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PODCAST

Agtech - So What?

We tell the stories of innovators at the intersection of agriculture and technology to answer the question: what really is agtech and why should you care?

technology food

All Episodes

00:28:36

Legacy Finance Eyes Agtech, with Wells Fargo

Agtech - So What? ·

2022/10/05

While early-stage agtech tends to play in the venture world, it pays to check in with how folks sitting in banking think about their role as partners to startups. Traditional lenders can draw on the best part of a century of connection to agriculture, and potentially offer significant options for financing the growth of later-stage companies.This week we heard from Romie Basra, Senior VP, National Sustainable Tech Practice Leader, and Karol Aure-Flynn, Food and Agribusiness Industries Advisor at

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00:32:20

Systems Thinking and the Legacy of Big Food, with Dr...

Agtech - So What? ·

2022/09/21

The decisions by major food companies impact consumers, farmers, and the environment at every stage of the agrifood value chain. But the status quo strategies of ‘Big Food’ don’t always acknowledge the complex, interconnected systems at play around the world.Our guest this week is Dr. Nigel Hughes, Senior Vice President of Global R&D at Kellogg. After spending a career in what he would unwillingly call Big Food, Nigel now advocates for the urgent recoupling of the many smaller systems, from farming

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00:33:28

Changing the Risk Profile of Agriculture: a farmer's...

Agtech - So What? ·

2022/09/07

We recently launched a three-episode deep dive into the future of risk and insurance in agriculture. Over the course of the series, we heard from one listener who offered to share his experience using novel insurance products to manage the risks of both too little and too much rainfall in his own farming operation. This from-the-field perspective was packed with insights, and was such a powerful contribution to our learning that we asked his permission to use the audio for this episode.Tom Ferguson

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00:33:45

What Commodity Agriculture Can Learn from Organic...

Agtech - So What? ·

2022/08/24

While the term “organic” tends to be associated with small-scale production and a preference for manual tools over the latest technology, organic farming advocates claim their methods can reduce the need for expensive inputs like fertilizers and herbicides, improve soil health, and allow farmers to differentiate their product in otherwise global commodity markets. So, what can commodity agriculture learn from organic farming? Our guest this week is Amy Bruch, a sixth-generation farmer of row

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00:28:26

Defining the Future of Ag Advocacy, with Emma...

Agtech - So What? ·

2022/08/10

Agriculture is exposed to a complex tangle of laws, trade agreements, and competing visions of the future. For farmers, adjustments by legislators at any level of government can have an impact. So while policy is often an afterthought for operators in tech, the pressure for farmers to be engaged and represented in the formulation of new policy is real.It’s for this reason that ag has always invested deeply in advocacy groups. Our guest this week is Emma Germano, President of The Victorian Farmers

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00:34:32

Bonus Ep: Audience Responses to "The Three Fears of...

Agtech - So What? ·

2022/08/03

Back in May, we published an experimental bonus episode called “The Three Fears of Farm Data”. The conversation centered around the legitimacy of fears held by farmers about sharing their farm data, and kicked off with a particularly hot take:“We in agtech have completely f*****d farmers by making them afraid of sharing their data.”The episode got a huge reaction from around the industry - both positive and critical. It’s clear that the conversation around farm data is one that everyone in agtech,

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00:35:41

The Three Categories of Autonomy in Agriculture, with...

Agtech - So What? ·

2022/07/27

Autonomous farming equipment and robotics in ag is more crowded than ever. Every new acquisition from an incumbent or deployment of venture capital into the space creates more buzz to sort through in the inboxes of analysts, entrepreneurs, and farmers.With the industry growing so quickly, it’s helpful to have a bird’s-eye view of what’s happening, and what it means for the future of agriculture.So, in this week’s episode we give listeners a framework to understand the rapidly moving world of

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00:37:49

The Incentives, Barriers, and Willingness to Pay for...

Agtech - So What? ·

2022/07/13

When it comes to designing carbon programs in agriculture, there is a very real tension between the science and the commercial realities of drawing down carbon at scale. Particularly, the question of how to incentivize on-farm practice changes is one that many companies in ag carbon have failed to answer.Working at the intersection of these tensions is our guest this week, Emma Fuller, Carbon and Ecosystem Services Portfolio Leader at Corteva Agriscience. An accomplished data scientist and

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00:36:45

Ag Insurance...So What?

Agtech - So What? ·

2022/06/29

This week we're bringing you the final episode in our three-part series on the future of ag insurance.Our journey started with learning the ins and outs of how the sector currently operates (check out the ag insurance 101 episode here) and then talking to key players about new products and technologies entering the industry (check out Damon Johnson on parametric insurance here).Today, Sarah is joined by Matthew Pryor to talk through their learnings in a live attempt to develop an investment thesis

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00:34:25

The Future of Insurance in Agriculture, with Damon...

