Michael Bosworth is the President & CEO of Next Generation Foods, a food business that markets and distributes locally produced foods in the Northern California area. Brent Lafollette, Martin Miller, and Robert James Woodry are 5th generation farmers and the founders of Premium Growers, a company that produces and sells a variety of flavored, premium roasted Oregon Hazelnuts. They are some of the many farmers who transitioned from being producers to direct-to-consumer retailers.

Michael joins me today to share his company’s humble beginnings. He explains how he puts a price tag on his products and how much of his farm is dedicated to retail. He also describes the benefits of going to food shows. Brent, Martin, and Robert discuss why they decided to start a hazelnut company. They share the effort it took to get their company up and running. They also describe the marketing process involved with their hazelnuts.

“It's incredible what you can learn about how people are using your products.” - Michael Bosworth

This Week on The Future of Agriculture Podcast:

• The origins of Michael Bosworth’s company and how they transitioned from a farm to a food business.
• The first client who asked them to supply organic ingredients.
• Adding their margin and how the ingredient price and competition factor in.
• The percentage of farm production that goes to the food business aspect.
• Attending food shows and scouting for new food products to offer clients.
• The type of clients they like to work with.
• Brent's farming background and how he, Bob, and Marty founded Premium Growers
• Their hazelnut product and the processing involved before clients receive them.
• How they set up their business to be a direct-to-consumer type of company.
• How long it took for their business to become stable.
• The customer feedback they've received since they started.

Connect with Michael Bosworth:

• Next Generation Foods

Connect with Brent, Martin, and Robert:

• Premium Growers

We Are a Part of a Bigger Family! 

The Future of Agriculture Podcast is now part of the Farm and Rural Ag Network. Listen to more ag-related podcasts by subscribing on iTunes or on the Farm and Rural Ag Network Website today. 

Join the Conversation!

To get your most pressing ag questions answered and share your perspective on various topics we’ve discussed on the Future of Agriculture podcast, head over to SpeakPipe.com/FutureofAg and leave a recorded message!

Share the Ag-Love! 

Thanks for joining us on the Future of Agriculture Podcast – your spot for valuable information, content, and interviews with industry leaders throughout the agricultural space! If you enjoyed this week’s episode, please subscribe on Apple Podcasts and leave your honest feedback. Don’t forget to share it with your friends on your favorite social media spots! And be sure to join the new Future of Agriculture Membership for even more valuable information on the future of ag.

Learn more about AgGrad by visiting: 

Future of Agriculture Website

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Micki Seibel is an investor, advisor, and tech builder who was part of the team behind internet products such as Netscape and eBay. She is currently an Operating Partner for Radicle Growth, an acceleration fund that partners with entrepreneurs who have ideas that can innovate the future of food. She has over 20 years of experience in building companies and has made much of it at Silicon Valley. Micki also serves on the advisory board of multiple food system startup companies such as Swarm Technologies.

Micki joins me today to share how Radicle Growth is helping startups in the AgTech industry. She discusses the goals of Radicle Growth, their criteria when selecting companies to fund, and the ideas that they want to promote. She describes her career in Silicon Valley and how it led her to be part of the food industry. Micki also explains the effects of climate change on the ag economy and ag innovations.

“Selling to a corn grower in Iowa is not at all the same as selling to a strawberry farmer in California or Chile.” - Micki Seibel

This Week on The Future of Agriculture Podcast:

• Solving the problem of rural connectivity in AgTech.
• Where her interest in food and agriculture stems from.
• The different companies she has worked for previously.
• The technical experience she gathered before becoming part of the AgTech industry.
• How she developed an interest in the connectivity problem in agriculture.
• Her thoughts on AgTech and IoT companies and what they should focus on.
• The people behind Radical Growth and the aim of the company.
• What it takes to sell the same product to a variety of ag markets.
• The difference between AgTech and a typical tech investing business.
• Will the ag industry favor indoor farms or regenerative agriculture?
• The effects of climate change on agriculture innovations.

Resource:

• SWARM TECHNOLOGIES
• Episode 87: BLOCKCHAIN AND THE INTERNET OF FOOD WITH RAJA RAMACHANDRAN OF RIPE.IO

Connect with Micki Seibel

• Radicle Growth
• LinkedIn

We Are a Part of a Bigger Family! 

The Future of Agriculture Podcast is now part of the Farm and Rural Ag Network. Listen to more ag-related podcasts by subscribing on iTunes or on the Farm and Rural Ag Network Website today. 

