Future Of Agriculture

Innovations in the agricultural industry come in many forms. From technological advances to improving farming practices, the world is slowly but surely guaranteeing safe and sustainable food sources for generations to come. But, what if we take that a step further? What if we have a system in place that enables traceability, security, improves food safety and gets everyone involved in making sure food quality is top notch? That is what the concept of Blockchain seeks to implement.   In this episode, Tim discusses the concept of Blockchain and why it’s one of the most ambitious, yet sensible approaches when it comes to advancing the agricultural industry. He lays down the facts, his sources, and why it’s not so different to how Bitcoin operates. He also explains how a typical Blockchain approach would work with our current supply chain.     “Blockchain is a series of technologies that can build trust in our supply chain.”– Tim Hammerich     This Week on The Future of Agriculture Podcast:    What is

Nick Horob is the founder of Harvest Profit, a company that provides a set of management tools focused on the business side of the farm. Their aim is to allow farmers make decisions based on objective analysis and data, preventing emotionally-driven choices which in turn gives them better, long-term returns. While Nick grew up in a family of farmers, his extensive experience in risk management, real estate investment, and business best practices motivated him to start Harvest Profit so he could help farmers not just increase their yield, but to let them know where to invest and where to cut their investments.   In this episode, Nick explains what Harvest Profit is all about. He discusses the many problems encountered by farmers when it comes to investments and how their services provide the answers to those issues. He also shares why his company stands out among the competition, their goals for 2018, and his thoughts on the future of AgTech.     “Producing a crop is a combination of hundreds if not thousa

Tyler Mayoras is a Principal at Advantage Capital Partners, a company that invests in small businesses that are ready for growth. As a principal, his duties revolves around screening and identifying potential opportunities for investments, facilitate due diligence, and close transactions. His primary focus is on investments made by their agriculture wing, aptly called Advantage Capital Agribusiness Partners. Some of the most prominent businesses he watched over were Hip Chick Farms, Shenandoah Growers, and NurturMe.   In this episode, Tyler shares the kind of businesses their company looks for when it comes to investing. He explains their requirements, what convinces them to invest in that particular business, as well as why almost half of the businesses they look at are rural or close to rural. He also shares how the government is involved in their investments and his experience working with NurturMe, a gluten-free baby food company.     “A lot of the whole food revolution is being driven by people under

How does a 30,000 acre farm operate with just 9 employees? Lon Frahm shares with Tim how he has grown his row crop operation to over 30,000 acres, and how he uses economies of scale such as self-insuring and storing his own grain, to develop advantages over other farmers.  Lon has a very impressive story. He took over his family's farm upon his father's death when he was just 28 years old. He has lead the operation to tremendous growth over the past 30 years and has experiences very little employee turnover.  Lon knows the value in keeping good people on the team, learning quicker than your competition, and networking with peers in the industry.  Whether you are a farmer, in agribusiness, or not in any related field, there are still some business gems in this episode.  Learn more about Frahm Farmland at http://www.frahmfarmland.com Wall Street Journal Article Featuring Lon Frahm Visit http://www.AgGrad.com to connect to careers and employers in agriculture.  Reach out to Tim on Twitter @timhammerich. 

Steven Brockshus is the CEO and Founder of TERVA, an online real estate marketplace dedicated to empowering farmland professionals with knowledge, insights, and data. They aim to build a marketplace not only to educate, but to also connect with people looking to buy and sell farmland. He aims to bring the agricultural real estate industry online to shift the industry and how people interact and think about farmland.   In this episode, Steven shares his story on how he started TERVA as well as the moments and people in his life that inspired him to do so. He talks about what it can do now and what it sets to do for farmers in the future, and why TERVA is a great resource for those planning to retire on the countryside.     “Disruption in the ag context is different than a disruption in a Silicon Valley or social media based business.”– Steven Brockshus     This Week on The Future of Agriculture Podcast:    What is TERVA, their vision, and mission? How the startup company he interned with inspired him to creat

