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/

From industry trailblazers to academic leaders, policymakers to journalists, AgrIInstitute has served as a platform for leadership development in Indiana’s agbioscience ecosystem for over 40 years. Executive Director Beth Archer joins us this week and provides tremendous perspective on how you build an ecosystem of strong leaders: by convening and facilitating communication among a diverse group of interests and specialties across a vast, but collaborative industry. 

Highlights include:  

• The work Beth leads at AgrIInstitute and how the organization serves the agbioscience ecosystem 
• What gaps were identified by Indiana state leaders that led to its founding and how the organization has evolved to meet the needs of today’s industry 
• Wrapping up Agricultural Leadership Program (ALP) Class 21 and how Beth’s differentiated approach to the program has kept it so successful over the years 
• The balancing act of delivering consistent leadership development when industry is in a state of constant change 
• What challenges and headwinds business leaders in the industry are facing as they look to the future and how organizations like AgrIInstitute enable relief in those areas 
• Leadership skills Beth thinks will be most critical over the next decade and how ALP is cultivating those skills inside of its programming 
• Beth’s incoming Class 22 for ALP and what set these individuals apart as they went through the application and interview process 
• Agbioscience’s biggest opportunity right now when it comes to growing and developing young leaders 
• What’s ahead for AgrIInstitute in 2026 that has Beth most excited 

A special congratulations to all of the newly announced ALP members and especially AgriNovus’ very own Karis Witte, who was accepted into Class 22! 

Enabling startup success is what grows innovative ecosystems to their full potential. From perfecting pitches to finding mentors and understanding product/market fit, a great accelerator sets itself apart from a good one in big and differentiated ways. This week, we are joined by gener8tor Program Director Davide Dantonio to talk Indiana’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, agbioscience growth and helping founders find their footing. 

Highlights include: 

• Gener8tor's work with startups and founders and how they serve the entpreneurial ecosystem 
• The organization’s widespread reach – both geographically and in terms of industry verticals – and how that creates their approach to working with early-stage innovators 
• The gBETA Agbioscience that Davide’s team leads in Indiana and how it’s evolved over the years to meet the needs of a changing industry 
• Some of the cohort’s success stories and how Indiana is producing differentiated, impactful work for the agbiosciences on a global scale 
• Emerging trends in agbisocience that Davide sees and how early-stage innovators are jumping in to solve challenges through market opportunity 
• The upcoming gBETA Winter Cohort and its applicant set, growing interest in the program and where the startup winds are taking the accelerator this year 
• How Indiana’s university system has contributed to a base of startup innovators for gener8tor 
• Where Davide sees untapped potential or room for growth when it comes to connectivity between university research and startup development 
• What’s ahead for gener8tor in 2026 

gBETA is hosting an Indiana Showcase on the Future of Mobility, Agbioscience and much more at Tinker House Events on April 30 from 4:30 – 7:00 PM. Register here to attend: https://luma.com/fl0erwho 

From the land to the animals, Dave Fischer has taken a committed approach to the family business. He joins us this week to talk Southern Indiana’s Fischer Farms, his rapid growing natural meat delivery business, the criticality of consumer voice, soil health and beyond.  

Highlights include:  

• The history of Fischer Farms, Dave’s approach to leading the family operation and their scope of service today 
• Regenerative agriculture, soil health and creating an environment where cows are a net positive for sustainability 
• What innovation looks like in practice at Fischer Farms and their differentiated approach across the portfolio  
• Fischer Farms’ growth story and how Dave has balanced scaling while maintaining innovative and sustainable practices 
• The consumer voice and what Dave believes to be the role of the farmer and food brands in this space when it comes to food’s impact on health 
• Fischer Farms’ retail business, focus on tight supply chain and direct to consumer approach 
• How they’ve designed their retail operation for efficiency to guarantee quality products – while also maintaining their commitment to sustainability 
• What technologies – from AI to automation – are transforming how Fischer Farms is operating their processing and packaging business 
• The pursuit to innovate and find the next opportunity, finding great partners along the way and which organizations make sense for their collaborative approach 
• Fischer Farms’ participation in the Beef Research Project with USDA and what they are aiming to accomplish 
• What is happening this year – and it’s a big facility that cranks out a lot of burgers – and beyond 

From tightening margins to shifts in the regulatory landscape, growers face a series of headwinds that challenge the success of their operations every year. One constant? Data on the farm. This week, American Autonomy CEO Mariah Scott joins us to talk data as a differentiator and unlocking access in a new American market for drones.  

Highlights include: 

• The work American Autonomy is leading to bring drone software to dealers and farmers that sets their businesses apart 
• AcreConnect as the company’s first software platform designed to assist during the spray season, the gaps in the market that led to its creation and how it enables farmer success 
• What’s happening with drones in the current market landscape and how Mariah sees the future changing 
• Regulatory shifts and their impact on technological adoption on farms right now 
• How American Autonomy defines success in this environment and how this evolution in the industry has created new opportunities 
• Leveraging farmer relationships to refine and improve technologies; and the farmer’s role in defining the future of innovation in this space 
• What innovations Mariah sees playing the biggest role in drone imagery and spraying in the future — from AI to automation, sensing technologies and regulatory advancements — and how might they reshape both farm operations and the broader agtech landscape 
• Momentum for the American Autonomy team over the last year and how that’s enabled them to grow and scale in new ways 
• Integrations as a critical driver for the American Autonomy team’s success and how partnerships have created high-quality tech adoption in the field 
• Mariah’s non-traditional ag background and how that’s positioned her to lead in the space thus far 
• How she sees talent evolving and reshaping the agbioscience industry over the next decade 
• What’s ahead for the American Autonomy team in 2026