Harvestable by AgriDigital

In this bonus episode of Harvestable, join Emma Weston as she engages in a thought-provoking discussion with Lucy Cornish, Chief Operating Officer at AgriDigital. Lucy, with over five years of experience at AgriDigital, delves into the transformation from a traditional grain supply chain to a dynamic grain value chain. She shares insights on effective operational strategies in a tech company, from running efficient meetings to implementing agile sprint and scrum methodologies.

Explore AgriDigital's journey as one of the pioneers in cloud-based solutions for agriculture, and how the understanding and application of data have matured among customers. Lucy discusses how product usage data is being leveraged to optimise customer experience and guide future development, especially during critical periods like harvest season.

This episode also touches on how AgriDigital prepares for harvest internally, utilising AI to scale efforts and manage the variability and intensity of the season. Looking ahead, Lucy talks about the future of AgriDigital in the context of data and AI, emphasising the growing need for interconnected data systems and collaboration across supply chain participants to enhance industry efficiency and data insights.

Join us in this fascinating Harvestable episode where Ben Reid, co-founder of AgriDigital, welcomes Bridie Ohlsson, CEO and co-founder of Geora. Bridie's journey is nothing short of remarkable, beginning her career fresh out of university at AgriDigital and swiftly evolving into a leading figure in agricultural technology.

In this episode, Bridie shares her transition from law to leading Geora, and how her work on a blockchain project at AgriDigital evolved into the inception of Geora. Learn about Geora's mission to support agriculture through innovative digital infrastructure, enhancing trust and delivering finance to farmers globally.

Bridie delves into how Geora is harnessing blockchain technology, not just as a sophisticated database but as a tool for creating decentralised, integral, and auditable agricultural data. This approach is crucial in a sector where impact and outcomes significantly influence the bottom line for businesses and farmers.

Discover Geora's role in connecting proof of farm practices with financial products, and how they're working with major banks like NAB to integrate green loans that reward and incentivise climate positive and sustainable farming practices. Bridie also discusses Geora's efforts in providing farmers with tools for benchmarking and adopting greener practices, emphasising that the most profitable farming methods can and should also be the most environmentally friendly.

This episode offers insights into the future of risk and credit models in agricultural finance, underlining the increasing importance of transparent and sustainable farming practices driven by data.

Tune in to understand how Bridie and Geora are shaping a new era in agricultural data usage, where every piece of information contributes to a more sustainable and profitable future.

In the latest epsiode of Harvestable, guest host Jins Kadwood, AgriDigital's Chief Technology and Data Officer, sits down with Andrew Tighe, CFO of Boolah Farms and Pure Grain. With a background in farming and extensive international corporate experience, including as CFO of MARS group in Japan, Andrew shares his insights on the data-driven strategies of Boolah Farms and Pure Grain. The episode delves into their innovative joint venture model for farm management, the mechanics of direct grain trade facilitation, and the vital role of data in both enterprises. Tune in to hear about the strategic investments in data, the increasing demand for transparent and sustainable practices, and the potential impact of AI and predictive modelling in agribusiness. Andrew also underscores the importance of fostering data literacy among team members, ensuring everyone is part of this transformative journey.

In the latest episode of Harvestable, AgriDigital co-founder Ben Reid is joined by Anna Falkiner, CEO and Co-Founder of Cropify. With a farming background, Anna, alongside her co-founder and husband Andrew Hannon, who brings two decades of direct experience in the grain industry, is at the forefront of revolutionising pulse and grain classification.

Anna's transition from her farming origins through to a global marketing role in the wine industry and in her own consulting business has uniquely equipped her to tackle long-standing challenges in the grain supply chain.

Starting with early testing in 2019, Cropify has now developed an impressive prototype, using AI and machine learning to eliminate subjective testing in pulse and grain crops. Beginning with the intricate task of classifying lentils, Cropify's technology shows promise for a wider application across various crops. This approach offers remarkable accuracy, considerably decreasing the time required for crop classification, enhancing supply chain efficiency.

Join us to discover how Anna and Cropify, with their cloud-based intelligence and industry-leading imaging technology, are redefining smart classification standards in the agricultural sector.