Dr. Peter Ballerstedt is a Doctor of Animal Nutrition and is an expert in forage and ruminant nutrition in agriculture. He stepped out of the agriculture industry for some time and ventured in the tech world for many years. He came back because he realized a fantastic source of health could be found through leveraging animal agriculture, specifically ruminants. A stern believer in grass-based animal nutrition, Peter calls this – the potential of ruminants to lead the way towards healthier diets - the Ruminant Revolution.     In this episode, Peter discusses what his Ruminant Revolution is all about. He addresses the need for ruminants and why it’s one of the best sustainable options to support an ever-growing human population. He also dives in on some facts regarding cultivable lands and current innovations in the ruminant agriculture industry.     “Our grassland resources are our largest and least well-utilized resource that remains.”– Dr. Peter Ballerstedt     This Week on The Future of Agriculture Podcast:

Charles Baron is the Co-Founder of Farmers Business Network, an idea conceived by farmers for farmers. The company aims to gather unbiased and objective information with regards to agronomics and commodities. The idea is to pool available data from individual farmers, so every farmer in their network would benefit from them. The company started three years ago with just 3-4 farms, but through word of mouth and good service, they now have close to 4,700 farms within their network. Charles and his team plan on ultimately expanding his reach outside the U.S. and continue to improve their data interpretation and gathering services.   In this episode, Charles explains the idea behind Food Business Network, what drove him to become a farmer, and the problems farmers face in the U.S. that go unnoticed. He also shares how his company managed to grow their network to what it is now, and their outlook for the future of their company.     “Farmers Business Network exists to bring benefits back to our farmers using our t

Mike Neal is the Co-Founder and CEO of DecisionNext, a company that utilizes and analyzes data in a way that helps companies optimize their decision making. DecisionNext’s business relies on giving clients possible market forecasts in an event of a policy change. Regarded as a serial entrepreneur, Mike is fond of starting new businesses and has focused his entire career on mathematical models and its application to critical business decisions. He has founded plenty of SaaS companies, all of which provided highly focused analytics to business users.   In this episode, Mike shares what DecisionNext is all about and how it can help the agricultural industry. He also provides insight on the importance of recognizing patterns in today’s market as well as his thoughts on the future of agriculture.       “Having a rigorous view matters as long as it's monetized through optimizing the forward position on the buy side or the sell side.”  – Mike Neal       This Week on The Future of Agriculture Podcast:    His backgr

David Norman is the Senior Vice President of Investments Programs at Heifer International, a company that promotes a “pay it forward” approach to sustainable agriculture. Their mission is to end world hunger and poverty while also taking care of the planet by working with communities. This approach seems to be a great answer to the issue of food security and sustainability, as Heifer is driven by the “teach a man to fish” philosophy which ensures the families they help are all able to contribute to eradicating world hunger.   In this episode, David explains what Heifer International is all about, it’s humble beginnings, and its mission. He also shares the different challenges they face with every program as well as some of the successes that made it all worthwhile.     “You basically want markets to compete for your products.”  – David Norman     This Week on The Future of Agriculture Podcast:    An example of a market that is not dependable or fair. How they structure their business and programs. How the co

Andry Andriankaja is an agronomist that specializes in the field of plant biotechnology. Carl Andre is the research manager for the EPA-DHA Canola project at the BASF Plant Science Department who studied how plants convert simple sugars to oil as well as plant lipid metabolism.  They are working together on a big project in biotechnology that will innovate the way we eat and provide our body with nutrients: making the typical canola plant naturally produce EPA and DHA, two types of Omega 3 fatty acids.   We all know what Omega 3 fatty acids are and what they can do for the body, but we’re often forced to either eat their food sources or buy fish oil supplements. What if we can consume omega 3 fatty acids in products we're already eating? Andry and Carl are now working on that answer and have been working on it for the past 10 years.    In this episode, Andry and Carl discuss their big project, why they chose the canola plant as their host, and what it took for them to get this far. They also discuss  their vi

