Clayton Farms: https://claytonfarms.com/

Clayton Mooney on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claytonmooney/

FoA 53: Millennials Solving World Problems Through Agricultural Technology with MiKayla Sullivan of Kinosol

Clayton Mooney is the co-founder and chief farmer at Clayton Farms based in Ames, Iowa. They build direct-to-consumer indoor farms and claim to serve the world's freshest salads. They were also part of Y Combinator in the winter of 2019. Clayton is fearlessly building his vision for a farm that grows local, healthy, accessible food and provides a real connection with customers in the community through a quick service restaurant. 

That’s right, it’s a restaurant with a drive through that grows hydroponic produce inside of it. Clayton will provide a lot more details in this episode, and I think it will be abundantly clear why his story is so interesting, relevant and inspiring for anyone thinking about the future of agriculture. 

But just for some brief background, Clayton grew up on a farm in Iowa and played professional poker before returning to his home state and starting Kinosol. In fact, his now wife Mikayla was one of his co-founders at Kinosol was on this show WAY back on episode 53 in May of 2017.

I’ll drop you into the conversation here where Clayton is giving more of his background and describing the early days of what was first called Nebulum, but was eventually re-branded into Clayton Farms. 

Thank you all for sticking with me through this break, and especially for those of you who reached out!

I'm going to keep the FoA Feedback invitation open for the foreseeable future. If you'd like to book a call you can do so here: https://www.calendly.com/hammerich/foa.

I would love your feedback about the show: what should I start/stop/continue?

Email: [email protected]

Schedule a quick call: https://www.calendly.com/hammerich/foa

Or DM me on LinkedIn or X (Twitter)

Otherwise, see you in July!

Subscribe to Agriscience Explained:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5qvFYYLq1dZM1KUiN6nz6H?si=6a6dd6193eea47a1

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/agriscience-explained/id1789150766

Web: https://www.corteva.com/our-impact/innovation/agriscience-explained.html

Over the past eight years, I have learned so much from this podcast and it’s opened up a lot of cool opportunities. Some of those opportunities have been to help others launch their own shows. In fact a big part of my consulting work is helping commodity groups and companies reach agricultural audiences through digital communication like podcasts. 

What you’re about to hear is an episode from one of those projects. Earlier this year, I helped Corteva Agriscience launch a new show called Agriscience Explained. Each episode includes voices from a scientist and a farmer to understand how innovations are developed and where they fit into a modern farm business. 

I’ve really enjoyed working with Corteva on this, and we’ve already posted 10 episodes with an 11th coming this week on topics ranging from seed to nematodes to cover crops to gene editing to reduced stature corn. It really is a cool format to explore the various aspects of agriscience. 

So here’s episode one, if you like it, make sure you find their show and subscribe for more. 

The Modern Acre Podcast

AgList

Polaris Energy Services

Nuss Farms

For today’s episode, I sit down with Tim and Tyler Nuss. Some of you may recognize their voices from their podcast, The Modern Acre. After growing up on the family farm and finding out in adulthood that they both were really interested in business, they started brainstorming ideas of how they could build something in the ag industry. Tyler said they were big fans of the real estate media brand “Bigger Pockets” which had a podcast and built a community and several adjacent businesses around it. They set out to do something similar in agriculture, and in their own way they have.

I wanted to bring them onto the show because in the past year, Tyler announced he would be assuming the role of CEO for Polaris Energy Services and they both launched what they’re calling the Yelp for agriculture which is called AgList. So they wear a lot of hats between these businesses, the podcast, and the farm. 

"Tractor Wars" by Neil Dahlstrom: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1953295746/

Software is Feeding the World (Rhishi's newsletter): https://www.rhishipethe.com/sftw

[History of Agriculture] Cyrus McCormick And The Birth Of Mechanical Harvesting

 It's impossible to picture the modern food system we have today without the invention of the tractor. And it happened really not that long ago, just over a hundred years ago.

Today we're gonna be talking about this book, "Tractor Wars" by Neil Dahlstrom. Neil is the manager of archives and history at John Deere and tackling this book with me is my good friend and repeat host on the podcast, Rhishi Pethe.