Agtech - So What? ·

2022/06/15

For a traditionally low innovation industry, things are starting to heat up in agricultural insurance.While it remains something of a black box for many people in agriculture, the forces of climate change and technological innovation are creating the right mix of incentives that could change how the whole industry approaches risk.This second episode of our exploration of ag insurance (check out the first, a 101 on ag insurance, here!) considers a digitally-native product in the hands of farmers

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00:28:07

Bonus Ep: Ag Insurance 101

Agtech - So What? ·

2022/06/14

Climate change will mean more frequent, extreme weather and more risk exposure for farmers around the world. This increased risk should be a driver for the business of agricultural insurers. But, it’s not easy to predict how climate change and digital-disruption might transform one of the world’s oldest industries.Actually, we’ve come to realize it isn’t easy to understand how agricultural insurance works at all.So, in the spirit of learning out loud, we’re releasing TWO episodes this week. This

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00:39:29

From the Vault: Mark Wootton on Carbon-Neutral...

Agtech - So What? ·

2022/06/01

Recently the whole team here at Tenacious Ventures had the chance to get out of town and on to the farm. And not just any farm – we visited Jigsaw Farms, home to sheep farmer and long-time friend of the show Mark Wooton and his wife Eve. While out at Jigsaw, Mark and Eve gave us an update on their vision for “sustainable intensification” and their ethos for farm management.In that spirit we wanted to revisit our original conversation with Mark that was published nearly two years ago. After the

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00:35:34

Making Decisions in the Face of Uncertainty, with...

Agtech - So What? ·

2022/05/18

It isn’t surprising that most farmers have to be expert planners and investors. But getting an inside view into how a farmer plans for the future of their business is a rare opportunity.In this episode, you’ll hear firsthand how Hallie Shoffner, a sixth-generation row crop farmer in the Mississippi Delta, makes decisions for her farm and company, SFR Seed. While Hallie is an enthusiastic adopter of new farming innovations, this conversation shows that every decision must be well supported by

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00:29:30

Bonus Ep: The Three Fears of Farm Data

Agtech - So What? ·

2022/05/11

Our latest bonus podcast episode is an experiment.Rather than organize the contributions that usually make up an episode, we decided to hit record on one of the conversations that are always happening internally at Tenacious Ventures.It’s a snapshot into how we think, form and test our assumptions, and decide on what might be next.It also captured the team taking on a pretty hot topic on the mind of everyone in agtech battling with adoption and scaling digitally-native solutions:Have we in agtech

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00:34:53

Services and Software for On-Farm Autonomy, with...

Agtech - So What? ·

2022/05/04

There are many different views about the future of autonomous farming. One is that, out of the emerging autonomous equipment providers and established blue chip suppliers, there will be clear winners and losers in the battle for on-farm dominance. Another is that farming in the future will involve all kinds of autonomous solutions. This second possibility presents tons of opportunities to add value for farmers.Our guest on this week’s episode is Iftach Birger, Co-Founder and COO at FieldIn, a farm

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00:31:12

Navigating Economic Development and the Social Fabric...

Agtech - So What? ·

2022/04/20

Every decision made by founders, farmers, and leaders in agriculture shapes the future of our food system. Whether it’s the cost per hectare of a biological or the value of a ton of carbon sequestered, the different goals and outcomes that end up in business plans inevitably define how time, energy, and capital are spent.But there are many outcomes of a healthy food system that don’t fit in a business plan. How do leaders today account for the broad connections between people, ideas, and identities

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00:33:21

Unscrambling Go-to-Market and Brand in Alternative...

Agtech - So What? ·

2022/04/06

Let’s talk about eggs.Hardly anything can match the egg for complete versatility. Eggs are a crucial ingredient that unlocksthe tastes, textures, and experiences we take for granted in everything from the simplest home omelette to food manufactured on an industrial scale.So, how would you approach replacing the egg with a plant-based alternative?This week on EggTech…So What?, we spoke with alternative-protein entrepreneur Tanja Bogumil. Tanja is the Co-Founder and CEO of Berlin-based Perfeggt, a

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00:49:37

Bonus Ep: The State of Fundraising in Agtech

Agtech - So What? ·

2022/03/30

Life is moving pretty fast for founders and investors working in agtech.Recent years have seen record flows of capital into agrifood, driven in part by agriculture potential to provide climate solutions. And the massive disruptions of COVID-19 meant developed markets received a historic taste of what changes will be needed in a world impacted by climate change and further uncertainty.So, how have the last few years impacted agtech founders looking to raise capital, and investors on the lookout for

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00:32:17

Investing Beyond the Farmgate with Ben Barlow, New...

Agtech - So What? ·

2022/03/23

Biologicals in agriculture have a wildly exciting future. It’s a segment responding to innovation in science, changes in markets, and the urgent pressures of adapting to climate change. New startups coming into the space are generating plenty of buzz, but there are also established players with products in the hands of farmers today.Ben Barlow is a veteran executive and the Managing Director of New Edge Microbials, a company that has been supplying farmers with legume inoculants and other

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00:34:22

Meeting in the Middle on Sustainable Supply Chains -...

Agtech - So What? ·

2022/03/09

Sustainability in food and agriculture has come a long way. Far from being “the dirty word” it used to be in boardrooms and at farm-gates, it’s now business as usual to expect CSR policies, ESG strategies, and decarbonization targets from all major agri-food companies.But, according to Jessie Deelo, Chief Hub Officer at Vayda, sustainability is moving beyond typical “top-down” commitments. In her work improving the environmental and social impact of supply chains, Jessie sees a huge opportunity for

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181 results

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