Convergence research: the idea of taking major agricultural themes and breaking them down into simple, digestible insights for various audiences. Necessary? Absolutely. And it’s the work that Dr. Trey Malone, Boehlje Chair in Managerial Economics for Agribusiness at Purdue University, has been doing with his team for awhile now. He brings his expertise in the studio today to dive into the intersection of entrepreneurship, policy and a massive agbioscience supply chain. Many highlights follow, including: 

• What the role of Boehlje Chair in Managerial Economics for Agribusiness has meant to Trey in his career and how it has scoped the work he is leading at Purdue today 
• The realization behind convergence research and how they’ve seen it pay off in practice 
• Pressure points Trey sees creating the most concern for the industry at large and what the economics say about how industry is responding to them 
• The idea of “real options thinking” as less about predicting the future and more about preparing for it by placing small bets to widen your options rather than focusing on one path for success 
• How real options thinking applies across the value chain 
• How Trey has seen agbioscience businesses respond to the demands of the consumer and their shifting behavior over the last five years 
• What moves the needle for consumers versus what’s mainly just perceived to be marketing 
• The Health Halo effect, hard seltzer drinks and what they’ve taught industry about labeling, marketing and how they interact with the consumer 
• The gap Trey sees that academic research needs to address for industry in agricultural economics 
• Research that Trey wishes everyone had their hands on and used with regularity to drive insight and decision making 
• What’s ahead for his time this year 

From volatile markets to high input costs, farmers are facing a number of challenges that could be offset by additional markets and revenue streams. Today, we're joined by Fiber X CEO Dave Skibinski who's working to give producers exactly that: a new opportunity rooted in the growing demand for natural fiber. Fresh off of a big win at TechPoint’s Mira Awards, Dave shares how FiberX is helping farmers diversify their operations and how agricultural byproducts are enabling the future of the bioeconomy. Highlights include: 

• The work FiberX leads and who they serve through their work in a growing bioeconomy 
• How their team chose the approach to leverage ag byproducts like corn stover to make bioindustrial resins and biocomposite plastics rather than other approaches 
• FiberX’s differentiation from traditional petroleum-based plastics – both in terms of performance and sustainability 
• Why they chose corn stover as the right feedstock for FiberX 
• New applications or industries showing the strongest demand for biocomposite materials in this rapidly growing bioeconomy; and how these companies have evolved over time 
• Performance metrics that industrial customers care most about and how FiberX is delivering on those benchmarks 
• Barriers their team has faced getting manufacturers to adopt bio-based materials and how they tackle objection 
• The FiberX // farmer relationship and how they execute that side; how their business model benefits them in terms of a new market unlock, additional revenue stream and more 
• How the farmer relationship, alongside the manufacturer, creates a circular economy – and what that means 
• The role of partnerships within the Indiana agbioscience ecosystem to grow and scale their technology 
• Winning the Agbioscience Innovator Award at TechPoint’s Mira Awards and how that honor validated the company’s work and its trajectory 
• Breakthroughs and milestones Dave believes will define the future of bioindustrial materials over the next decade 

From styrofoam to concrete, the Student Soybean Innovation Competition at Purdue University has transformed a renewable resource into several industrial products over the last three decades. More than products, though, it has turned students into aspiring creators and entrepreneurs. Elizabeth Heckaman and Jocelyn Erickson from this year’s winning competition join us in studio this week to recap SoySeal, ideating a product to market viability and the ultimate joy of holding a grand prize check. 

We get into:  

• SoySeal as an invention and how it came to be 
• Why they chose an adhesive over other routes 
• The formulation process – how does a soybean become an environmentally responsible adhesive? 
• Its comparison to other tapes on the market, in terms of performance and sustainability 
• Biggest challenges as they worked through the process of idea to market-ready product 
• The role of the consumer in their creation process 
• How they balanced team structure and skillsets across disciplines during development 
• What this innovative pursuit taught them about their own professional development 
• How they approached SoySeal from a business and commercialization perspective rather than just a technical and scientific idea 
• The critical role of Indiana Soybean Alliance and Indiana farmers to help mentor and influence their process 
• On-campus resources that enabled their team’s success 
• Advice they have for student entrepreneurs 
• Future plans for the team 

