Future of Agriculture

Millennials are making waves in many of today’s business and career industries – and the agriculture industry is no exception. This week, I’m speaking with Mikayla Sullivan, co-founder and “Ringleader of Regal Operations” at Kinosol. Her team of millennials – many of which are fresh out of college – are on a mission to solve one of the world’s biggest problems – world hunger – through agriculture technology. Kinosol uses dehydration techniques that can be used anywhere in the world – due to its solar-power technology – to make food products last longer, to effectively reduce food waste around the world. Currently, Mikayla and her team are focusing on helping people in developing countries reduce food waste and improve their food storage ability in an effort to help end world hunger on a global scale. Today, she shares the Kinosol mission and how the business idea got started, the interesting way the team generated the initial business capital to continue to grow and scale, and some of the food safety concerns surrounding dehydration – particularly with meat.   “People don’t care what it looks like. It really just matters if it works and if it’s going to improve what they are already doing and save them time down the road.” – Mikayla Sullivan   This Week on the Future of Agriculture Podcast: Kinosol’s mission to reduce food waste on a global scale – particularly in developing countries How the company is working to not only reduce food waste and combat world hunger, but also provide income-generating opportunities in developing countries What is a Specific Benefit Corporation and how it differs from a non-profit organization and an LLC How farmers in developing countries can receive Kinosol’s products What the Kinosol solar-power dehydrator is capable of Food safety concerns regarding meat and ensuring consumer safety Unit cost and distribution model The Kinosol “Sponsor-A-Unit” program How the business idea got started How they raised their initial business capital How the founding members decided which countries to target first Their biggest challenges throughout their entrepreneurial journey Why Mikayla believes her team’s naivety about the process of developing the product worked to their advantage New product development plans within the next two years     Check Out Kinosol & Mikayla Sullivan Across the Net: Get Kinosol Facebook Twitter – Use these hashtags to follow the conversation: #SaveTheThird and #FoodforAll Instagram LinkedIN     Share the Ag-Love!  Thanks for joining us on the Future of Agriculture Podcast – your spot for valuable information, content, and interviews with industry leaders throughout the agricultural space! If you enjoyed this week’s episode, please subscribe on iTunes and leave your honest feedback. Don’t forget to share it with your friends on your favorite social media spots!  Learn more about AgGrad by visiting:  AgGrad Website   AgGrad on Twitter   AgGrad on Facebook   AgGrad on LinkedIn   AgGrad on Instagram 

Today’s guest is from the Bronx in New York. His journey to agriculture started accidentally while he was dealing with student conflict in his class. From zero agricultural background, Stephen Ritz created a system – a whole school program that changed how the students, the parents, and the community view agriculture. This program, called Green Bronx Machine, is more than about educating his students about farming. Stephen sees it as a way to solve real problems in the community like lack of student engagement in school, poor education, and poor health including unequal opportunities for the disadvantaged. On today’s episode, Stephen talks about the effects and benefits of Green Bronx Machine to the students and the community as a whole. He shares how he integrates growing food with academics. Stephen also elaborates on one of the goals of the program’s model, which is not about a “me” mentality, but a “we” mentality. This outlook is about people everywhere working together in achieving the goal of making wise choices, living healthy, and personal and community development. He is encouraged to see the outcome as his students are empowered to make healthy choices as a result of instilling child wellness and mindfulness in them.   “When we teach our children about nature, we teach them to nurture. And when we teach children to nurture, we as a society collectively embrace our better nature. And that’s what this work is about.” – Stephen Ritz   This Week on The Future of Agriculture Podcast: The 9-1-1 situation in Stephen’s class that lead to a 3-1-1 moment One of the significant effects of the Green Bronx Machine Project: Students you don’t expect to go through college ending up as college graduates Evolution of the program, how it has evolved today, and some of the programs offered such as after-school programming, weekend programming, and summer camps Age window of students allowed in the program How the collateral learning influence the behavior of the students How the program can change the community’s outlook on food as medicine in relation to diabetes and obesity The process that Stephen adapts especially for first-time student-growers: If they grow it, they eat it The focus of the model of the program – quality of teaching and quality of learning Metrics Stephen uses in the program concerning academics (attendance, performance, etc.) What makes the Green Bronx Machine a whole-school solution and not just any other kind of school economics program Content of Stephen’s book – his story, his children’s story, the community’s story, and tools that equip people to grow something great and impact their community Check Out Stephen Ritz Across the Net: Green Bronx Machine Website Green Bronx Machine on Facebook The Power of a Plant Book by Stephen Ritz   Share the Ag-Love! Thanks for joining us on the Future of Agriculture Podcast – your spot for valuable information, content, and interviews with industry leaders throughout the agricultural space! If you enjoyed this week’s episode, please subscribe on iTunes and leave your honest feedback. Don’t forget to share it with your friends on your favorite social media spots! Learn more about AgGrad by visiting: AgGrad Website AgGrad on Twitter AgGrad on Facebook AgGrad on LinkedIn AgGrad on Instagram  