Joe Swartz is the Vice President of Commercial Sales and Technical Support at American Hydroponic, a.k.a AmHydro. AmHydro is a small company in the United States that designs and builds innovative hydroponic systems, a soil-free way to grow plants, and have been doing so for the last 30 years. Joe Swartz himself came from a family of farmers and started researching the science of hydroponics when he saw the traditional methods of farming were no longer paying the bills during the real estate boom of the late 80s.   After purchasing the family farm from his father, Joe put his formal education and passion in agriculture to good use and invested time and money into researching and experimenting with different hydroponics system operations. Some said he was a genius, some called him otherwise. Regardless, with hydroponics AmHydro has slowly and steadily made a huge and growing impact towards preserving the environment.    In this episode, Joe tells us all about hydroponics, its advantages and disadvantages, why

Jack Gilmore is the owner and head chef of the famous Jack Allen’s Kitchen in Austin, Texas. More than good food and service, Jack Allen’s Kitchen is known for being a pioneer in what we call the “Farm to Table.” According to Jack, at least 80% of every food on his menu is locally sourced. He first got into cooking when he was 15 and taught himself how to cook when he was working part time in a restaurant. By the time he was 18, he realized school wasn’t his thing so he decided to get married and start a family.   Jack knew how to cook, so he figured he could make a living out of it. He worked for other people and was able to work with incredible chefs, until he grew tired of working for someone else and decided to start his own restaurant. From cooking for a decent wage to actually owning his own restaurant chain, he has come a long way.   On today’s episode, Jack talks about how he started his restaurant business, what made him choose to buy from local farmers as much as possible, and the logistics involved

Spencer Stensrude is a business analyst for Ag Ventures Alliance, a company that invests in startups aimed to support and innovate the agricultural industry. The company itself was formed by farmers in Iowa in the late 90s. One of their latest investments is a company called SwineTech and is headed by Matthew Rooda. As the name implies, SwineTech is a company focused on innovating the swine industry, and right now its focus is on preventing sows from crushing their piglets.   On today’s episode, Spencer and Matthew talk about how they met, what their companies are all about, and how they started working together. They also share their prediction for the agricultural industry in the future and one of the biggest issues in the pork industry and how it’s affecting the economy.     “We are happy the company making money and sending us a check vs having to sell the company to someone else to pay back the investors.”  – Spencer Stensrude     This Week on The Future of Agriculture Podcast:    What is SwineTech all

Aidan Connolly has been with Alltech for 27 years and is currently its Chief Innovation Officer (CIO). Alltech is a company that helps farmers feed the world, raise healthy animals, and protect the environment. He works with the company’s research department focused on developing nutrition-based technologies that will capitalize on insights gained through Alltech’s investment in nutrigenomics. Aidan’s main tasks as CIO is to spearhead Alltech’s projects in multiple facets of the agricultural industry, make sure they’re always on the cutting edge when it comes to current technology, as well as incorporating new technologies into how food is produced in the future.   On today’s episode, Aidan shares how he became Alltech’s CIO and how the company decides which innovation to invest in. He also explains the disruptive technologies that will greatly affect the agricultural industry in the near future.   “Brain power and imagination are going to be very important in terms of the roles we play.” – Aidan Connolly  

Do we take basic decision making for granted? Do we just assume that our practices in the past should be our practices in the future? Using data based information, there may be ways to become more efficient and productive while saving money and resources. Dr. Curt Livesay from Dynamite Ag is one of those people who questions basic assumptions. He focuses on agronomy or soil management and crop production. He has been a guest on a past episode, but we mostly discussed the cannabis industry. Today, Dr. Curt Livesay shares his data based process especially around the subject of nitrogen use. We look at nitrogen efficiency and getting the desired amount of nutrients without creating waste. We also talk with Scott Wettstein, a farmer from Lidgerwood, North Dakota. If you like thinking for yourself, this is a great episode for you.    "When we test and find products that actually work, we take those on and promote them to our growers." – Dr. Curt Livesay     This Week on the Future of Agriculture Podcast: How Dyn