Join AgriDigital's Emma Weston as she engages with Joel Robbie, Head of Sales and Growth at Trace, in the latest episode of Harvestable.

With a background steeped in financial services and personal interest in climate solutions, Joel offers an in-depth view on the crucial role of data in calculating and managing a business's carbon footprint.

Trace doesn't just measure carbon emissions; it also helps chart a course for their reduction. From discussing basic carbon definitions and emission factors to emphasising the importance of transparency in climate reporting, Joel provides valuable insights.

Tune in for a compelling exploration into how data is shaping the future of business sustainability and paving the way for net zero achievements.

In a special extended episode of Harvestable, Emma Weston, co-founder of AgriDigital, sits down with Andrew Slatter, CEO of Viridis Ag. This insightful 30-minute conversation breaks our usual 15-minute chat format to delve deeper into Viridis Ag's operations.

Managing over 100,000 hectares across 12 farms, this broad-acre dryland cropping enterprise exemplifies how to leverage data for impactful decision-making.

From practical data application at the paddock level to strategic financial planning, Andrew shares how turning data into a cornerstone of modern farming can lead to efficiency and market adaptability.

In this episode, Emma Weston, Co-founder of AgriDigital, has a fireside chat with Tress Walmsley, CEO of InterGrain. At InterGrain's core is the drive to harness vast data and innovative technologies, translating into predictive breeding and faster product development. Tress offers insights into the complexities of wheat genetics, the pivotal role of AI, and the importance of maintaining data integrity.

The conversation also spotlights the diverse team behind InterGrain, their collective dedication to data integrity, and their endeavours to turn challenges into opportunities. Wrapping up, they discuss the impact of drones in data collection, the power of AI in data analysis, and how all these advancements are propelling InterGrain to bring the best varieties to the market. 

In this episode, Ben Reid, Co-founder of AgriDigital, speaks with Jay Holland, Business Development General Manager at NGR. Jay, a regular Harvestable listener, delves into his role at NGR and the organisation's progression since 2011. Starting as a paperwork-heavy "call centre", NGR now serves over 30,000 farming businesses and collaborates with 200 data subscribers.

Central to NGR's mission is simplifying processes for growers. This allows them to effortlessly tap into new markets and maintain connections in their supply chain, eliminating unnecessary administrative burdens.

The discussion covers the importance of centralised data for growers, the transition from paper to digital records, and NGR's evolving role in the industry. The episode also highlights entities using NGR's database and touches on future focuses: traceability and the carbon in agriculture.

Lastly, NGR's recent ventures are discussed, including their expansion into feedlots and cotton, as well as their collaboration with a chemical manufacturing business.

Join us as we delve into a conversation with Marc, ClearDox’s esteemed Chief Technology Officer, dialling in from Connecticut, freshly recognised with an Innovators Award at the Futures Industry Association Conference in Chicago.

Bringing over 20 years of commodities development experience to the table, Marc illuminates the multifaceted challenges and the transformative data processes within the industry.

Since its inception in 2019, ClearDox has passionately addressed the need to automate the digitisation of commodity information. Fast forward to now, and they're teaming up with 16 firms, using AI to make sense of mountains of data. We'll dig into what digitisation really means for commodities, try to untangle some tech jargon like AI, ML, NLP, and chat about where all this is headed. 

Let's dive in and unpack the world of commodity data, both its current state and where it's going.

AgriDigital Co Founder Ben Reid is joined by Nathan Cattle, Managing Director of Clear Grain Exchange in the sixth episode of our eight part mini-series Harvestable. Clear Grain Exchange was owned and operated by NZX Limited, who operate the New Zealand Stock Exchange, from 2009 to 2016. Nathan shares his journey of taking the exchange private, backed by investment from Elders, and maturing from a start-up to a scale-up. In essence, they operate an independent and secure grain exchange enabling all buyers, sellers, and their agents, to bid or offer grain at their price in an open and transparent market with secure settlement. With a clear value proposition, Clear Grain Exchange's independence enables market efficiency, without bias, to encourage more buyers of Australian grain, and improve farm gate returns. In this fireside chat, Nathan shares with Ben some of the trial and tribulations along the way, and where value is being unlocked into the future. We hope you enjoy, and will see you next week for our second last episode.