Today’s guest is my close friend, James Garner. He is a partner in a company called Cogent Communications that does public affairs work in agriculture and agricultural businesses in Sacramento, California. For ten years, he has been a part of a band called Johnny Cash Tribute Band, where he is the group’s manager and front man. On top of these varied roles, James has also been doing drag racing with his dad. James’ father has been a part of a drag racing team as a racer for years. On today’s episode, James talks about the significant changes that occurred in his life when he started Cogent Communications with his colleague, together with the ideal clients they work with. He also points out the strong suits that have kept them on top of their game, which are understanding the issues on the farm and coherently communicating these matters to the board (local, supervisory, or regulatory). James also elaborates on what currently seems to be a mild concern, but can be a hot one in the future because of its impact at the farming level – the Food Safety Modernization Act.   “We try to be cogent in all our communications – clear, logical, convincing.” – James Garner   This Week on The Future of Agriculture Podcast: How technology helps shape the communications and data collection in James’ work High-level issues affecting the clients and what James and his team do: water, water quality, and sustainability James’ magic formula for building healthy business relationships More tips on establishing good business and personal relationships An on-going concern that the consumers keep asking for but valued much and lived out by farmers Check Out James Garner Across the Net: Cogent Communications Website Email: jgarner@cogentcc.com Johnny Cash Tribute Show   Share the Ag-Love! Thanks for joining us on the Future of Agriculture Podcast – your spot for valuable information, content, and interviews with industry leaders throughout the agricultural space! If you enjoyed this week’s episode, please subscribe on iTunes and leave your honest feedback. Don’t forget to share it with your friends on your favorite social media spots! Learn more about AgGrad by visiting: AgGrad Website    AgGrad on Twitter    AgGrad on Facebook      AgGrad on LinkedIn    AgGrad on Instagram  

Women have been part of agriculture since the beginning of time. Today’s guest is passionate about showing how the roles of women have progressed and increased in this field. Born and raised in Iowa, Marji Guyler-Alaniz studied Graphic Journalism and Photography in college. Recently, she had a lot of surprises and transitions in her life in a span of only four years – from insurance to photography to owning a company and being a TV hostess. Today, Marji is the president of Farmher, a company that came about as a result of her passion in shining the light on women in agriculture. On today’s episode, Marji recounts the Super Bowl advertisement that inspired her to start capturing images of women in agriculture. She shares the exciting story of how she built her brand from scratch and how Farmher has progressed from a hobby to a brand with a regular TV show. She also narrates the quick progression of her journey with Farmher, talks about her mission and vision, and points out her considerations when making decisions.   “I started it with a premise of shine me a light on the role that women play in agriculture through photographs and help to update the image of agriculture with those photographs.” – Marji Guyler-Alaniz   This Week on The Future of Agriculture Podcast: Marji’s mission and the tale of the first woman Marji photographed in 2013 Effects of the connection between Farmher website creation and the publication Modern Farmer Merchandise creation and the factor that made women identify to her brand Producing FarmHer TV Show and Marji’s reasons for pursuing it Company challenges and breakthroughs Marji’s biggest surprise since starting the business   Check out Marji Guyler-Alaniz Across the Net: FarmHer Website Email: info@farmher.com   Share the Ag-Love! Thanks for joining us on the Future of Agriculture Podcast – your spot for valuable information, content, and interviews with industry leaders throughout the agricultural space! If you enjoyed this week’s episode, please subscribe on iTunes and leave your honest feedback. Don’t forget to share it with your friends on your favorite social media spots! Learn more about AgGrad by visiting: AgGrad Website   AgGrad on Twitter   AgGrad on Facebook     AgGrad on LinkedIn    AgGrad on Instagram   

