As Indiana's famous Month of May comes to a close, Mitch Frazier and Cayla Chiddister recap big news for Mark Warner and LIberation Labs, look ahead to exciting new for AgriNovus' Velocity Demo Day and Indiana's hosting of the Global Entrepreneurship Congress next week. Mitch and Cayla also look ahead to his next career journey and talk about what's next for the podcast:

• Mark Warner talks Vivici partnership on the podcast: https://podcast.agrinovusindiana.com/public/215/Agbioscience-8a9a4381/50e60709
• Velocity Demo Day is coming on 6/18. Register here: https://agrinovusindiana.com/velocity/
• The Global Entrepreneurship Congress kicks off in Indianapolis next week! Agbioscience listeners can use the code ECOSYSTEM50

The USDA estimates that between 30-40% of the US food supply is wasted every year – that’s over 133 BILLION pounds. One farmer, turned soldier, turned entrepreneur is tackling that market. Ben Moore, founder of The Ugly Company, joins us to talk to fruit. We get into:  

• Ben’s connection to Indiana and how a farmer went on to create a trucking company that became The Ugly Company as it is today 
• How damaged fruit with scars or other cosmetic issues because big business for Ben – The Ugly Company can now be found on store shelves of Target, Sam’s Club, Walmart and Whole Foods 
• The Ugly Company’s goal to prevent food waste, where they are at in that target and how they hope to accelerate that goal in the future 
• How the fruit becomes the product on shelves – The Ugly Process, if you will 
• Ben’s advice for aspiring farmers, business owners and entrepreneurs and lessons he’s learned from leading his business and his time serving in the US Army 
• What service looks like to him versus what it maybe looked like as a 22-year-old soldier 
• What’s ahead for The Ugly Company – including further distribution and availability in schools 

Global Market Insights predicts the precision fermentation market for food and beverage will grow from just about two billion in 2024 to 70 billion globally by 2034. That’s a staggering combined annual growth rate of nearly 40%. Liberation Labs is pioneering a new approach to precision fermentation at scale that borrows a page from the pharmaceutical industries playbook. Co-founder and CEO, Mark Warner, joins us to get into:  

• What exactly is precision fermentation? 
• The challenge facing companies, particularly early-stage innovators, that Liberation Labs saw an opportunity to solve for with contract precision fermentation 
• The company’s recent announcement of its first customer for the Indiana facility, Vivici, what they will do for them and what’s exciting about the partnership 
• How Mark saw an opportunity in the pharmaceutical space that could be replicated in fermentation for agbioscience innovation 
• Mark’s journey to fundraise for Liberation Labs 
• Reflecting on the decision to put their facility in Indiana for access to talent, corn and transportation 
• The biggest opportunities for growth – not just for Liberation Labs – but for precision fermentation as an industry 
• Biomanufacturing’s importance to economic growth, but in urban and rural America 
• What’s ahead for Liberation Labs 

The U.S. Economic Policy Institute estimates there are 2.4 million ag jobs in the United States and Purdue University believes that 40% of ag jobs – new jobs – go unfilled. One entrepreneur is turning to the power of digital to transform ag labor. Scott Prince, CEO of Croft, gives us perspective on the current labor market and what he’s solving for using agtech. We get into:  

• The complexity and challenges of the ag labor market – from seasonality to workforce shortages 
• How the Department of Labor’s H-2A program is designed to help farmers overcome labor challenges, but the administrative hurdles they face in the process 
• What the process looks like for farmers to participate in the H-2A program and why Croft was developed as a streamlined solution 
• Identifying this as a critical need to automate for the farmer 
• What Scott is hearing from customers using the platform 
• What’s ahead for Croft – hint: it includes expanding their analytical intensity capacity 

The American Farm Bureau estimates that roughly 40% of US farmland is either rented of leased. It’s a reality that creates a labyrinth of contracts and agreements between farmers and landowners that the two have to navigate together. One entrepreneur is turning to the power of software to transform that challenge into an opportunity that makes that relationship a little easier to navigate. Shashi Raghunandan, CEO of Oaken, joins us to talk the complex web between landowners and farm operators. We get into:  

• The existing challenge between landowners and farmers, especially as farms grow to significant acreage 
• Oaken as a platform not only manage multiple contracts for large acre farms but to also manage the unique specifics of each individual deal  
• How the migration to cloud-based technologies like Oaken balance in an industry like agriculture that is largely relationship-based 
• The feedback farmer customers are giving on the Oaken platform thus far 
• Shashi’s background in payments and financial services and how it paved the way to him connecting with Purdue DIAL Ventures and eventually leading Oaken 
• What to expect from Oaken in the next 12-18 months  

