It is rare air to get two fantastic leaders in the same room for the podcast, but today we are joined by our very own. CICP’s CEO, Melina Kennedy, hosts our newly named AgriNovus President and CEO, Christy Wright, to talk service, food as the next frontier of health and her vision for what lies ahead for Indiana’s agbioscience economy.

From domestic and global policy to the speed of innovation, the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) works on behalf of the industry to promote research, development and movement of quality seed to meet the world’s demand for food, feed, fiber and beyond. This week, Beck’s Hybrids’ President, Scott Beck, hosts ASTA CEO, Andy LaVigne, and organization Chair, Dave Treinen, to talk about the organization’s pursuit to better connect innovation to consumers, new markets, policymakers and more. We get into:  

•  ASTA as one of the world’s oldest trade organizations and who they aim to serve 
• Where seed production finds itself in the mix of current challenges facing production agriculture and what is unique to them 
• The biggest regulatory discussions shaping the industry, both domestically and internationally 
• How domestic policy impacts the industry’s ability to do business internationally 
• The accelerated trend of food is health, the seed innovator’s role and how ASTA is tackling this with its partners across the value chain 
• How ASTA works to connect seed innovation to the consumer’s understanding of food production 
• Where ASTA sees the biggest opportunities to advance technologies through partnerships and collaborations 
• Big areas of focus for 2026 
• The call to action for seed distributors and innovators that want a seat at the table with ASTA, but don’t know how to get started 

From market volatility to high input costs and beyond, farmers have faced a series of unique challenges -- and farm management is something they need and want to get a good grasp on for their operations. Looking ahead to 2026, we are joined by Dwight Raab, Advisor to Farm Business Farm Management, to examine the balance between innovation adoption and financial management. We get into:  

• A high-level perspective on the work FBFM does to serve Midwest farmers through data-driven decisions 
• What the year has looked like for their farmers and how that’s informed their decision making for 2026 
• Tax policies that are changing and how the One Big Beautiful Bill is transforming the way people should be thinking about their farming operations 
• Out of the farmers who have operations that are doing well – what are they doing differently than others? 
• FBFM’s comprehensive farm level financial data and how those models have helped guide their decision-making processes 
• Balancing the adoption of new innovation between the realities of economic pressures for farming operations and what efficiencies could come from technologies coming on farm 
• The importance of financial literacy as farming operations switch hands over the next ten years 
• The one piece of advice Dwight would offer heading into 2026 

Happy Thanksgiving! AgriNovus was proud to present the One Health Summit in partnership with BioCrossroads and Elanco this month at the company's newly opened global headquarters in Indianapolis. Please enjoy audio from this power panel including Elanco CEO Jeff Simmons, Corteva Agriscience CEO Chuck Magro, Eli Lilly CEO Dave Ricks, Purdue University President Mung Chiang and Indiana University President Pam Whitten. The panel was moderated by the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) CEO Melina Kennedy to talk about the One Health opportunity and how best we can advance that here in the state.

From food is health to biologicals, what innovations and emerging trends took over the agbiosciences in 2025 and where are we headed in 2026? Perhaps no one better a source than Jennifer Marston, Global AgTech Editor at AgFunder News, to join us as we talk through the state of venture capital, its down market and the good news about where it’s headed in the future. She gets into:  

• A high-level overview of the venture capital market in 2025 
• The categories of agbioscience that are securing deals – and the areas of the globe that seem to be doing better than others with venture capital deals 
• The shifts in the last 18-24 months across dealmaking and what feedback Jenn has heard while talking with both VCs and startups while writing stories 
• What the startups and entrepreneurs who are winning are doing differently 
• With longer sales cycles, regulatory pressures, etc., does Jenn think we are due for a reset in how innovation is funded in agbioscience? 
• Indiana’s unique models unfolding with Corteva Catalyst, the launch of Elanco’s One Health Innovation District and how those might create a new ecosystem in the Midwest for entrepreneurs to grow and thrive 
• New startups and innovation partnerships out of the Midwest that have Jenn most excited right now 
• Upcoming stories and things coming from AgFunder News that she wants people to know about 

