The Modern Acre

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

Steven Dodge is the CEO and Co-Founder of Acuity Agriculture, a technology company that builds smart, wireless sensor networks for farms. Equipped with our real-time soil data, farms can optimize irrigation schedules, lower supply costs, and save hundreds of dollars per acre. Steven joins the podcast to talk about his background in agriculture and farming, the origin of Acuity Agriculture, and how he and the team have been scaling the business over the past few years without taking on outside funding. Tune in to hear his awesome story! Show Notes: https://themodernacre.com/157

Mark Johnson is the CEO of GrainBridge, a joint venture between ADM and Cargill with the goal of helping farmers make better grain marketing decisions. Mark joins the podcast to talk about his background in tech, the history and story of GrainBridge, and how they are innovating and scaling the business today. Tune in! Show Notes: https://themodernacre.com/156

Damien Hajduk, Ph.D., is the CTO and COO of Crop Enhancement, a San Jose-based startup that works at the intersection of materials science and biology to bring new and effective solutions to agriculture that help growers protect their crops and the environment, while meeting the global need for sustainably produced foods. Damien joins us to talk about his impressive background that ultimately led him to Crop Enhancement. We discuss the origin story and how they have approached going to market with their sustainable crop solutions. Tune in to learn more! Show Notes: https://themodernacre.com/155