An excerpt from the epilogue of "Tractor Wars: John Deere, Henry Ford, International Harvester and the Birth of Modern Agriculture":

" Fortune magazine called the 1920s the decade of the Fordson. Not everyone agreed, but the fact that the Fordson accelerated adoption of the farm tractor and forever altered the competitive landscape is undeniable. Ford was right about the insatiable appetite for automobiles and in time for farm tractors. There were now 17 million passenger cars and nearly two and a half million trucks traveling on more than 521,000 miles of surfaced roads. But he had miscalculated the connection between farmers and their land and their constantly evolving needs. Most importantly, farmers wanted to fortify that relationship, not end it. Only 33 American farm tractor manufacturers remained in 1929 as mergers, consolidations and bankruptcies continued to narrow the field. In its overview of the tractor industry in early 1928 the Tractor Field book surmised that large numbers of inefficient machines were discarded during the five-year period from 1920 to 1924. As many were built by companies whose efforts were largely experimental."

So it's that process of like explosion in consolidation that we're gonna be talking about here today from Neil Dahlstrom's book.

The Almond Doctor: https://www.thealmonddoctor.com/

David's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheAlmondDoctor

FoA 249: A Global Perspective on Tree Nuts with The Almond Doctor

David Doll was raised in a rural area growing apples and peaches. After attending Purdue University for his B.S. in Plant Biology, he attended graduate school at UC Davis, completing his M.S. in Plant Pathology. Shortly after completion, he started to work as a Farm Advisor the University of California.

After ten years of working as a Farm Advisor, David moved to Portugal in November 2018 to work as the lead developer for Rota Unica Almonds. His task is to develop California styled almond plantations within Alentejo. Through this process, he has become familiar with some of the various challenges associated with growing almonds in Portugal and Europe.

Prior to his move, David worked with farmers in the Central Valley of California in troubleshooting problems and conducting on farm research within almonds, walnuts and pistachios. In this position, he would visit nearly 200 operations and deliver 35 presentations annually. He has published over 35 peer-reviewed scientific journal articles. Currently, he works with almond operations across the world, including California, Africa, and Australia. Many of his observations and lessons learned have been shared within his online platform, “The Almond Doctor,” where he shares research, experiences and opinions of better farm management practices for almond orchards.

AgriCorps: http://www.agricorps.org/

Movement for School-Based Agricultural Education: http://www.sbae.org/

4-H Liberia: https://4hliberia.wordpress.com/

Trent McKnight's TedX Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2pPO29DaYs

Today’s episode is going to open a lot of eyes I think. We tend to think of youth programs like 4-H and FFA as great things for the kids to be doing. Very few recognize them for the power they have to not only develop young agricultural leaders but also as tools for spreading ideas and technologies. 

That’s what today’s episode is about, and it’s a personal one for me. I grew up in 4-H and FFA and both organizations had a profound impact on my life and my worldview. Then in 2012 I joined a team led by today’s guest, Trent McKnight, and spent several weeks in the country of Liberia interviewing farmers about food insecurity and farming practices. That experience also left a permanent impression on my life. 

So I’ve known Trent for about 25 years now and have had a chance to work with his non-profit organization, AgriCorps in various capacities over the years. In fact Trent first appeared on this show WAY back on episode 27, which i posted in November of 2016, so over eight years ago. 

For those of you not familiar, 4-H and FFA are youth agricultural organizations. 4-H varies a lot state to state and country to country, but in Liberia which is a country in subsaharan Africa that we will focus on today, they have what is known as a school-based agricultural education model. So in that way Liberia 4-H is similar to how FFA is here in the states. It involves three major components: classroom instruction in agriculture as part of their school, leadership events and contents, and a project outside of the classroom which in Liberia they refer to as a Home Entrepreneurship Project or HEP. 

If it sounds like a great way to learn a lot about agriculture and develop yourself as a leader and entrepreneur, you’re absolutely right. But it’s also more than that. The model was intended to lower the risk of adopting new agricultural innovations and as you’re about to hear it is also very effective in doing just that. 

Some biographical background: 

Trent McKnight is an experienced international agriculturalist, investor, and cattle rancher from rural West Texas. Trent holds bachelor's and master's degrees in Agricultural Economics and Comparative Politics from Oklahoma State University and The London School of Economics, respectively. He has held leadership positions, including national president of the Future Farmers of America and chair of the USDA Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Advisory Committee. In 2013, Trent founded AgriCorps, a nonprofit organization focused on improving school-based agricultural education in sub-Saharan Africa. Through AgriCorps, he created the International Agricultural Education Fellowship Program under the Trade Title of the 2018 Farm Bill and launched The Movement for School-Based Agricultural Education. 

