Check out the Forbes AgTech Summit HERE Indianapolis Summit in September HERE We had the opportunity to do live interviews with 3 speakers from the Forbes AgTech Summit in Salinas last week! We wanted to extract as much value from these guests in our short time, so we asked them these two questions: What do you think is the biggest challenge facing the agriculture industry today? What technology or idea do you find most compelling in agriculture right now? The three guests cover a great range of...
Jul 10, 2018•17 min
Join our Closed Facebook Group HERE We loved the chance to talk to Noushin Ketabi about starting Vega Coffee by focusing on empowering growers at the farm level in Nicaragua. What makes Vega unique is cutting out the middle men in the coffee supply chain. Noushin talks about the origins of Vega, scaling the business, optimizing the supply chain and logistics, and organic growth. If you're interested in companies that are narrowing the gap between the farm and the consumer, this episode is for yo...
Jul 03, 2018•37 min
Check out the Forbes AgTech Summit HERE Tune in to hear the story of how Chiles Wilson started Branch to Box, a fruit delivery service that provides companies with fresh produce and snacks on a recurring, subscription basis. This episode has it all, as we talk through starting a company solo, early challenges, how to pivot, and how to grass-roots market your business. Chiles also shares how he is now scaling the business with grower-partners and is able to penetrate additional markets. Learn mor...
Jun 26, 2018•35 min
Check out the Forbes AgTech Summit HERE Farming.... In the ocean. Roger Bason, CEO of 3D Ocean Farm, shares his wealth of knowledge on the ocean farming industry. We dive into his background, what aquaculture is, and his latest venture in the space, 3D Ocean Farm, which is being funded through an impact investing platform called Rabble . Roger take us inside an ocean farming operation, from setup and planting to harvesting and value-add processing. "Kelp is the new kale!" Connect with 3D Ocean F...
Jun 19, 2018•36 min
Join our Closed Facebook Group HERE FarmHer was founded by Marji Guyler-Alaniz to shine a light on women in agriculture through photography. It has since grown into a massive online community and media business with a presence online, on TV, and at events. Marji and FarmHer's communications manager, Lexi Marek, talk about how the business was formed and how it has evolved and grown over time. We discuss everything from events to merchandise to how to best connect with your audience. This episode...
Jun 12, 2018•35 min
Join our Closed Facebook Group HERE Small Robot Company's name is simple, but their vision is vast. Founders Ben Scott-Robinson and Sam Watson Jones talk about how their UK startup was formed and how they plan to execute their vision. The company is developing a three-robot autonomous system unlike anything seen in the tractor space. Ben and Sam share how they plan to go-to-market as "farming as a service" and how they work with farmers to communicate their value proposition. Tune in and let us ...
Jun 05, 2018•40 min
Join our Closed Facebook Group HERE This is a must-listen episode with HarvestPort CEO, Brian Dawson. Not only do we dive deep on Brian's latest venture with HarvestPort, but we also talk about the agtech industry landscape as a whole. Brian shares how HarvestPort originated and how it has continued to innovate through a hybrid marketing approach, while continuing to listen to its customers to evolve over time. Soak up all the insight you can from Brian in this episode- tune in! Connect with Har...
May 29, 2018•49 min
Join our Closed Facebook Group HERE Henry Gordon-Smith is the Founder and Managing Director of Agritecture, an urban agriculture consulting company. Agritecture was started by Henry as a blog resource for all things urban agriculture news, business, and design. He shares about how he started his career in hydroponics and grew his blog into a successful consulting business. Henry gives his take on the current state of the industry, from industrial-scale, localized vertical farms to shipping conta...
May 22, 2018•48 min
Join our Closed Facebook Group HERE California Olive Ranch is the premier olive oil producer in America. We had the great opportunity to talk with Logan Jennings, the production operations manager at CA Olive Ranch, to discuss his journey with the company over the past several years. Logan entered the company as an entry-level employee and has gained responsibility while learning much of the full business operation. He now oversees the entire mill operation. Logan talks about the olive oil indus...
May 15, 2018•42 min
Join our Closed Facebook Group HERE In this episode, we talk with Michael Mazourek, who is one of the founders and head breeder at Row 7 Seeds. Row 7 is completely rethinking seed development. Where most seed companies are focused on maximizing quality and yield, Row 7 is focused on maximizing different attributes: taste and flavor. Row 7 is developing seeds for new breeds of vegetables by working directly with chefs. Michael talks about his background in seed science and how his passion for the...
May 08, 2018•30 min
Join our Closed Facebook Group HERE If you are just getting into farming or need some inspiration for thinking creatively in agriculture, this is the episode for you. Brad Squires joins us to talk about how he transitioned out of the tech industry, where he helped build an incredibly successful B2B software company, to how he is now jumping into agriculture. Although Brad is just starting out, he shares valuable insight into how he plans to maximize a relatively small farm into an Ag Experience,...
May 01, 2018•36 min
Join our Closed Facebook Group HERE If you’ve wanted to learn more about hydroponics and how the technology can fit into your business, this is the episode for you. We talk with Joe Swartz, Vice President of Sales with American Hydroponics, or AmHydro. He has over 30 years of hydroponics experience, originally converting his own farm to maximize the business. Joe shares important insight into what hydroponics is and what it isn’t, how it compares to organic methods, and how to discern up and com...
Apr 24, 2018•46 min
Join our Closed Facebook Group HERE In this episode, we talk to Jay Hill, who grew his family's 10 acre hobby farm into a 17,000 acre farming operation today. Jay talks about his journey from a 16-year-old who knew he wanted to build the farm to how he has scaled the farm to multiple locations with a diverse crop portfolio. Jay has successfully leveraged social media to not only build brand awareness, but also to drive sales to his business. This is a must-listen! So much good info. Connect with...