At the end of April, AgriNovus CEO Mitch Frazier jumps on the podcast with Cayla Chiddister to recap the month gone by and events coming up, including:

• Recent travels and discussions around how the Midwest can add additional value to its commodities, an existing strength and something we've done time and again.
• Mitch recently spoke with AgFunder News' Elaine Watson on challenges meeting opportunities in this tough environment right now and how "pessimists might sound smart, but it's the optimists who will win. That story is here.
• Our next Quadrant event is coming up in Indianapolis focused on the evolution of food ingredients based on shifting consumer preferences, how food companies are responding and what that means for farmers. You can register for the free event here.
• Quadrant's discussion aligns nicely with a gigantic event -- The Sweets and Snacks Expo (learn more here).
• Field Atlas just closed its May Company Tour application window, but August is still open for college students to apply. Learn more here.
• Velocity Demo Day is coming up June 18 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. Register for the free event here.

The USDA calls biosecurity the cornerstone of animal livestock production and it’s one that’s taken center stage of late as farmers have battled disease. Dr. Kelli Werling, Director of Animal Health Programs at the Indiana Board of Animal Health, joins to talk biosecurity, how farmers are protecting the farm and how the spread of disease among animal production is ultimately impacting consumers. We get into:  

• The current state of biosecurity across the Midwest, avian flu’s impact three years into its reign and how farmers are working to attempt further spread on their operations 
• Consumer pressure being felt by avian flu and how egg prices are being impacted 
• The migration of the disease from birds to other species – from cattle to cats – and why it’s happening 
• As a regulatory body, IBOAH balancing the heightened state of alert, practicality of science and emotion 
• Where Kelli sees new innovations emerging on farms to combat the spread of disease 
• The best defense to avian flu – is a good offense 
• What IBOAH sees ahead with disease pressure and their call to action for farmers and industry alike  

Agbioscience was on-site at the Indiana Farm Bureau’s Ag Threats and Security Summit in March and had a chance to sit down with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)’s Special Agent in Charge Herb Stapleton to talk all things biosecurity. We get into:  

• The complex labyrinth of threats and risks affecting agriculture in the Midwest and across the United States 
• How threats to agriculture are evolving and what that evolution means for farmers and agbioscience companies alike 
• As Special Agent in Charge, what Herb has witnessed as the most prevalent cyber threats to ag across the Midwest in recent years 
• Herb’s perspective on the relationship between food security and national security 
• What controls farmers and agbioscience companies can put in place to be prepared 
• Action items Herb hopes attendees take from the event – from the simple to the complex 

Pet ownership in the U.S. has increased dramatically over the past three decades according to Forbes – showing 66% of households own a pet. That’s almost 87 million houses, up 58% from 1988. Staggering growth drives dramatic need for innovation in pet health...and pet food. Dr. Mahsa Vazin, CEO and founder of PawCo Foods, joins us fresh off a venture capital raise to talk innovation and what’s ahead, including: 

• The overall macro challenges in the pet health market, including obesity in dogs and cats 
• How the pet food market is responding to a consumer desire and demand for more nutrient-dense food for their companion animals 
• How plant-based brands are capturing market share in the pet health space 
• PawCo’s leveraging of AI in tandem with nutritionists to optimize recipe formulations 
• The company’s recent venture capital raise and what it will enable them to expand and do in the future 
• Investor feedback, questions and response to the PawCo model during the recent fundraise 
• Mahsa approach to driving sales for PawCo  
• What’s on the horizon for the company as it continues its growth trajectory 

With 2.4 million U.S. agriculture jobs to fill each year and an unemployment rate that still remains below 5%, leaders in agbioscience and farmers are facing a challenge. Like the rest of the economy, they’re in a battle for talent. One unique ally in agriculture is the cooperative system, a collective buying group and service provider network that’s serving American farmers. Phil Brewer, Vice President of Strategy at Keystone Cooperative, joins us to talk about the evolution of the cooperative from what it was – to what it is. We get into:  

• Keystone Cooperative’s footprint across Indiana, Kentucky and Michigan and the health of farmers heading into planting season 
• The evolution of the cooperative system over the last two decades – from service provider to business partner 
• How the farmer-led model of a cooperative ultimately drives adoption of new innovation and fills gaps for its members on their operations  
• Areas where Keystone needs to move quicker and capture market opportunities to deliver value to farmers 
• How they approach working with small companies and early-stage, venture-backed innovators