There was a time when people found a job and stayed there for most of their working lives. Those times are in the past with modern statistics saying that 67% of employees leave a first job within the first 2 years. Having a job that is a good fit is not only important for employer cost savings, but it also makes a difference in the employee’s happiness. Bob Broeckelman was interested in agribusiness right out of high school. He has been an FAA officer and advisor, an ag teacher, and is recently retired after 33 years working in the Farm Credit system.  He understands the importance of human capital and why it's important for people to understand and find what is the right fit for themselves. Today, we talk about tools used to create profiles and questions to create good matches for people and jobs. We also talk about how this method helps the employer and employee.     "We were trying to do the students a favor by putting them in the right jobs." - Bob Broeckelman     This Week on the Future of Agriculture Po

Grasslands and grazing cattle go hand in hand. Yet, grazing cattle can be a complex process with things like dynamic business practices, the ecology of the grasses, and the biology of the animal all needing to be considered. Grass-fed beef and other grass-fed agricultural products are also fueling the modern-day demand for pastures and grazing opportunities. I recently came across a business that is trying to solve issues associated with pasture management and cattle grazing. Christine Su is the co-founder and CEO of PastureMap, a platform that collects data on different areas that are being used for grazing. It helps build on that data to help with making informed decisions on the entire process. Byron Palmer is a livestock rancher who grazes cattle in Sonoma County. He is one of the people doing the work and putting future agricultural ideas into practice. He is the owner of Grounded Grasslands. Byron grazes cattle for farmers and manages pastures. Today, I talk with Christine about PastureMap, and with Byr

What do you think about an all-expenses-paid trip around the world for six months to learn about agriculture? Does it sound too good to be true? It is too good, but it is also true. This adventure is made possible through Nuffield scholarship. Today’s guest, Mat Hocken, is a husband, father, dairy farmer from New Zealand, and a Nuffield Scholar who has travelled globally to research on his chosen topic of specialization - agricultural innovation. Mat joins me today to share the details of this amazing scholarship program that’s been created for the advancement of agriculture in a global aspect. He gives an overview of the life of a Nuffield scholar and its new international scholarship program. He also shares how this can influence your view of the world and the agricultural industry.   “I think I’ve learned a lot from just observing what you do [in the US]. [Innovation] is also a cultural context.”  – Mat Hocken   This Week on The Future of Agriculture Podcast: Specifics on the Nuffield scholarship, their s

Today’s guests allow us to look at agricultural technology and entrepreneurship from two different perspectives. Kevin Heikes is part of the IN10T, a digital agricultural company that created Farmer Trials. Farmer Trials is a platform that connects people who have new ideas and want to test them on real farms. These people get to work with real farmers who have the skill and resources to assess whether these ideas solve real problems that farmers face. Also with me is Kyle Morrow, a farmer in Indiana who is currently a customer of Farmer Trials. Kyle shares his experience working with the company and allows us to look at matters from a practical approach since one of the goals of the program is to see things from different lenses. Today, we see that all new and innovative agricultural technology is nothing until tested and proven effective on the farm. Kevin shares how art and science are combined as a growth strategy used by Farmer Trials; the communication process among the farmer, the ag entrepreneur, and

While having guests and learning from people with different perspectives are the typical setup of this show, stopping to reflect on the things that have been discussed and talked about is an excellent way of seeing the learning, growth, and future direction of the program. With this said, today, I’m going to deviate from my normal program flow to look back and see where the journey has taken us. Today, I’m going to talk about the five big takeaways I have learned from the first 60 episodes of the Future of Agriculture podcast. I also explain how these five big things determine the direction and content of the program. Agriculture should be looked at from as many different lenses as possible. That’s where we’re going to get the ideas. This Week on The Future of Agriculture Podcast: Agricultural technology and agricultural entrepreneurship What agricultural education is about and why it is important Defining cooperative extensions and how this reinforces agricultural education Solving serious problems like e