Agtech - So What?

The race is on globally to scale carbon markets, where farmers can sell the carbon they sequester in their soil to buyers who want to offset emissions. But right now, the space is often confusing for buyers, sellers, and the intermediaries working between them. And further, both public and private market schemes have been criticized for inefficiencies and high costs to participate.

But the game is changing as new technologies and business models seek to lower barriers to entry and improve transparency, and the demand side continues to explore, driven by consumer and regulatory pressures. But with all this activity, what will it take to scale up and deliver worthwhile returns for farmers?

In this panel discussion, you'll hear a variety of perspectives - from those developing new technologies and carbon market methodologies, to organizations helping farmers operate within existing emissions trading schemes.

Today's guests:

•Aldyen Donnelly - Co-Founder and Director of Carbon Economics, Nori.

•Sam Duncan - Founder, FarmLab

•Matt Schmitt, Senior Director of Commercial Carbon, Cargill

•Dave Moore - Chief Operating Officer, Green Collar

This episode is an edited version of a live AusAgritech event, organized by the AgThentic Group, Sprout X and Platfarm.

Check out our insights and more on our website.

Sarah Sivyer had multiple roles in the corporate world before she decided to start farming eggs. She grew up on a farm, but was completely new to chickens, and this was the challenge she wanted: to grow her own business from scratch and apply her corporate knowledge.

By tapping into consumer demand for convenience, freshness, and sustainability credentials, Sarah now runs 2500 chickens for her subscription-based egg business, Just Been Laid. Sarah also completed a Nuffield Scholarship on continuous improvement and branding, bringing lessons on global best practices back to the farm.

In this episode Sarah Sivyer discusses:

•Building a successful farming business by developing 'customer intimacy.'

•Using business concepts like Six Sigma to eliminate waste, remove variation, and be more efficient in farming.

•Offsetting the high cost of labor through branding, quality, and business model innovation.

For more information and links from this episode, check out our website.

Cavan Station might have well-known owners today (the Murdoch family), but the large property in southern New South Wales has long held a place in Australian history, as pioneers of the fine wool industry.

And Cavan Station is still innovating today. In fact, the 25,000 acre (10,000 ha) farm has undergone a significant transformation over the past 10 years, including adopting the latest technologies, from genetics and genomics, to data analysis and software.

At the helm of this change is the General Manager of Cavan Station, Matt Crozier.

In this episode he discusses:

•The challenges and benefits of encouraging a farming team to use more technology and different farming methods.

•Shifting to "regenerative" agriculture (a term Matt doesn't love), and focusing more on animal welfare, including stopping mulesing.

•The economic and ecological performance of the farm, since incorporating new tech and alternative farming methods.

For more resources and our insights on the chat with Matt, check out our website here.

Mary Shelman is an internationally recognized agribusiness consultant and speaker, and the former Director of Harvard Business School's Agribusiness program. Mary grew up in Kentucky, watching her father sell farm equipment; now, based in Boston, she helps corporations and governments tackle agriculture's biggest problems. In Ireland, for example, she helped boost exports and build a national brand through Origin Green, a national sustainability scheme.

In this podcast, Mary talks about:

•How companies are responding to the sustainability demands of customers - from defending traditional methods, to defying or even disrupting agriculture supply chains and markets.

•Why her agricultural upbringing helps shape her work as much as her formal qualifications and experiences in agribusiness case studies.

•How technology can help farmers and businesses better understand and use their resources as the food system changes.

For our insights, Mary's research, and a picture of the framework she mentions in this episode, visit our website.

Sarah Mock isn't afraid of having tough conversations and shining light on thorny issues in the agriculture industry. A journalist with experience in international development and agtech, Sarah recently began a Twitter firestorm with an article asserting that all farming is inherently exploitative.

While sometimes accused of being anti-farming, Sarah says this couldn't be further from the truth. She describes herself as being "not a cheerleader; not the enemy". Sarah grew up on a farm in Wyoming and has worked in agriculture her entire career - from high profile agtech startups such as Farmers Business Network, to reporting on ag politics under the Trump administration.

In this episode, Sarah Mock discusses:

•The reluctance of some farmers to change their farming practices, despite strong data evidence indicating the benefits.

•Why the agriculture industry needs to start telling the truth about what farming looks like, and start addressing what customers want.

•How agriculture policy and incentives can actually lead to poor business decisions & outcomes.

