Agtech - So What?

In a world where food and farming are highly polarized issues, Rob Paarlberg’s approach is to follow the evidence. This has earned him great respect, but also means his well-researched views tend to land him in no-man’s land between traditional industry views and the new food movement. For instance, Rob supports modern commercial farming and the use of fertilizers; however, he’s not a blanket supporter of ‘Big Ag’. He is highly critical of the state of animal welfare in modern American livestock production, but he’s not against eating meat. As an author and Associate in the Sustainability Science program at the Harvard Kennedy School, Rob is renowned for debunking the popular myths about food and farming. In his latest book, “Resetting the Table: Straight Talk About the Food We Grow and Eat, Rob argues that food policy, rather than farm policy, should be the focus for reform when it comes to the American food system. In this episode, Rob discusses his latest book and:

• Why returning to the ‘old ways’ of farming is not sustainable
• How US farm subsidies make food more, not less, expensive
• The cause of the obesity epidemic in America (and the food policies that could actually make a difference).
• Why the agriculture industry needs to improve its treatment of animals (and the relatively low costs involved).

For insights and resources, visit our website.

There’s always going to be some skepticism about the motives of ‘Big Food’ companies. But, for reasons such as risk management, consumer pressures, and more, the Coca-Cola Company is becoming more focused on the sustainability of its supply chain. While Coca-Cola doesn’t deal directly with farmers, its interest in how products are sourced and grown is increasing. In this episode Ulrike Sapiro, Senior Director of Global Water Stewardship and Sustainable Agriculture at the Coca-Cola Company, discusses:

• The role Coca-Cola can play in taking- and instilling- ownership of sustainability outcomes in its supply chain.
• The role of pre-competitive collaborations in catalyzing and piloting sustainability projects in countries such as Brazil, Australia and India.
• How Coca-Cola is investing in innovation and new technology to find sustainability solutions.
• 
  

For more insights and links from this episode, visit our website. You can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

If you’re looking at a career in agtech, chances are you’re going to spend time working with startups. But what’s it like to work IN an agtech startup? A fast-paced environment, no red tape, significant responsibility, and a big vision may come to mind. But there can be downsides, too, such as long hours and setbacks due to the inevitable trial and error that comes with bringing new innovations to the world. The agtech industry is increasingly drawing top talent from all different industries and backgrounds. This episode explores why there are opportunities for everyone- from engineers to electricians to artists- to use their skills within high-growth agtech startups that focus on building the food supply chains of the future. So, whether you’re just starting on your career path or mid-way through, tune in to learn if working in an agtech startup is right for you. Featuring:

• Soroush Pour - Head of Engineering at Vow and 15th employee at Plaid (Visa recently tried to acquire Plaid for $5b+)
• Alissa Welker - Farmer Acquisition and Engagement at Steward and 60th employee at Farmers Business Network
• Kerryn Thomas - Head of Operations at Goterra and former electrical technician in the mining and concrete industries.

For more links and resources from this episode, visit our website.

How do you get a career in agriculture or agtech, when you’re not from a farming background? In this episode, we meet four women who’ve become agtech leaders, despite not having grown up on a farm. At the intersection of two largely white and male dominated industries (agriculture and tech), they have succeeded despite, as they say, ‘not looking the part’. You’ll hear how they first got their foot in the door (from scoring discounted tickets to conferences, to setting up their own networking events, to making elevator pitches to gain on-farm experience), and what challenges they’ve had to overcome to thrive. This episode is for employers looking for talent, as well as anyone looking to get into agtech and agriculture who isn’t sure where to start! On the podcast:

• Rayali Banerjee - Communications Manager, Syngenta Australia and New Zealand
• Cass Mao - Program Manager, Farmers2Founders and Venture Partner, Tenacious Ventures
• Samantha Wan - Wool Business Specialist, Elders
• Amy Wu - Writer and Creator, From Farms to Incubators

This is episode has been brought to you by the AgThentic Group in collaboration with Future Farmers Network. For links from the episode and to find agtech job listings, visit our website.

The race is on globally to scale carbon markets, where farmers can sell the carbon they sequester in their soil to buyers who want to offset emissions. But right now, the space is often confusing for buyers, sellers, and the intermediaries working between them. And further, both public and private market schemes have been criticized for inefficiencies and high costs to participate. But the game is changing as new technologies and business models seek to lower barriers to entry and improve transparency, and the demand side continues to explore, driven by consumer and regulatory pressures. But with all this activity, what will it take to scale up and deliver worthwhile returns for farmers? In this panel discussion, you’ll hear a variety of perspectives - from those developing new technologies and carbon market methodologies, to organizations helping farmers operate within existing emissions trading schemes. Today's guests:

• Aldyen Donnelly - Co-Founder and Director of Carbon Economics, Nori.
• Sam Duncan - Founder, FarmLab
• Matt Schmitt, Senior Director of Commercial Carbon, Cargill
• Dave Moore - Chief Operating Officer, Green Collar

This episode is an edited version of a live AusAgritech event, organized by the AgThentic Group, Sprout X and Platfarm. Check out our insights and more on our website.

