Agtech - So What?

Chris McLoughlin, organic mushroom farmer, Mycelia Organics

Chris McLoughlin's forae into farming is a great example of a new generation of investor backed agricultural innovation.

Chris has always had a fascination with soil, dirt and technology and his organic mushroom operation, Mycelia Organics is a mixed of all these things. With a whole lot of self education on the internet, including some online courses he has taught himself how to operate an organic farm that answers what supermarkets and consumers want.

Chris tells Sarah Nolet he didn't necessarily have a specific hankering to buy a mushroom farm but when the opportunity presented itself, with investor backing, Chris jumped at it. In the space of three years since the inception of his company, Mycelia Organics has become the largest organic mushroom farming company in Australia and Chris supplies 90% of the market and sells to more than 600 retailers as well as major supermarkets.

Chris on Twitter

Mycelia Organics website

Chris on LinkedIn

Just a quick note to say we will be back soon with more great episodes and amazing guests

Dr Jaci Brown is a Senior Research Scientist at CSIRO, and an expert in weather and climate science.

Brooke Sauer is on a mission to close the gap between growers, agronomists, and technologies. Brooke is a digital agriculture manager at McGregor Goulay,an agricultural services company that offers cropping inputs, agronomic services and, increasingly, digital ag solutions. Although Brooke's background is in agricultural genetics, she is rapidly becoming an expert in precision agriculture, as she supports farmers to explore and adopt precision agriculture tools.

In talking to Brooke on this episode, it's clear that she cares a lot about her farmers. She knows just how important it is to build personal relationships in the world of AgTech. In this episode, we explore the significance of people skills in an industry that can sometimes be too focused on flashy technologies. We also talk a lot about adoption precision ag technologies, Brooke's journey with drones, and her experience of working with startups, including:

• an honest story about drone usage, and how Brooke encourages startups and farmers to be more focused on the data, rather than the machines

• how important farmers' confidence is in the adoption and success of precision ag technology

• the ups and downs of working with fast-paced, high-energy startups

• how Brooke exercises interpersonal skills on a daily basis to build trust with growers

Kevin Heikes was part of agtech before it was agtech. He's been involved in four different agtech startups, including his latest venture, In10t.

In this episode, we dig into his perspectives on agtech from over 20 years in the space, including:

• Hard earned lessons from 4 agtech startups, and what it feels like to have a farmer customer call to say you've made their life better with your product
• The importance of tech companies partnering with farmers
• Why having an ag background matters in agtech
• What farmers are looking for when they agree to trial a new product (e.g., with FarmerTrial.com), and why trials are so tough for venture-backed companies
• Just how hard it is to balance working ON the business and IN the business

Seana Day brings a diverse background in agriculture, finance, and technology to the agtech sector where she is a Partner at BEtter Food Ventures. Seana also tracks nearly 1,500 agtech companies in her "Market Maps"through her role as Partner at The Mixing Bowl.

Seana's background gives her a unique and valuable perspective on the evolution of the agtech sector, and what the future holds. In this episode, we discuss:

• how more and more growers are adopting a digital strategy, and what it means for agtech entrepreneurs and investors
• whether the specialty crop market is behind or ahead in terms of tech adoption, and why
• silicon valley vs. agtech ecosystems around the world
• the fundamentals that agtech VCs look for when making investments, and when VC might not be a good fit
• what it's like to be raising a $30M venture capital fund for agtech
• what farmers are looking for (and not)in the livestock and dairy sectors