Ag Future: Innovation in Agri-Food

In this episode of Ag Future we revisit a conversation that Dr. Mark Lyons, president and CEO of Alltech, had with Rebecca Henderson, John and Natty McArthur University Professor at Harvard University, as a part of the Alltech ONE Ideas Conference. Rebecca explores how to reimagine capitalism so that it is not only an engine of prosperity but also a system that is in harmony with environmental rea...

Brands that align with a purpose-driven mission are growing nearly 70% faster than those that don’t. Carol Cone, CEO of Carol Cone On Purpose, joined us to discuss how businesses are communicating their values to stand out from the crowd. 

Jim Stengel, host of The CMO Podcast and former CMO of P&G, is passionate about helping businesses and individuals discover and activate the “why” behind their work. Join us as he discusses the importance of purpose for an organization, how this can lead to better financial results and how the food industry's mission became more clearly defined and transparent as a result of the challenges of the...

For the past year, Dr. Mark Lyons, president and CEO of Alltech, has led his multinational company through a global pandemic while maintaining an optimistic focus on the future. Join us as he provides his unique insights from the helm, including the significance of sustainability, countering negative perceptions of agriculture with science and why collaboration is crucial to creating a Planet of P...

As a certified B Corp, McCarty Family Farms meets the highest standards in environmental sustainability and public transparency. Ken McCarty, one of the fourth-generation owners of the farm, discusses their focus on sustainability and animal welfare and how this focus has been beneficial for both their operation and their customers.

As the food supply chain shifted over the past year, so did consumer eating habits. Matthew Smith, vice president of Alltech, joins the podcast to reflect on changes in the dairy industry and to discuss the global demand for dairy products, the impact of dairy alternatives and the importance of sustainable dairy production and farm waste management.

In January 2016, a massive fire burned down Kentucky’s largest individual cattle market, the Blue Grass Stockyards. The stockyard has since rebuilt its facilities, but like many in the agri-food industry, it has faced new challenges over the past year. We spoke with COO Jim Akers about the current state of the meatpacking industry, the challenges and opportunities for rebuilding the cattle market...

What some may view as obstacles, Twig Marston sees as opportunities. The beef nutritionist from Hubbard Feeds joins to share his thoughts on the current state of the beef industry and why he is optimistic about the industry becoming more efficient and sustainable.

Evelyn Greene, president of American National CattleWomen (ANCW), joins us to discuss her work uplifting the beef industry, promoting sustainable beef production and encouraging more women to carve out careers in the agriculture industry.

Minette Batters represents the interests of 47,000 members of the National Farmers’ Union of England and Wales (NFU) as the organization’s president. She joined the podcast to discuss protecting farmers through agricultural policy, farm innovations that will lead to more sustainable food production and why she is hopeful about the future for farmers.

Marianne Smith Edge is a food, agriculture and consumer insight strategist and founder of Agri NutritionEdge where she serves as a translator between the consumer and the ag space to bring more food transparency to the food chain and improve food perception with consumers. She shares her insights on building trust with consumers by providing the security of safe and healthy food.

The European Union Green Deal is an ambitious plan to help Europe become the first carbon-neutral continent by the year 2050. Ciaran Black, an independent strategy and innovation consultant, discusses how farmers are adapting to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions, what new business opportunities are arising as a result of the consumer demand for product sustainability and what the implications are...

What is the future of the agriculture industry after a tumultuous year? Joe Kerns, managing director of Kerns and Associates, discusses the ways the food supply chain adapted over 2020, ways farmers must be agile to succeed today and what agri-food trends to look for moving forward into 2021. This is the first episode in our new series, The 2021 Agri-Food Outlook. Join us for the rest of this seri...

Five months ago, we spoke with Jack Bobo, CEO and founder of Futurity, about the rapidly changing food supply chain and what trends he believed would influence the future of food production and consumer habits. We recently spoke to Jack again about how consumer trends in the food industry and the food supply chain adapted through the rest of 2020.

How do the top farms achieve and maintain exceptional performance? Valerie Duttlinger, chief analytics officer at Summit SmartFarms, explains how a positive workplace culture that focuses on the people and processes on the farm can lead to greater agricultural production.

How can the dairy industry reduce its “environmental hoofprint?” Michael Boccadoro, executive director of Dairy Cares and president of West Coast Advisors, explains how California is leading the world in reducing methane emissions from cattle and how other regions can adopt new dairy technologies and practices for more sustainable production.

Protix is a Dutch nutrition company working to improve future food-production systems by using insect-based foods. Founder and CEO Kees Aarts joins us to discuss what inspired him to pursue creating alternative feed for animals and his vision for a future with less food waste thanks to insect-based ingredients.

While many people working in the agriculture industry were raised around animals and farms, there are others who do not have this background and, instead, learned from the ground up to start their careers. Dr. Keith Latson, a board-certified equine veterinarian and co-founder of FullBucket Health, joins us to share his experience of breaking into the agriculture industry at a young age with no pri...

In a recent study, the American Institute of Stress reported that 75% of today's employees believe that they have more on-the-job stress than a generation ago. This stress has been amplified within the past year, especially for those in agriculture, as they have worked hard to maintain the global food supply chain. Padraic Gilligan of Gilligan’s Farm in Roscommon County, Ireland, joins us on the p...

Coburn Farms has been in operation for more than 200 years, and like many family-owned farms, they are facing a transitional phase from one generation to the next. Father and son duo David and Tyler Coburn join us this week to talk about how they have approached farm succession planning and to share some lessons for both the older generations passing on their businesses and the younger generations...

Dr. Ranveer Chandra, chief scientist at Microsoft Azure Global, joins us to explain the company's FarmBeats project and how it is taking the guesswork out of agriculture. According to Chandra, data-driven agriculture makes operations more profitable and sustainable — but some farmers rely simply on their instincts and personal experience to make decisions about their crops or animals. Chandra and...

Nori is a Seattle-based startup that aims to reverse climate change through their marketplace for carbon removal. Aldyen Donnelly, director of carbon economics with Nori, joins us on the podcast to discuss how the company is helping farmers get paid to fight climate change, how these carbon removal practices can benefit farmers' productivity and what she believes are the keys for encouraging the c...

While food can be a very emotional experience that brings people together, food producers must use technology and rigid analysis to recognize trends in consumer eating habits. Jarrod Sutton, senior vice president of Strategy and Innovation at the National Pork Board, joins us to discuss his role in making the pork industry more responsive to consumers through data-driven insights.

As more and more companies promote anti-meat products, many consumers have been left with misconceptions about the relationship between livestock and climate change. Dr. Frank Mitloehner, professor in the department of animal science at the University of California, Davis, joins us to discuss the myths about livestock’s impact on the environment and why agriculture is not to blame for climate chan...

Rob Saik, CEO of AgVisorPRO, believes that the next thirty years could be the most important in the history of agriculture, and he claims that in order to support the global population in 2050, agriculture will have to become infinitely sustainable. Listen in as he explains his vision of farming technology and how innovation is the key to sustainable agriculture.