We joke at the end of this episode, but it feels very on par -- May was a photo finish! And what a year this month shaped up to be in Indiana's agbioscience economy. AgriNovus CEO Christy Wright and VP Libby Fritz join Cayla in the studio to recap the following:

• Corteva chooses Indiana for its global HQ
• Deputy Secretary of USDA Stephen Vaden visits Indiana following the decision to relocate SNAP to Indianapolis
• AgriNovus, alongside CICP, BioCrossroads and CIRDA, launched BioHeartland -- a shared identity designed to tell Indiana's distinct, unified story; the region's ability to invent, make and move bioscience solutions at global scale across human, animal and plant science like no other place in the world. Listen to the episode of Agbioscience that talks about the brand here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/428-introducing-bioheartland-a-unified-identity-to/id1412179095?i=1000768561869
• HHS, USDA and HATCH for Hunger announcing $7.5M dedicated to increasing protein access through cold chain infrastructure
• A NEW AGRINOVUS TEAM MEMBER!

From agtech adoption to agronomy, inputs, animal health services and beyond, agricultural cooperatives exist under one common objective: to enable farmer success. For 100 years, Keystone Cooperative has delivered that effort to communities across Indiana, Ohio, Michigan and Illinois, employing more than 1,700 workers and differentiating themselves through service and relationships.  

Vice President of Member Engagement and Public Affairs Drew Garretson joins this week to talk about the Keystone Cooperative journey, including their expanded footprint post-merger and the approach they take to ensure they are delivering best-in-class innovation and services to their farmer members. 

Highlights include: 

• The work Drew leads at Keystone Cooperative – including his many titles over the years with the organization – and how they serve American farmers 
• Conversations with members as they head into the spring planting season 
• How Keystone helps farmers navigate decisions and navigating risk while operating under tight margins 
• Emerging technologies that Drew believes are having the greatest impact on U.S. farming operations over the next five years 
• Criteria Keystone follows to determine whether a potential technology or service is a good fit for their members 
• How Drew and the team have approached partnerships and collaborations over the years – and what makes quality partnerships work for Keystone 
• The generational transition for agriculture and how Keystone approaches the decision-making mindset on farms where thoughts on innovation and sustainability may differ 
• How the current economic and regulatory environment shapes the cooperative landscape and the challenges and opportunities those headwinds present 
• Areas of agriculture Drew believes we’ve just begun to scratch the surface on, our biggest opportunities that lie ahead for farmers to get more efficient and gain net farm income over the next five years 
• What’s ahead for the Keystone Cooperative team that has Drew most excited 

Today we are proud to announce the launch of BioHeartland, a shared identity designed to amplify Indiana’s leading bioscience ecosystem at the convergence of human, animal and plant health.

As Indiana competes globally for the next generation of bioscience jobs, companies and innovation, leaders across industry, academia and economic development are rallying around our unified story. Developed through a collaborative effort led by CEOs of Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP), AgriNovus and BioCrossroads, and in partnership with the Central Indiana Regional Development Authority (CIRDA), BioHeartland was created to give Indiana a more cohesive way to share Indiana’s story with investors, companies, researchers and talent around the world.

This episode is hosted by CICP CEO Melina Kennedy where she is joined by AgriNovus CEO Christy Wright, BioCrossroads CEO Vince Wong and Mayor of The City of Fishers Scott Fadness.

Learn more and join the story at INBioHeartland.com.