Join the Conversation!

To get your most pressing ag questions answered and share your perspective on various topics we’ve discussed on the Future of Agriculture podcast, head over to SpeakPipe.com/FutureofAg and leave a recorded message!

Share the Ag-Love! 

Thanks for joining us on the Future of Agriculture Podcast – your spot for valuable information, content, and interviews with industry leaders throughout the agricultural space! If you enjoyed this week’s episode, please subscribe on iTunes and leave your honest feedback. Don’t forget to share it with your friends on your favorite social media spots! 

Learn more about AgGrad by visiting: 

Future of Agriculture Website

AgGrad Website

AgGrad on Twitter AgGrad on Facebook AgGrad on LinkedIn AgGrad on Instagram

Mike Barrow is the Project Lead at OpenVino, a company that aims to create the first-ever open-source, transparent winery, and wine-based cryptocurrency under the Costaflores label. Costaflores is a boutique organic winery based in Argentina. As suggested, OpenVino will rely on blockchain technology to engage in a new and innovative way of selling wine products. With over 30 years of experience in IT, data science, and cloud services, Mike aims to disrupt the wine world with a business that converts consumers into shareholders.

Mike joins me today to share how OpenVino will innovate the way we consume wine through blockchain tech. He shares his passion for wine, what inspired him to start OpenVino, and why he chose to make the company open-source. He explains their data collecting strategies and how consumers can benefit from buying their cryptocurrency. Mike also describes how wine is priced and why quality is second to story.

“The quality of the wine is not dictated by the quality parameter as much as the story behind it.” - Mike Barrow

This Week on The Future of Agriculture Podcast:

• How an open-source winery works and how you can profit from it.
• Why it's difficult to sell wine regardless of price.
• The questions that led him to start an open-source winery.
• The data he needs to collect and how he makes sure his customers understand it.
• How blockchain fits into their business strategy.
• A quick recap of what blockchain is and how it works.
• Determining the best price for their wine products.
• Why they chose to tokenize their wine production.

Resource:

• Episode 110: How Carbon Trading Can Benefit Farmers with Aldyen Donnelly of Nori
• Episode 189 - Farmers Building Their Own Open Source Technology

Connect with Mike Barrow

• Costaflores
• OpenVino
• LinkedIn

We Are a Part of a Bigger Family! 

The Future of Agriculture Podcast is now part of the Farm and Rural Ag Network. Listen to more ag-related podcasts by subscribing on iTunes or on the Farm and Rural Ag Network Website today. 

Join the Conversation!

To get your most pressing ag questions answered and share your perspective on various topics we’ve discussed on the Future of Agriculture podcast, head over to SpeakPipe.com/FutureofAg and leave a recorded message!

Share the Ag-Love! 

Thanks for joining us on the Future of Agriculture Podcast – your spot for valuable information, content, and interviews with industry leaders throughout the agricultural space! If you enjoyed this week’s episode, please subscribe on iTunes and leave your honest feedback. Don’t forget to share it with your friends on your favorite social media spots! 

Learn more about AgGrad by visiting: 

Future of Agriculture Website

AgGrad Website

AgGrad on Twitter AgGrad on Facebook AgGrad on LinkedIn AgGrad on Instagram

Reinier van der Lee is the CEO & Founder of Vinduino, an AgTech company that supports farmers and other producers in the ag industry with products that improve profits and fruit quality as well as increase yield. One of the company’s latest products is the Vinduino R4 Sensor station, an open-source sensor that gives farmers data on water usage and efficiency. Reinier also owns a 4-acre vineyard and credits his need for better irrigation management as the reason why he founded Vinduino.

Reinier joins me today to share how Vinduino is helping farmers gather the kind of data they need and understand when it comes to water management. He explains how their products work, what separates them from other AgTech companies, and why knowing how much water you’re using is critical to your business. He also discusses why he chose to keep their products open source and shares some of the upcoming events and projects they have lined up this year.

“Water use is important because it impacts the quality and yield of your crop.” - Reinier van der Lee

This Week on The Future of Agriculture Podcast:

• The contributing factors of understanding their need for water.
• The methods they used to determine how much water they should use.
• How Vinduino’s software provides water data for farmers.
• What inspired them to name their product "Vinduino."
• Where Reinier’s interest in growing grapes rose from.
• Why they chose to keep their program open-source.
• Encouraging others who are not tech savvy to innovate existing solutions.
• When he decided to scale this his business.
• What it means to sort good solutions from bad solutions.
• Why simply more data from sensors is not good enough.
• What's next for the Vinduino company?

