The Modern Acre

Jayce Hafner (CEO) and Sami Tellatin (COO) are the co-founders of FarmRaise, a digital platform that equips producers with financial resources to build vital farming communities that are profitable, equitable, and ecologically resilient. Their simplified farm funding app applies farmers for major USDA cost-share programs in less than 20 minutes. They also track local and state funding programs as they open throughout the year and provide 1:1 support to help farms unlock more capital.

Jayce and Sami join the podcast for a wide-ranging conversation. We cover how they founded and have grown the business, the challenges of farm financing, regenerative hot takes, and much more. Tune in!

Show Notes: https://themodernacre.com/167

Josiah Terrell-Perica is the Director of Farmland Investing at FarmTogether, a technology-enabled farmland investment platform that provides accredited investors with direct access to farmland as an asset class.

Josiah joins us for the second time on the podcast to dive deep on some of FarmTogether's recent deals, what Josiah looks for in farmland, and sustainable water management and principles. He provides an overview of both climate and market related factors to consider in farmland investing. A ton of good stuff in this one!

Show Notes: https://themodernacre.com/166

Loren Booth is the President of Booth Ranches, a premium citrus grower located in the San Joaquin Valley of California. Their Navel oranges, Valencia oranges, Cara-Caras, Minneolas and W. Murcotts are distributed worldwide.

Loren joins us to talk about the origin story of the farm and how she joined and has developed the business over time, including focusing on bringing more of the farming operations and business in-house. We also discuss their focus on sustainability and technology. Tune in!

Show Notes: https://themodernacre.com/165

Dan Miller is the founder and CEO of Steward, a private lender providing regenerative farmers, ranchers, fishermen, and producers the capital they need to expand and sustain their businesses. And through our innovative online platform, qualified lenders have the opportunity to join in our mission and help fund the growth of regenerative agriculture by purchasing loan participations.

Dan joins us to talk about how he started and is growing the business. We go deep on regenerative ag, transition finance, and investing in value-add processing and direct marketing. Don't miss this one!

Show Notes: https://themodernacre.com/164

Cousin Brad (Brad Squires) joins us again on the podcast to give an update on his farm, Heirloom Acres Farms, and orchard, Orangevale Fruit Co. We talk through how the farm business has involved, the focus on community building, regenerative practices, and much more!

Show Notes: https://themodernacre.com/163

Haven Baker is the Chief Business Officer and Co-Founder of Pairwise, an agtech company that has developed the world's most sophisticated genome editing platform. Haven is the former Senior Vice President / General Manager of Simplot Plant Sciences, where he led the team that launched the innovative, non-browning Innate® potato. He holds a PhD in chemistry from Northeastern University, an MBA from Harvard University, and a BS in biomedical engineering from Yale University.

Haven joins the show to teach us all about CRISPR technology and how he and the team at Pairwise have leveraged in to build the business. We also talk about how they think about GMO vs. non-GMO and much more!

Show Notes: https://themodernacre.com/162

Tyler reveals the details behind his mini Twitter fight about farmers being paid for carbon credits. Tune in to hear Tyler and Tim talk through their thoughts on the evolving carbon market and companies, certifications, and marketplaces focused on regenerative agriculture.

Tim and Tyler also talk through their perspectives and insights into partnerships, including things to think about when considering partners.

Show Notes: https://themodernacre.com/161

Michael Ott is the founder and CEO of Rantizo, an agtech startup that addresses both the field needs of farmers and the business needs of custom applicators with the platform's combination of autonomous hardware and user-friendly software. Rantizo leverages both drone and aerial imagery technology to provide solutions to growers.

Michael joins us to talk about his background in investing and what led him to jump into entrepreneurship and start Rantizo. He shares how he has grown and scaled the business and the insights he has learned along the way. Don't miss this one!

Show Notes: https://themodernacre.com/160

Sonia Lo is the CEO of Sensei Ag, a market-changing agtech company transforming health by using data to redesign how food is grown. Sensei Ag was founded by Larry Ellison and Dr. David Agus. Sensei Ag helps growers make informed decisions that set new standards for food safety, quality and taste. Through the use of data and technology, they create innovative, agile growing systems that dramatically improve farm production.

Sonia shares her unique background and story that led her to become CEO of Sensei Ag. She talks through the business model and approach to scaling a digital distributed agriculture system. Tune in!

Show Notes: https://themodernacre.com/159

We are switching it up this week! Tyler interviews Tim for an in-depth conversation about Tim's background, childhood misconduct, early career in the produce industry, transition to agtech, founding The Modern Acre, and his evolving involvement with Nuss Farms. If you like Tim, you should listen to this episode because it will make him feel good about himself.

Show Notes: https://themodernacre.com/158