Sarah Sivyer had multiple roles in the corporate world before she decided to start farming eggs. She grew up on a farm, but was completely new to chickens, and this was the challenge she wanted: to grow her own business from scratch and apply her corporate knowledge. By tapping into consumer demand for convenience, freshness, and sustainability credentials, Sarah now runs 2500 chickens for her subscription-based egg business, Just Been Laid. Sarah also completed a Nuffield Scholarship on continuous improvement and branding, bringing lessons on global best practices back to the farm. In this episode Sarah Sivyer discusses:

• Building a successful farming business by developing ‘customer intimacy.’
• Using business concepts like Six Sigma to eliminate waste, remove variation, and be more efficient in farming.
• Offsetting the high cost of labor through branding, quality, and business model innovation.

For more information and links from this episode, check out our website.

Cavan Station might have well-known owners today (the Murdoch family), but the large property in southern New South Wales has long held a place in Australian history, as pioneers of the fine wool industry. And Cavan Station is still innovating today. In fact, the 25,000 acre (10,000 ha) farm has undergone a significant transformation over the past 10 years, including adopting the latest technologies, from genetics and genomics, to data analysis and software. At the helm of this change is the General Manager of Cavan Station, Matt Crozier. In this episode he discusses:

• The challenges and benefits of encouraging a farming team to use more technology and different farming methods.
• Shifting to “regenerative” agriculture (a term Matt doesn’t love), and focusing more on animal welfare, including stopping mulesing.
• The economic and ecological performance of the farm, since incorporating new tech and alternative farming methods.

For more resources and our insights on the chat with Matt, check out our website here.

Mary Shelman is an internationally recognized agribusiness consultant and speaker, and the former Director of Harvard Business School’s Agribusiness program. Mary grew up in Kentucky, watching her father sell farm equipment; now, based in Boston, she helps corporations and governments tackle agriculture’s biggest problems. In Ireland, for example, she helped boost exports and build a national brand through Origin Green, a national sustainability scheme. In this podcast, Mary talks about:

• How companies are responding to the sustainability demands of customers - from defending traditional methods, to defying or even disrupting agriculture supply chains and markets.
• Why her agricultural upbringing helps shape her work as much as her formal qualifications and experiences in agribusiness case studies.
• How technology can help farmers and businesses better understand and use their resources as the food system changes.

For our insights, Mary's research, and a picture of the framework she mentions in this episode, visit our website.

Sarah Mock isn’t afraid of having tough conversations and shining light on thorny issues in the agriculture industry. A journalist with experience in international development and agtech, Sarah recently began a Twitter firestorm with an article asserting that all farming is inherently exploitative. While sometimes accused of being anti-farming, Sarah says this couldn’t be further from the truth. She describes herself as being “not a cheerleader; not the enemy”. Sarah grew up on a farm in Wyoming and has worked in agriculture her entire career - from high profile agtech startups such as Farmers Business Network, to reporting on ag politics under the Trump administration. In this episode, Sarah Mock discusses:

• The reluctance of some farmers to change their farming practices, despite strong data evidence indicating the benefits.
• Why the agriculture industry needs to start telling the truth about what farming looks like, and start addressing what customers want.
• How agriculture policy and incentives can actually lead to poor business decisions & outcomes.
• What it feels like to stick up for controversial beliefs, and the pushback she receives from being provocative and “making windows in the walls around farming”.

Regen Ag Series #5: Our Verdict, with Sarah Nolet and Matthew Pryor from AgThentic and Tenacious Ventures In this final wrap up episode of our regenerative agriculture series, the team from AgThentic is giving you OUR verdict. Sarah is joined by Matthew Pryor, Partner at AgThentic and co-founder of Tenacious Ventures, to discuss:

• what it will take to move beyond the polarizing debate over whether regen ag is good or bad;
• how agtech can unlock cost effective ways to measure, monitor, and verify what’s actually working;
• impacts of consumer’s push for carbon neutral produce and reducing the use of chemicals; and
• emerging business models and incentives that can help shift the risk/reward equation of transitioning to new practices.

Sarah and Matthew are joined by Kirsten Diprose, Marketing Manager at AgThentic, farmer and guest host for this episode. Check out our blog for more wrap up insights, and if you’ve missed the regen ag series, you can catch up here.