Resource:

• Citizen Science
• Hackaday

Connect with Reinier van der Lee

• Vinduino
• Reiner van de Lee

We Are a Part of a Bigger Family! 

The Future of Agriculture Podcast is now part of the Farm and Rural Ag Network. Listen to more ag-related podcasts by subscribing on iTunes or on the Farm and Rural Ag Network Website today. 

Join the Conversation!

To get your most pressing ag questions answered and share your perspective on various topics we’ve discussed on the Future of Agriculture podcast, head over to SpeakPipe.com/FutureofAg and leave a recorded message!

Share the Ag-Love! 

Thanks for joining us on the Future of Agriculture Podcast – your spot for valuable information, content, and interviews with industry leaders throughout the agricultural space! If you enjoyed this week’s episode, please subscribe on iTunes and leave your honest feedback. Don’t forget to share it with your friends on your favorite social media spots! 

Learn more about AgGrad by visiting: 

Future of Agriculture Website

AgGrad Website

AgGrad on Twitter AgGrad on Facebook AgGrad on LinkedIn AgGrad on Instagram

David Chan is the COO and Founding Team Member at Farm Together, a company that offers a simplified approach to US farmland investment. The company not only serves Americans, but also welcomes foreign investors who are interested in growing their assets or simply having a continuous source of income in their retirement. David has over five years of Fin-Tech experience in the ag industry. He describes himself as a meteorologist by background, but a financier and technologist by training. David earned his MBA at Harvard Business School and is also part of the Board of Directors at the Harvard Alumni for Agriculture.

David joins me today to share how their company, Farm Together, will make it easier for local and foreign investors to invest in US farmlands. He explains how their platform works, when their investors get paid, and the due diligence they conduct prior to putting a property for sale. He discusses several risks involved in investing in different states. David also describes how they plan to put regenerative agriculture in the limelight.

“You must consider what the environment may look like in the future when you are purchasing these properties today.” - David Chan

This Week on The Future of Agriculture Podcast:

• Connecting insurance, farmlands, and current trends in institutional investments.
• The characteristics of the typical user and investor on their platform.
• How foreign investors can own farm lands in different locations.
• How their due diligence process works.
• Knowing the risks of investing in farmlands and how they calculate for them.
• Why water is always a risk in any irrigated agriculture.
• How they inform investors of earnings and how investors make money.
• The feedback they receive from their clients.
• The SIGMA legislation in California and what it is about.
• The steps they have taken to make regenerative agriculture mainstream.

Connect with David Chan

• Farm Together
• Email: [email protected]

We Are a Part of a Bigger Family! 

The Future of Agriculture Podcast is now part of the Farm and Rural Ag Network. Listen to more ag-related podcasts by subscribing on iTunes or on the Farm and Rural Ag Network Website today. 

Join the Conversation!

To get your most pressing ag questions answered and share your perspective on various topics we’ve discussed on the Future of Agriculture podcast, head over to SpeakPipe.com/FutureofAg and leave a recorded message!

Share the Ag-Love! 

Thanks for joining us on the Future of Agriculture Podcast – your spot for valuable information, content, and interviews with industry leaders throughout the agricultural space! If you enjoyed this week’s episode, please subscribe on iTunes and leave your honest feedback. Don’t forget to share it with your friends on your favorite social media spots! 

Learn more about AgGrad by visiting: 

Future of Agriculture Website

AgGrad Website

AgGrad on Twitter AgGrad on Facebook AgGrad on LinkedIn AgGrad on Instagram

Kenneth Quinn is the former President of the World Food Prize Foundation, an organization that seeks to give individuals recognition for achievements that directly improve the quality, quantity, and availability of food in the world. Kenneth is often referred to as “the Ambassador” because he was the US Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia. During his time as President, he received various high-level honors and awards from different organizations, including The American Farm Bureau and The Crop Science Society of America.

Kenneth joins me today to describe what the World Food Prize Foundation stands for, how it got started, and what makes it similar and different to the Nobel Peace Prize. He shares his journey, his time as Ambassador, and how he began to follow in the footsteps of Norman Borlaug. He explains the current state of agriculture across various countries and the agricultural hindrances that America needs to fix. Kenneth also discusses what he wants his legacy to be and the dangers that Americans face in regards to agricultural research.

