not only crops about 11,000 hectares in Esperance, Western Australia, but has also built and commercialized a range of software products and machinery through his company, iPaddock.
Mic and I chat about where the real value is in agtech, and what building products has taught him about startups and about farming.
We also talk about:

hard earned lessons and tips for working with tech;
whether ideas or execution matter more; and
which is harder…farming or building agtech.

For more from Mic and to check out the iPaddock products, see:

https://twitter.com/ipaddockapps
https://www.ipaddock.com.au/
https://www.ipaddock.com.au/how-i-make-money-out-of-ipaddock/

Ep 58: Fiona Aveyard on drought, dust storms, and value-adding Jan 22, 2020

Show notes

Agtech is about more than the technologies. It's about new business models in agriculture,and of course the innovators driving changes along the value chain. Today’s guest, Fiona Aveyard, a 5th generation mixed farmer, is definitely an innovator and an entrepreneur.
We talk about how she’s working on a new supply chain and newvalue add products that can bring more profits to the farm and create jobs in herlocal community. And she’s doing all of this while facing dust storms and the worst drought inhistory.
This episode is again part of our series in partnership with Farmers2Founders, aninnovation program designed specially for primary producers. Fiona is one of thebusinesses in the program. Applications are open now for the Ideas Program. So, if you’re a producer with an invention to commercialize or an idea for a new product, check it out!
For more from Fiona, check out:https://www.outbacklamb.com.au/https://twitter.com/outbacklamb

Ep 57 Fee Turner and Lee Coleman on being farmers and agtech founders Jan 07, 2020

Show notes

Fee Turner (Bitwise Agronomy) and Lee Coleman (FarmSimple) are both farmers as well as founders of agtech startups. They, along with six other farmer-led businesses, have been selected into the Farmers2Founders Bootcamp program, an intensive 3 month accelerator that is helping them take their business to the next level.
In this episode, Fee and Lee tell us about their farms, startups, and the challenges they're facing being farmers and founders.
Relevant links:

This episode is produced in partnership with Farmers2Founders. To learn more, check out https://www.farmers2founders.com/ or follow @farmers2founder on Twitter.

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