evokeᴬᴳ⋅

Government, industries and companies are stepping up their climate commitments and evokeAG. 2023 highlighted the opportunities and potential challenges for agriculture in tapping into the carbon market. A panel of experts working in this space argued there’s more than one way for farmers to cash in on soil carbon and climate friendly management practices, but that data is the key.

This session was facilitated by Oli Madgett and brings together Stuart Austin, General Manager Wilmot Cattle Co, Dr Nicole Buckley Biggs, Director of Sustainability, AgriWebb, Greg Butler, Managing Director Clean Carbon Pty Ltd and Dr Rob Waterworth, Co Founder and CEO FLINTPro.

Read more about the session and catch up on evokeAG highlights at evokeag.com.

The application of agritech is often positioned to improve operational efficiency, profitability and sustainability. 

Industry is now leveraging on-farm data and infrastructure to provide a more robust end-to-end supply chain. In this session, experts from three of Australia’s leading agri-corporates discuss the peripheral value drivers that producers should consider in their pursuit of digitising their business.

In this episode,  we hear from Dr Ben Baghurst is the Founder and Principal Consultant, AgTech Consulting, Mark Barber is the General Manager, Farmland Agency and Investments for Elders, and Carmel Onions is the National Director Agribusiness for the Commonwealth Bank.  Their discussion at evokeAG 2023 was facilitated by Michael Macolino, Managing Director, SVG Ventures Thrive. 

Read more about the session here.

In this episode we’re bringing you a panel discussion from evokeAG.  2023 presented by our Silver Partner CommBank. In this session the panel of industry experts concluded that measurement is not only vital but can deliver great opportunity on and off farm.

Natasha Greenwood, General Manager Agribusiness, Commonwealth Bank facilitated the session and was joined by Dr Natalie Doran-Browne, Director of Science, Agricultural Emissions, FLINTpro, Tegan Nock, Co-founder and CPO, Loam, Robert Mackenzie, Managing Director, Macka’s Australian Black Angus Beef and Carmel Onions, National Director Agribusiness at the Commonwealth Bank.

Read about the session here.

David Downs has had a fascinating career that’s seen him on stage as a comedian, a published author; he’s worked in leadership roles with Microsoft in New Zealand and the Asia Pacific and held a portfolio of interests across international trade, technology, economic development and charitable causes. It’s these skills as a storyteller and a leader that has culminated in his latest role- the CEO of New Zealand Story.

In this episode, evokeAG contributor Jayne Cuddihy found there’s plenty Australia can learn from the other side of the ditch.

Save the date for evokeAG. 2024 on 20-21 February 2024 in Perth, Western Australia. In the meantime catch up on the other conversations about sustainability, climate resilience and the role of agtech in meeting those challenges from evokeAG. 2023 here.

In recent years the global appetite for sustainably sourced seafood, fishery and aquaculture products has increased. So too has the focus on finding solutions to overcome some of the challenges associated with aquaculture seafood operations. 

In this session facilitated by The Australian's National Rural Reporter, Charlie Peel industry leaders CH4 Australia General Manager, Dr Adam Main, Director of the not-for-profit Ocean Decade Australia, Dr Lucy Buxton and  CEO of Austral Fisheries, David Carter discussed how the industry is faring (in turning a blue industry green) and which innovations are driving a circular approach to deliver on environmental, social and economic bottom lines.

Save the date for evokeAG 2024 on 20-21 February 2024 in Perth, Western Australia. In the meantime catch up on the other conversations about sustainability, climate resilience and the role of agtech in meeting those challenges from evokeAG 2023  at evokeag.com

From designing crops for fuel production, to creating programmable cells to fight disease, synthetic biology or SynBio is big business. There’s also big interest and big backing from pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

In this session at evokeAG. 2023 four SynBio players (Dr Natalie Curach, Ginkgo Bioworks, George Peppou, Vow Foods, Dr Lisa Ronquest-Ross, v2foods, and Michele Stansfield, Cauldron Molecules) share their thoughts on the advances in the field, the applications and what it might mean on farm in the near future.

Read more about the session at evokeag.com

Elders is a  platinum partner of the evokeAG event, and recognises the value in nurturing relationships across the entire international agricultural supply chain.

 Elders' CEO Mark Allison has a strong vision for how Elders will continue to work with producers and industry to build a vibrant future.

This epsiode includes Mark's presentation at evokeAg 2023, but first, our contributer Jayne Cuddihy wanted to know a bit more about Mark and what has driven him to pursue a career in agriculture.

For more information on Elders and their other events, programs and opportunities visit elders.com.au

This week we bring you another evokeAG x Humans of Agriculture collaboration podcast, with Oli Le Lievre.

Oli chats with Dr Penny Schulz, the owner of a beef and sheep farm in Field, in the Coorong region of South Australia, who never thought she'd end up working in ag.

Fast forward a few decades and Penny has become a champion for the sector - researcher, university lecturer, industry advocate, agritech entrepreneur and most recently, evokeAG Steering Committee member. 

Penny is a previous winner of the Rural Women’s Award (South Australia, 2014) and has a PhD in Rural Science from the University of New England (UNE) where she investigated the adoption of app technology by livestock producers. She is now the Livestock Production Specialist Adoption Officer for the University of Adelaide.

Penny credits her broad career to the fact that the ag sector by definition is not "set in stone, it's not prescriptive. In technology development it's called being agile, and with careers in ag you can change and build skills and take up opportunities".

 Listen to her chat with Oli about the trajectory of her career, how she got into the agriculture sector, and how her home state is becoming the epicentre of agritech innovation.

Learn more about the Humans of Agriculture podcast and read Oli’s stories, here.

We hope you enjoy this conversation.

This week we bring you an episode with Dan Winson, Co-Founder and CEO of dynamic agritech company Zetifi.

Dan and Zetifi have been part of the evokeAG story since the beginning,  and have made the most of the opportunities and connections established through the evokeAG. community.

Zetifi is a Wagga Wagga based company that provides farmers with greater connectivity through their long range Wi-FI coverage extension products. And in late 2022, Zetifi closed its $12 million series A funding round.

Dan says their products address a major barrier to the digitisation of agriculture and are recognised as a foundational technology that will unlock significant value from on-farm digital technologies in years ahead.

Zetifi will return to evokeAG. on 21-22 February 2023, exhibiting in Startup Alley.

Our contributor Emily Malone recently visited Dan at Zetifi’s Wagga headquarters and went into the paddock to see its products firsthand.

We hope you enjoy this conversation.

Meet Dan and the team at AgriFutures evokeAG. 2023 Down to Earth event on 21-22 February 2023 in Adelaide, South Australia. Tickets are on sale here.

View the full two-day program, including all speakers and partners making evokeAG. 2023 possible.

Our global food system has a long history of evolution – responding to the changing needs of the global population. But "Are we evolving fast enough?"

In this evokeAG. podcast internationally recognised thought leader and AgriFutures evokeAG. 2023 speaker, Mary Shelman,  speaks with contributor Casey Dunn about how we can accelerate our transformation, and achieve a more sustainable global food system.

Mary will also join a panel discussion on Day two at evokeAG. 2023 to explore the global forces driving world trade in a discussion about climate, COVID-19, conflict and cost.

We hope you enjoy their conversation.

Hear more from Mary Shelman and her insights on achieving a sustainable global food system? Join us, at the AgriFutures evokeAG. 2023 Down to Earth event on 21-22 February 2023 in Adelaide, South Australia. Tickets are on sale here.

View the full two-day program, including all speakers and partners making evokeAG. 2023 possible.