“That's what I look for in the world: building peace through agriculture.” - Kenneth Quinn

This Week on The Future of Agriculture Podcast:

• Kenneth's life before agriculture and how he started to work in the industry.
• The countries he’s worked with and the projects he has spearheaded.
• The laureates who stood out to him over the years and their accomplishments.
• Their international reach and the different nationalities in their group.
• Notable agricultural milestones that ushered in an era of peace in American history.
• His thoughts on China's road and rural infrastructure over the last few decades.
• How roads are connected to hunger and suffering.
• The history of the World Food Prize Foundation.
• Addressing the challenge of feeding 10-billion people on the planet.
• What he wants his legacy to be for the organization and the world.
• The danger America faces when it comes to agricultural research.

Resources Mentioned:

• Freedom From Famine
• The Wizard and the Prophet
• Norman Borlaug

Connect with Kenneth Quinn

• World Food Prize
• Ambassador Kenneth Quinn Archive

We Are a Part of a Bigger Family! 

The Future of Agriculture Podcast is now part of the Farm and Rural Ag Network. Listen to more ag-related podcasts by subscribing on iTunes or on the Farm and Rural Ag Network Website today. 

Join the Conversation!

To get your most pressing ag questions answered and share your perspective on various topics we’ve discussed on the Future of Agriculture podcast, head over to SpeakPipe.com/FutureofAg and leave a recorded message!

Share the Ag-Love! 

Thanks for joining us on the Future of Agriculture Podcast – your spot for valuable information, content, and interviews with industry leaders throughout the agricultural space! If you enjoyed this week’s episode, please subscribe on iTunes and leave your honest feedback. Don’t forget to share it with your friends on your favorite social media spots! 

Learn more about AgGrad by visiting: 

Future of Agriculture Website

AgGrad Website

AgGrad on Twitter AgGrad on Facebook AgGrad on LinkedIn AgGrad on Instagram

Being a full time agronomist/salesman while also being a full time farmer isn't all that unusual... but it doesn't mean it's not impressive

Listen as I talk to Matt McCune about ag and storm chasing

I offer my sincere wish and prayer for your success.

Happy New Year, and welcome to everyone listening to the very first episode of the year for the Future of Agriculture podcast. 2019 was such a good year for the show and was rife with amazing guests bearing their trade secrets and intelligent insights into the world of agriculture. To commemorate the year we had, I decided to categorize the overarching themes that summarize what 2019 was like for the Future of Agriculture podcast.

In today’s episode, I discuss the five trends that governed much of the events in 2019. I share a few clips of the most well-received episodes that relate to the trends we had. I discuss some of the trends that we’ll be doing a deeper dive this year and some of the changes that will happen. I also share some of your wonderful ideas and suggestions.

“Technology takes away gatekeepers in the food industry, just as it had done so in other industries.”

This Week on The Future of Agriculture Podcast:

• The five themes we discussed in the show throughout 2019.
• What it means to quantitatively prove farm sustainability
• The importance of farmer profitability when it comes to innovation
• Why we should be worried about the future of water for the ag industry
• Changing Five Minute Farmer to Farmer's Spotlight
• What's coming for 2020 on the Future of Ag Podcast
• Ideas to improve the show and audience suggestions.

Resources Mentioned:

• Managing the Modern Farm Business with Farmers Justin Dahlgren and Eric Thalken
• Tackling Tough Questions about AgTech with Renee Vassilos
• Water Economics with Dr David Zetland
• Real Meat Without the Animal with Mike Selden of Finless Foods
• Plant-Based and Cellular Agriculture Alternatives with Bruce Friedrich of GFI

We Are a Part of a Bigger Family! 

The Future of Agriculture Podcast is now part of the Farm and Rural Ag Network. Listen to more ag-related podcasts by subscribing on iTunes or on the Farm and Rural Ag Network Website today. 

Join the Conversation!

To get your most pressing ag questions answered and share your perspective on various topics we’ve discussed on the Future of Agriculture podcast, head over to SpeakPipe.com/FutureofAg and leave a recorded message!

Share the Ag-Love! 

Thanks for joining us on the Future of Agriculture Podcast – your spot for valuable information, content, and interviews with industry leaders throughout the agricultural space! If you enjoyed this week’s episode, please subscribe on iTunes and leave your honest feedback. Don’t forget to share it with your friends on your favorite social media spots! 

Learn more about AgGrad by visiting: 

Future of Agriculture Website

AgGrad Website

AgGrad on Twitter AgGrad on Facebook AgGrad on LinkedIn AgGrad on Instagram