G. Umaru Sheriff is the National Executive Director and co-founder of 4-H Liberia, a local Non-Governmental Organisation reviving efforts from the 1970s and 1980s, when Liberia boasted over 1,000 4-H clubs. Under his leadership, 4-H Liberia has worked in hundreds of rural communities and empowered thousands of youth through School-Based Agricultural Education (SBAE) and leadership development. Committed to evidence and learning, Umaru partnered with Northwestern University, Innovations for Poverty Action, and AgriCorps on the largest randomized controlled trial of a 4-H program in Africa, involving 197 schools. Born and raised in Liberia, Umaru’s life was profoundly shaped by the Liberian Civil War, during which he lived as a refugee in Sierra Leone for five years. He returned to Liberia after the war and graduated from the University of Liberia in 2010 with a BBA in Accounting and Public Administration.

This quarter of the Future of Agriculture podcast is made possible by Case IH: https://www.caseih.com/en-us/unitedstates

Follow Chris on X: https://x.com/pettyranch

Today's episode features 5th generation farmer Chris Sayer of Petty Ranch. Chris grows avocados in Ventura County, which is just northwest of the Los Angeles area. And there are several unique aspects to Chris’ story. First, he grows avocados, which is awesome, and I wanted to find out how he stays competitive with so many avocados coming from Mexico these days. Also he grows them in a very populated area, so there are a ton of considerations there from urban sprawl to water management to theft. I also wanted to ask Chris about soil health. I knew from talking to him previously that he grows cover crops and really thinks deeply about soil and water conservation, so we dive deeper into that as well. 

Chris grew up on the farm but left to attend Northwestern University where he majored in Political Science and joined the Navy ROTC. That led to flight training school and an eight year commitment to serving in the Navy. After completing his service, Chris worked in tech in the late 90s before returning to the farm and taking over management in 2001

Brought to you by Case IH:

Case IH designs, engineers and produces cutting-edge farm equipment based on a comprehensive understanding of farmers’ needs, wants and challenges, integrating these insights into their development and manufacturing.

For example, take their Model Year 25 Magnum tractor. The new Magnum is purposefully designed to answer farmers’ needs in every design and engineering choice. Improved horsepower for pulling heavier loads, faster.

Bundled, integrated and ready-to-go precision tech for greater accuracy in the field. And a transmission farmers can tweak for improved control and performance in different tasks.

That kind of design thinking is exactly where the future of ag is headed, and that’s why you’ll be hearing me talk to the folks at Case IH at different points throughout this quarter about what they do and how they’re working to push the ag forward.

This quarter of the Future of Agriculture podcast is made possible by Case IH: https://www.caseih.com/en-us/unitedstates

[Spotlight] Integrating Tech and Iron With Chris Dempsey of CNH

[Spotlight] How Case IH Turns Customer Insights Into Farm Equipment

Where Tech Meets Tractor With Joe Miller of CNH

Strategic Investing in Ag Technologies With Michele Lombardi of CNH Ventures

As part of this quarter’s sponsorship, Case IH has given me access to some of their key people to learn more about what goes into developing the tractors and equipment that farmers use every day. This is our third and final installment of that series, so if you haven’t already listened to the first two with Dan Klein and Chris Dempsey, I highly recommend you go do that after listening to this spotlight.

Today’s interview features Scott Harris, who at the time of this interview was the Brand President at Case IH. In the time since the interview took place, it was announced that Scott took on the role of president of CNH North America, so congratulations to Scott on that. Scott told me he feels like he was destined to work in the ag industry but his story began as a secondary education teacher in Applied Technology. From there he spent over 20 years in the automotive and finance industries, and says he found his calling when he joined CNH Industrial in 2006.

Brought to you by Case IH:

Case IH designs, engineers and produces cutting-edge farm equipment based on a comprehensive understanding of farmers’ needs, wants and challenges, integrating these insights into their development and manufacturing.

For example, take their Model Year 25 Magnum tractor. The new Magnum is purposefully designed to answer farmers’ needs in every design and engineering choice. Improved horsepower for pulling heavier loads, faster.

Bundled, integrated and ready-to-go precision tech for greater accuracy in the field. And a transmission farmers can tweak for improved control and performance in different tasks.

That kind of design thinking is exactly where the future of ag is headed, and that’s why you’ll be hearing me talk to the folks at Case IH at different points throughout this quarter about what they do and how they’re working to push the ag forward.