Today’s guest grew up in Grass Valley, California. Sara Hollenbeck lives with her husband on a ranch in Molt, Montana called the Hollenbeck Ranch. Together with her husband and in-laws, Sara manages a sheep operation in Molt on top of many other diverse things they do on the farm. On today’s episode, Sara talks about an unfamiliar topic to many – sheep operation. She discusses the necessary tasks and human resources it takes to keep the operation running smoothly. She also shares who Totes MaGoats is, how her lamb company was born, and how she was able to open the community to eating lamb.   “The people I’m focused on are the ones that are interested, or curious even, about where their food is coming from or how their food is being raised.” – Sara Hollenbeck   This Week on The Future of Agriculture Podcast: Brief background about the sheepherders and reasons why their presence and the H-2A program play a vital role in the sheep operation Where the sheep ranch gets the majority of its revenue The importance of breeding on the quality of the meat and wool and reasons why it is important to focus on the latter Sheep shearing and why it is considered the “fun time” in the ranch Sara's goals for the future of the ranch Check Out Sara Hollenbeck Across the Net: Sara Hollenbeck on Instagram Hollenbeck Ranch Website High Five Meats Website   Share the Ag-Love! Thanks for joining us on the Future of Agriculture Podcast – your spot for valuable information, content, and interviews with industry leaders throughout the agricultural space! If you enjoyed this week’s episode, please subscribe on iTunes and leave your honest feedback. Don’t forget to share it with your friends on your favorite social media spots! Learn more about AgGrad by visiting: AgGrad Website AgGrad on Twitter AgGrad on Facebook   AgGrad on LinkedIn AgGrad on Instagram

Today’s guest is a scientist, researcher, and the founder of Dynamite Ag – a sales and consulting company founded in 2012. Growing up in a Christian household, Dr. Curtis Livesay was told not to do drugs, to research about it. This pursuit of knowledge led him to acquire a Ph.D. in interpersonal communication and research methods. It is also the heart of his company – to do great research and disseminate good and useful information. On today’s episode, Dr. Curtis shares his knowledge, experience, and viewpoints about a variety of topics such as critical agronomic problems, lies fed to farmers, and specific ways to deal with particular agronomic concerns.   “Don’t just try something different, but pay attention to where you put it.” – Dr. Curtis Livesay   This Week on The Future of Agriculture Podcast: How Dr. Curtis found his niche and how he finds the people he works with Difference between plant recoverable and plant available How farmers should balance the economics of farming with environmental stewardship Yield contest over profitability contest What volunteer corn is, why it’s a problem and what farmers can do about it   Check Out Dr. Curtis Livesay Across the Net: Dynamite Ag on Facebook   Share the Ag-Love! Thanks for joining us on the Future of Agriculture Podcast – your spot for valuable information, content, and interviews with industry leaders throughout the agricultural space! If you enjoyed this week’s episode, please subscribe on iTunes and leave your honest feedback. Don’t forget to share it with your friends on your favorite social media spots! Learn more about AgGrad by visiting: AgGrad Website   AgGrad on Twitter   AgGrad on Facebook   AgGrad on LinkedIn   AgGrad on Instagram