Apr 17, 2018•50 min
Join our Closed Facebook Group HERE Trent Meyer is the Executive Vice President of DOT Technology, which is reimagining the future of farming through autonomous technology. Trent shares the story of how he unknowingly ended up working for the top-secret project under the vision and leadership of DOT's founder, Norbert Beaujot. Trent discusses DOT's innovative business model that acts as base infrastructure technology to broader autonomous applications and how the team at DOT has been strategic a...
Apr 10, 2018•44 min
In this episode, we talk with Casey Cox, a 6th-generation farmer from Georgia (yes, 6th!). Casey decided to come back to the family peanut, sweet corn, and timber farm after going away to college and discusses the challenges she’s faced as well as her early successes. Casey is incredibly involved in water conservation efforts and shares how she is pushing for innovation, both in the policy sector and investing in technology to improve irrigation. We also dive into her appearance on the Netflix s...
Apr 03, 2018•45 min
Charles Baron, VP of Product and Co-founder of Farmers Business Network , talks with us about the values of the company that has disrupted the ag industry with price transparency. FBN is a company based around a network of farmers that leverages data to provide valuable insight and market intelligence back to the farmers. In our words, Farmers Business Network is "robinhood" for the ag industry. Charles talks about how and why he and his co-founders were inspired to build this business based aro...
Mar 27, 2018•51 min•Ep. 10
Jack Zech, a fourth-generation farmer, talks about coming back to his family farm after several years moving up the ladder of a large clothing company. We discuss what he learned through managing retail stores and overall strategy for Uniclo and what motivated him to leave corporate America to return to his family's farm in the California delta. Jack shares how he is adjusting to the change and how he has started in filling whatever gaps the farm needs. In addition to helping with the farming op...
Mar 20, 2018•44 min•Ep. 9
Margaux Alvarez, a 5x CrossFit Games athlete, shares how she has built a successful wine business around her personal brand. We cover everything from how she grows her own grapes to the winemaking process to all of the regulatory challenges of the alcohol industry. She has scaled her business by leveraging her personal brand as a CrossFit athlete and coach, focusing on direct-to-consumer sales and marketing. She connects with others by being honest about her story, while engaging well in her com...
Mar 13, 2018•36 min•Ep. 8
In this episode, we dive into the beverage business, SAP!, with co-founders Chas Smith and Nikita Salmon. SAP! offers sparkling water that's flavored with maple and birch sap, straight from Chas and Nikita's home state of Vermont. We discuss their upbringing in Vermont and how the maple industry has evolved. They share how they started the ag business and have scaled it through supply chain optimization, local and regional sales distribution, and marketing through social media. We could not stop...
Mar 06, 2018•50 min•Ep. 7
Launch Giveaway: Scope the details HERE In episode 6, we talk with Alli Cecchini, Executive Director of First Generation Farmers, a non-profit organization dedicated to the education and training of the next-generation of organic farmers. Alli grew up on her family's asparagus farm and eventually came back and convinced her parents to let her use a half an acre for community farming. That half acre turned into a massive community and education program, including school field trips and agritouris...
Feb 27, 2018•43 min
Launch Giveaway: Scope the details HERE In this episode, we talk about the importance of education in inspiring the next-generation of farmers and ag entrepreneurs with the president of the California FFA, Luke O’Leary. Luke talks about his experience with FFA in high school, the transition to college in Texas, then back to California for a year spent traveling around the state inspiring and educated the next generation. We discuss the importance of educating others about the importance and brea...
Feb 20, 2018•34 min•Ep. 5
Launch Giveaway: Scope the details HERE On episode 4, we have a hugely valuable conversation with Jesse Vollmar, Co-founder and CEO of the farm management technology company, FarmLogs. Jesse discusses his passion for technology and software development, and how he brought that passion back to the agriculture community. We talk through the difference between maximizing yields and maximizing profits, as well as what lessons he has learned as a CEO. Jesse touches on the importance of net neutrality...
Feb 12, 2018•41 min•Ep. 4
Launch Giveaway: Scope the details HERE On this episode, we talk with Austin Maness, COO of Harvest Returns , a crowdfunding platform for ag investing. Austin talks about learning about agriculture and farming from his grandparents, his extensive military service, and helping start an innovative ag business. Harvest Returns provides farmers with more flexible financing options that a traditional loan, while also providing an alternative, passive investment for investors. Austin provides some exa...
Feb 03, 2018•38 min•Ep. 3
Launch Giveaway: Scope the details HERE “A flamethrower is at stake here people.” On this episode, we interview John Stenderup, Strategic Sales Executive for C.H. Robinson. We discuss what growing up on a farm was like, studying international ag business at Cal Poly, and transitioning to supply chain management, logistics, and global trade for fresh produce. We also get into what his recent Mount Everest climb was like. Needless to say, it’s a jam packed show! John talks about learning about har...
Feb 03, 2018•40 min•Ep. 2
Launch Giveaway: Scope the details HERE We made it! Episode 1 of The Modern Acre. On the first episode of the podcast, we share more of the vision of The Modern Acre and who we are. We’ll let our voiceover guy take it from here… “The Modern Acre - Agriculture for the Next-Generation Farm & Business The Modern Acre is a community of students, farmers, professionals, and entrepreneurs passionate about building their ag businesses through modern day innovation and technology. If you’re in the a...
Feb 03, 2018•16 min•Ep. 1