The development and creation of startups and new companies is what allows an innovation ecosystem to thrive. Alloy Partners launched to co-create advantaged startups and venture studios in partnerships corporations and entrepreneurs, melding a future of collaboration between the two. This week, we are joined by One Health Studio Director Ben Lewis to talk market challenges, the studio model and what he sees ahead for the One Health opportunity. Highlights include:  

• The unique work Ben leads to enable company creation at Alloy Partners 
• Ben’s personal story that led him to this point – tracing back to his time as an Olympic athlete 
• Gaps identified in the market that led to the studio’s creation 
• Alloy’s model and its differentiation from traditional corporate innovation programs 
• How the process works: spinning a new coming with the Alloy One Health Studio 
• Biggest challenges facing company creation in the One Health space 
• Indiana as a breeding ground for quality partnerships and being structured to succeed when it comes to One Health innovation 
• How Ben sees public-private partnerships evolving and the next steps in that process 
• Balancing scientific depth with speed and urgency of startup life when working to create new companies 
• How Ben’s past experience as an entrepreneur has prepared him well for this role 
• One Health trends that are emerging that have Ben most excited for the next five to ten years 
• What Alloy Partners is working on right now that has Ben most excited 

Food is health is a growing conversation across the agbioscience landscape and research is moving the conceptual to tangible solutions. Dr. Lavanya Reddivari from Purdue University joins this week to talk groundbreaking food science research, advancing discovery through the innovation pipeline and how her family roots are making something old new again.  

Highlights include:  

• A high level overview of her research at Purdue and its impact on food is health 
• How Lavanya views food is health from a modern, scientific research perspective 
• Her team’s recent findings of a compound in blueberries that aids people with digestive diseases; the discovery process and how it informed follow up 
• Nutrition as a support function for chronic illnesses that are critically impacting the U.S. population and her team’s “aha” moment where the gut microbiome was the foundation to overall health 
• A grant Lavanya’s team received through the Heartland Children’s Nutrition Collaborative and what it has enabled their research to do 
• How the right partnerships have enabled them to move through different stages of their exploration 
• Lavanya’s family roots and how this story is personal for her 
• Applying her team’s findings and putting them into practice 
• How Lavanya wants to see this research make an impact on the world and the health of its people 
• What she believes are our biggest opportunities to advance Food is Health, given our strengths in Indiana 
• What’s ahead with her laboratory team that has her most excited 

Last week Governor Mike Braun today announced IN AI, a new statewide initiative focused on helping businesses grow, create jobs, and increase wages through the practical application of human-centered artificial intelligence. The initiative will be executed by the CEOs of Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) and will work directly with employers across the state to accelerate AI adoption in ways that strengthen businesses and expand opportunity for Hoosiers. 

Joining us this week is Ting Gootee, CICP’s EVP of Digital Adoption and Managing Director of Crossroads Health Ventures. She talks agbioscience, AI adoption and finding the one thing businesses need to solve for – not the dire need to launch a full-blown digital strategy right out of the gate. 

Highlights include:  

• How CICP defines digital adoption in the context of its mission 
• The work Ting is leading and what the organization aims to accomplish through its branded initiatives like AgriNovus 
• Biggest headwinds businesses and organizations face when trying to adopt digital solutions, particularly in what are traditionally offline industries 
• How Indiana is positioning itself to build a more AI-ready economy and the role of digital adoption within that transformation 
• Striking a balance between short-term innovation wins and establishing sustainable, long-term impact across industries statewide to create real impact 
• How digital adoption is changing the skills and education needed for the state’s future workforce 
• The role of partnerships among business, academia and government in maintaining talent pipelines to keep pace with tech advancement (and where we sit in that journey today) 
• How Ting views our opportunity to be a differentiated hub for technology advancement in Indiana 
• Emerging trends and technologies that have Ting most excited 
• What Indiana ideally looks like from a digital adoption standpoint over the next five-ten years 
• Where to get more information on this initiative: https://www.cicpindiana.com/ai/ 

April was a news-filled month with business announcements, student innovators and AgriNovus programs off and running! AgriNovus CEO Christy Wright and Vice President Libby Fritz join Cayla in the studio to recap the month. Highlights include: 

• Corteva Unveiling New Leadership for New Corteva and SpinCo
• BiomEdit Secures Foundational Patents for Engineered Probiotic Platform Positioned to Redefine Animal Health, Multispecies Potential
• SoySeal Takes Home Top Prize at Purdue University's Student Soybean Innovation Competition
• AgriNovus Velocity to Focus on Priority Areas for Indiana’s Agbioscience Future
• Quadrant Returns on May 13 Focused on $1B in One Health Investment in Indiana; Register here: https://agrinovusindiana.com/quadrant/