On today’s episode of Future of Agriculture Podcast, my guest is an engineer by who was born in Nebraska and grew up as a city kid in Omaha. Russ Conser eventually fell in-love with energy which started his decades-long career in Shell Oil where he learned more about oil, gas, and carbon. You may be surprised to hear that the knowledge and experience Russ gained in this industry eventually led him to his present venture in the field of agriculture. Russ Conser is the CEO of Standard Soil, a company that uses adaptive multi-paddock grazing to grow grass-fed beef at scale. He spent the last 15 years in innovation and investing in pioneering startups that produce revolutionary and edgy outputs and results. A writer, speaker, investor, and game-changer, Russ talks about Standard Soil’s business model, its difference from other tech startups, the positive environmental impact it brings, and a lot more.   “I tend to think of agriculture really as the biological solar energy business in the world of farmers and ranchers.” – Russ Conser     This Week on The Future of Agriculture Podcast: Russ elaborates the difference between traditional grazing and multi-paddock grazing. He shares the effects of multi-paddock grazing that are advantageous not only to the business itself, but also in the quality of the nutrient produced in the soil. Together with the overall environmental impact of multi-paddock grazing, Russ talks about what the organic-rich soils can do for everyone. He gives some tips on how they handle moving paddocks frequently, how they manage the grazing during wintertime, and how to know the right square footage of paddocks per cow. Russ emphasizes that the methods by which these things are produced usually cause concern with broader environmental issues. He introduces the “cocktail mix” producers use to create a superior product. Forward-looking, Russ talks about the significance of multi-paddock grazing to the US beef industry 20 years from now.   Additional Resources Mentioned in Today’s Episode TED Talk by Allan Savory   Check Out Russ Conser Across the Net: Standard Soil Website Standard Soil on Twitter Standard Soil on Facebook The Grassfed Exchange   Share the Ag-Love! Thanks for joining us on the Future of Agriculture Podcast – your spot for valuable information, content, and interviews with industry leaders throughout the agricultural space! If you enjoyed this week’s episode, please subscribe on iTunes and leave your honest feedback. Don’t forget to share it with your friends on your favorite social media spots! Learn more about AgGrad by visiting: AgGrad Website AgGrad on Twitter AgGrad on Facebook AgGrad on LinkedIn AgGrad on Instagram  

AgTech has experienced quite a boom over the years. There is no question that innovation can boost tremendous improvements in the Agriculture industry. And like me, many Agriculture professionals and business owners are curious and eagerly awaiting the next big thing from AgTech. Louisa Burwood-Taylor is currently at the heart of the AgTech industry as the Chief Editor of AgFunderNews.com. She was originally a financial journalist and was privileged to shift to AgTech just when the industry started gaining significant progress. In today’s show, Louisa shares her experience in AgTech, along with invaluable entrepreneurial advice, insight and a glimpse of what is to come in the industry. “Agriculture is the least digitized industry in the world, which is pretty concerning because it is one of the most essential industries in our daily lives.” This Week on The Future of Agriculture Podcast: The Agriculture industry is currently experiencing an Intersection between food, technology, and entrepreneurship. Women are making great strides in the Agriculture industry and it makes sense to have more of their voice in the corporate scene, because they influence more than half of the food choices in the family). Consumer demand and changes are really going to impact how farmers plant, what they plant, and how they grow it. There's a huge potential for robotics to revolutionize farming, but it has not yet raised much funding because the technology is not quite there yet and it can be quite expensive. Louisa shares the “hot” areas for AgTech where there are a lot of start-ups and tech innovation hubs. She discusses what accelerators do and their role in AgTech. Entrepreneurs are demonstrating more enthusiasm with AgTech this year. It may take some time before AgTech finds another unicorn, because the investors have pulled back over the last few years. Resources Mentioned How Consumer Preferences and the Role of Women are Informing Food & Ag Innovation The Climate Corporation Memphis Meats Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology Research Triangle Park Volcani Center Swiim Adaptive Symbiotic Technologies Reach out with Damian Mason: Louisa Burwood-Taylor on Twitter Louisa Burwood-Taylor on LinkedIn com com AgFunder on Twitter AgFunder on Google+ Get First Access to the Farm & Rural Ag Network! If you enjoyed this show, then you'll also love the Farm & Rural Ag Network! It is an exclusive community led by the founders of the fastest growing agriculture podcasts: the Shark Farmer Podcast, the Ontario Agcast, and yours truly – the Future of Agriculture Podcast. Subscribe now to join the community and gain access to our robust content library and grow your network by connecting to other industry players. Share the Ag-Love! Thanks for joining us on the Future of Agriculture Podcast – your spot for valuable information, content, and interviews with industry leaders throughout the agricultural space! If you enjoyed this week’s episode, please subscribe on iTunes and leave your honest feedback. Don’t forget to share it with your friends on your favorite social media spots! Learn more about AgGrad by visiting: AgGrad Website  AgGrad on Twitter  AgGrad on Facebook  AgGrad on LinkedIn  AgGrad on Instagram 