As an entrepreneur, sometimes the boldest move you can make is to pivot. This week, we are joined by Rian Mc Donnell, CEO of FloVision Solutions, to talk about AI-driven solutions to help the food industry become more financially and environmentally sustainable by reducing waste and maximizing yield. We get into:  

• The work Rian leads with his team to optimize the food chain starting with protein – and how that vision varies from when he started the company 
• Insights that FloVision drives downstream to food processors and the capabilities they have because of these technology 
• FloVision’s market differentiation  
• How Rian sees the company playing a role in this massive food evolution 
• Feedback he gets from working with customers – especially food processors who are very traditional in their operations 
• FloVision’s recent $8.7 million Series A fundraise and what it will enable the company to do 
• The company’s tech stack and how the data drives different decisions and solutions based on their position around the globe, their food priorities and regulatory frameworks 
• Areas ripe for collaboration and what’s ahead in 2026 

Indiana Farm Bureau has outlined its legislative priorities for 2026 and this week. Katie Nelson, the organization’s Executive Director of Public Policy, joins this week to talk about the three buckets of prioritization heading into session, why they’re focused on broad issues and the call to action for agbioscience innovators. We get into:  

• A legislative recap of 2025 and lingering challenges that persist for the industry 
• The broad policy scope that Indiana Farm Bureau has casted heading into 2026 and the “why” behind that 
• Investment in agriculture, the challenges farmers are facing and how Katie hopes some measures move forward to enable operational success 
• Helping rural communities thrive, the uphill battles being faced – from education to healthcare – and where Indiana Farm Bureau plans to be most active 
• Supporting Indiana farmers through helping them to have the resources they need (water, land, etc.) 
• How Indiana Farm Bureau is navigating federal challenges, the shutdown and conversations on behalf of farmers 
• Trade agreements they’re eyeing heading into 2026 that may impact Indiana farmers most critically 
• The call to action for the agbioscience community to drive these priorities forward 

Everyone has a story of how they’ve come into their career and many times on this podcast we hear the phrase “I got here by accident.” This week, we are joined by Angel Vazquez, a Field Atlas Ambassador and Ball State University student, who is exploring his interest in agbioscience careers, sharing the industry story with his peers and what he hopes to accomplish after graduation. We get into:  

• How he is thinking about his career journey as college winds down  
• Angel’s personal story, why medicine is the path he chose and how he hopes to make a difference in the lives of others 
• The curiosity of agbioscience and wanting to be a Field Atlas Ambassador 
• Agbioscience conversations on Ball State’s campus and how his peers engage when discussing career opportunities in the industry 
• Learning from his peer Ambassadors on other college and university campuses 
• What he thinks students are seeking in a career 
• What employers should know about connecting with students 
• His favorite Field Atlas experience and what it taught him 

October was a busy month and we spare none on today's update with AgriNovus CEO, Christy Wright, and VP Libby Fritz. Updates include:

• A new global HQ for Elanco and our upcoming One Health Summit co-hosted with BioCrossroads (register here)
• Corteva's restructure into two companies and what comes next
• BiomEdit's $2M Bezos Earth Fund Grant (listen to CEO Aaron Schacht here)
• BioBond launches two new adhesives -- one for fake fingernails and school adhesives
• ARI's new HQ at the 16 Tech Innovation District to secure Indiana's bioinnovation future
• Quadrant is coming on 12/3! Register here.

Biochar is an effective and profitable way to manage organic waste – and there are innovators creating new platforms to enable producers, investors and equipment suppliers to grow and deploy waste-to-value projects faster and easier than ever before. This week, we are joined by Jason Dodier, Co-Founder and CCO of Grain Ecosystem, to talk decarbonization projects, the value of the American farmer and grain as a risk reduction partner. We get into:  

• What Grain Ecosystem does and how they deploy these waste-to-value solutions 
• How this process looks for each player in the system – farmers, investors and equipment suppliers 
• The Grain Ecosystem model and its adoptability that differentiates it from competitors on the market 
• Feedback they get from the ecosystem as they deploy solutions 
• Grain’s momentum built up over the last three years and the company’s biggest opportunities for growth 
• Working with Elevate Ventures and other Indiana partners to expand their footprint in the state 
• What’s ahead for Grain Ecosystem