•What it feels like to stick up for controversial beliefs, and the pushback she receives from being provocative and "making windows in the walls around farming".

Regen Ag Series #5: Our Verdict, with Sarah Nolet and Matthew Pryor from AgThentic and Tenacious Ventures

In this final wrap up episode of our regenerative agriculture series, the team from AgThentic is giving you OUR verdict. Sarah is joined by Matthew Pryor, Partner at AgThentic and co-founder of Tenacious Ventures, to discuss:

•what it will take to move beyond the polarizing debate over whether regen ag is good or bad;

•how agtech can unlock cost effective ways to measure, monitor, and verify what's actually working;

•impacts of consumer's push for carbon neutral produce and reducing the use of chemicals; and

•emerging business models and incentives that can help shift the risk/reward equation of transitioning to new practices.

Sarah and Matthew are joined by Kirsten Diprose, Marketing Manager at AgThentic, farmer and guest host for this episode.

Check out our blog for more wrap up insights, and if you've missed the regen ag series, you can catch up here.

The gloves are off as our expert panelists debate whether regenerative agriculture can improve farming businesses... or if it's all hype.

Host Sarah Nolet is joined by:

•Richard Leask, a wine grower and 2019 Nuffield Scholar who traveled the world studying regen ag, and now uses the best of what he discovered back home in his vineyard in South Australia.

•Toby Grogan, a natural capital specialist from Impact Ag, who advises farmers and investors on how regen ag can increase soil health and farm profitability.

•Will Bignell, a regen ag skeptic and Tasmanian mixed farmer, who is committed to a simpler, commodities based farming business.

This was recorded at the live AusAgritech Meetup in September 2020, organized by AgThentic, Sprout X and Platfarm.

For insights on the episode and links to useful resources, check out our website.

Is it possible for large food corporations like McDonald's to "scale for good?" Nicole Johnson-Hoffman is in charge of supplying beef to McDonalds through the OSI Group, and doing so sustainably.

She believes it's only the big companies that have the power to change entire supply chains and therefore that the future of sustainable food is up to them.

Nicole grew up on a small dairy farm in Minnesota and is now a world leader in sustainable beef production.

But the industry today is a long way from where it was in the not too distant past. It has moved from highly defensive and secretive, like when Oprah and the American Cattleman's Association squared off in the late 1990s, to embracing the need for more transparency and input from stakeholders.

In this episode, Nicole talks about:

•The feud between the US beef industry and Oprah.

•How major companies like McDonald's are taking responsibility for the sustainability of their supply chains, and what this means for farmers.

•The rise of frameworks for food sustainability, like the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef

When a company commits to regenerative agriculture practices - it can be accused of 'greenwashing' - making people believe it's doing more to help the environment than it really is.

General Mills, the U.S. company behind iconic brands such as Yoplait, Betty Crocker and Cheerios, made a commitment to bring regenerative agriculture practices to one million acres of farmland by 2030.

Jay Watson is responsible for this task - connecting farmers in various commodity supply chains with support, tools, and pilot programs to enable regen ag practices.

In this podcast, Jay discusses:

•The criticisms around regenerative agriculture and why General Mills has decided to invest in it.

•How General Mills is educating farmers to view their land as an ecosystem.

•Overcoming the misconceptions held by some 'foodies' about where their food actually comes from.

•The current and future prospects of agtech in regenerative agriculture.

For our insights on the episode and links to useful resources, check out our blog here.

Sam Trethewey believes 'regenerative agriculture' is not a dirty word - but simply the future of farming. Astonishingly, he produces wagyu beef in Tasmania without actually owning any cows. He does this by combining insights about business models from startups such as Uber and Airbnb with the farming practices of regenerative agriculture.

Sam grew up on the family farm in Tasmania before working in corporate agribusiness and marketing. In 2016, he co-founded SproutX, the first agtech accelerator in Australia.

But in the last few years, he has returned to his first passion - the land itself. Sam runs the Tas Ag Co with his wife, Steph. After seeing increasing demand from consumers who are more conscious about what they eat, they've taken on the challenge of producing 'carbon positive beef'.

In this episode, Sam shares his insights on:

•Tas Ag Co's innovative business model that avoids traditional finance and allows them to produce beef without owning cows.

•How the marketing and branding of their product as 'carbon positive' is a major driver for the business.

•The debate over what regenerative agriculture actually means and where it is headed in the future.

Want to know more? Check out our blog for insights and additional resources.