Food waste is a major issue in the United States, as well as the world. Research shows that about 97% of food wasted in the United States ends up in landfills and the less than 3% of waste that doesn’t see a landfill is being utilized in other commodities such as compost, black soldier fly larvae, and other methods. That means that approximately 30-40% of the calories available to the human population finds their way into the landfill. Although the global economy and environment are slowly becoming more aware of the massive issue regarding food waste, it’s still one of the biggest issues plaguing, not only the agriculture industry, but also the global economic, ethical, and environment. Public speaker and author of the book, America’s Waste Land, and founder of Wasted Food joins me today to shed some light on this significant issue, share his thoughts on what the ag industry – as well as consumers in general – can do to increase awareness and make a difference in the world by finding different ways to reduce the amount of food wasted throughout the country.   “Food waste is simply a poor use of resources. To me, it’s being a poor steward of the Earth.” – Johnathan Bloom   This Week on The Future of Agriculture Podcast: Why consumers should care about food waste and its impact on the global economics, ethics, and environmental factors. About $200-Billion dollars are squandered nationally by wasted food. That’s about $2,000 per family in food not eaten. The food waste data does not show the amount of ag-level waste because we don’t have a good enough handle on the amount of food being wasted at the farm level. On an international scale, the amount of food wasted amounts to about $2.6-Trillion. Depending on the price of harvest, farmers might not be able to justify the expenditure of time and labor to harvest certain crops such as sweet potatoes. The misconception of “sell by” and expiration dates on food. Where food goes when you put it in the garbage disposal. How several European countries are making progress in reducing food waste. How the ag-community can inspire consumers to utilize food in the best ways possible. The positive changes Johnathan has seen since he began his food waste project.   Practical Things Consumers Can Do to Reduce Food Waste: Become a smarter shopper. Plan what food you will need before going shopping. Think more about portion sizes. Use your freezer as a resource. Stop treating “sell by” and expiration dates as the be all, end all. Instead, use them as a guide, trust your instincts and senses.   Connect with Johnathan Bloom: Wasted Food Wasted Food on Twitter Wasted Food on Instagram America’s Wasteland book Just Eat It documentary   Share the Ag-Love!     Thanks for joining us on the Future of Agriculture Podcast – your spot for valuable information, content, and interviews with industry leaders throughout the agricultural space! If you enjoyed this week’s episode, please subscribe on iTunes and leave your honest feedback. Don’t forget to share it with your friends on your favorite social media spots!   Learn more about AgGrad by visiting:     AgGrad Website   AgGrad on Twitter   AgGrad on Facebook   AgGrad on LinkedIn   AgGrad on Instagram  

On today’s episode of the Future of Agriculture Podcast, my guest is a Purdue graduate who was brave enough to make a career change from being a Turkey breeder in Perdue Farms to sales. Dave Myers shares his journey in farming and how a man changed his perspective when he was taught about the soil and how it can maximize the growth in farming. As Dave saw the struggles of many growers, he appreciated that with his new career path, he can help growers become more efficient with how they grew their crop. Not only that, he created an online app, Bird Dog, that helps growers market themselves while protecting their reputations at the same time.   “Longevity and being able to put together a long term plan is a huge value for many growers.” – Dave Myers     This Week on The Future of Agriculture Podcast: He shares the burden of many growers who desire to expand their farming operations, but are concerned about their reputation if they pursue the landowner. As he elaborates the steps he took before Bird Dog was launched, he also enlightens us how Bird Dog helps growers market themselves to landowners. He explains what landlords are searching for when looking for people who would rent their land and what growers are looking for in a landlord. Dave talks more about Bird Dog in terms of geographical coverage of their services, the challenges they face involving landowners and growers, and the benefits of using Bird Dog. He also shares the mistakes and struggles people make regarding landowner-farmer relationship.     Check Out Dave Myers Across the Net: Bird Dog Website     Share the Ag-Love! Thanks for joining us on the Future of Agriculture Podcast – your spot for valuable information, content, and interviews with industry leaders throughout the agricultural space! If you enjoyed this week’s episode, please subscribe on iTunes and leave your honest feedback. Don’t forget to share it with your friends on your favorite social media spots! Learn more about AgGrad by visiting: AgGrad Website AgGrad on Twitter AgGrad on Facebook AgGrad on LinkedIn AgGrad on Instagram