Agbioscience

AgriNovus Indiana

This weekly podcast dives into agbioscience, where agriculture, life sciences and cutting-edge technology converge. Agbioscience is an in-depth conversation with leaders and entrepreneurs across food, animal health, plant science and agtech. This one-of-a-kind podcast offers updates on the latest advancements and future trends from those at the forefront of agbioscience innovation.

  1. 12 hr ago

    439. AgriNovus’ Tim Dixon on the 2026 Velocity startups, advancing ideas into market-ready solutions across bioinnovation, farmer-focused innovation and food is health

    Last week, AgriNovus announced that 12 startups will participate in its 2026 Velocity accelerator, a five-month program that awards entrepreneurs a total of $75,000 in cash prizes for their technology solutions divided equally between the strategic categories: bioinnovation, farmer-focused innovation and food is health.  Behind this year’s cohort magic is the organization’s Senior Director of Innovation, Tim Dixon, who joins us this week. He gets into:  Tim’s journey to joining the AgriNovus team and what drew him to the organization How he defines innovation – and how the definition has evolved over the years Most promising areas of innovation across agbioscience that have opportunities for transformational impact How startups should think about customer adoption in a tight farmer and agribusiness market What makes Indiana uniquely positioned to lead in agbioscience versus other regions of the country Velocity’s launch and how it’s designed to address gaps in the ecosystem Tim’s ambitions for Velocity in year one and what he believes competing teams need to be successful The importance of collaboration among companies, universities, investors and entrepreneurs to turn ideas into market-ready solutions Outcomes that will signal success for Velocity in 2026 What has him most excited about this year's cohort of startups

    439. AgriNovus’ Tim Dixon on the 2026 Velocity startups, advancing ideas into market-ready solutions across bioinnovation, farmer-focused innovation and food is health

  2. 20 Jul

    438. Indiana Association of Soil + Water Conservation Districts’ Liz Rice on balancing economic and environmental sustainability, the state’s innovative advantage

    Sustainability. It’s a big word that carries several meanings – particularly across the agbioscience value chain. From conservation practices on the farm to technologies that create a more efficient use of the land, innovators in agbioscience are always seeking to do more with less. Underpinned in that effort is economic sustainability and how different practices create fluctuations in margin for farmers and companies alike. Today we are joined by Executive Director of the Indiana Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Liz Rice, to talk pressing challenges when it comes to the land and what it takes to support farmers in this space.   Highlights include:   The role of IASWCD in supporting farmers, communities and local conservation efforts around the state How the conversation on sustainability and conservation has evolved over the last decade Challenges farmers and district leaders are facing right now that feel most pressing and urgent Soil health and how Liz defines it in practical terms Balancing expectations of environmental stewardship with the economic realities of agriculture Some of the most effective practices Liz has seen adopted today and why they are gaining traction The role Liz sees farmers playing in climate resilience New technologies, data and research – and how they will impact the land Strong partnerships across the ecosystem that she sees making impact How sustainability can be an even bigger part of our state’s agbioscience story What’s ahead for her team that has her most excited

    438. Indiana Association of Soil + Water Conservation Districts’ Liz Rice on balancing economic and environmental sustainability, the state’s innovative advantage

  3. 13 Jul

    437. ISDA’s Don Lamb on convening the corners of the agbioscience industry to drive impact + meaningful change

    From Indiana’s rich agricultural story to the cross-sector innovation taking place in BioHeartland, the state’s economy tells more than one story about what it does well; the growing story, however, is how its innovation domains come together to share an identity with much more power. This week, Director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) Don Lamb joins the show to talk about the farmer, the future and BioHeartland’s positive momentum.  Highlights include:  Don’s perspective as a farmer and how becoming the Director of ISDA has evolved his view of the industry The opportunity for Indiana to innovate at the intersection of farming, food, animal health and plant science USDA’s announcement of Indianapolis as a hub for their relocation initiative and what he believe it signals about Indiana Why Indiana is a fit and the advantage our ecosystem brings The impact of a USDA hub on the farmer here in Indiana Updates on the future of Indiana and USDA, including the announcement of SNAP to Indianapolis Don’s thoughts on BioHeartland and why an identity for our region matters more than ever How he hopes the brand grows and evolves both inside and outside perspectives on production agriculture and agbioscience’s impact on the state Farmers, agribusinesses and community leaders’ roles in sharing the BioHeartland story Don answers the question: “Is Indiana having a moment?” ISDA’s plans for seizing the opportunity to connect the farming and innovation communities What’s coming up for ISDA that has Don most excited

    437. ISDA’s Don Lamb on convening the corners of the agbioscience industry to drive impact + meaningful change

  4. 6 Jul

    436. DIAL Ventures’ Allan Gray on their new $30M fund, supporting entrepreneurship + creating the next wave of agbioscience innovation

    Since its inception, Purdue DIAL Ventures has run six studio cycles and built an impressive portfolio of companies – including Gripp, Croft, Oaken, FIeldist and Aerton – now valued at over $30 million. This week, Executive Director Allan Gray joins us to talk the launch of their Fund II (which is now underway) and how his team’s model uniquely supports company creation.   Highlights include:   An overview of the work at Purdue DIAL Ventures and how their work improves the food system while enabling farmer success The gap identified in the market that led to the organization’s creation DIAL’s unique value and how they can deliver on things others cannot How their Fund I set the tone for Allan’s team to move forward in terms of market validation and success Fund II – it's timeline, deployment pace and kickoff for the studio How Allan sees Fund II comparing to the first in terms of mechanics and how they approach company creation The relationships with partners and how they create investable and scalable innovation that serves a broader market Milestones Allan likes to see hit in order to feel like innovation is derisked Trends and themes Allan sees as prevalent in the next fund to meet the needs of an evolving industry Allan’s list of hopeful outcomes for Fund II What’s ahead

    436. DIAL Ventures’ Allan Gray on their new $30M fund, supporting entrepreneurship + creating the next wave of agbioscience innovation

  5. 29 Jun

    435. Innovations in food, animal health, plant science, agtech + agriculture: here's an agbioscience recap for the first half of 2026

    Agbioscience

  6. 22 Jun

    434. AgriNovus CEO Christy Wright with a checkup on Indiana’s agbioscience economy, hubs, headquarters + their impact on the state + launching a new economic identity for sustained momentum

    AgriNovus’ plans to align with those opportunities and be aAt the midpoint of 2026, there is a lot to reflect on across Indiana’s agbioscience economy and the sector at large. AgriNovus President and CEO, Christy Wright, joins today for an economic checkup. She highlights big wins for Indiana in 2026 – from hubs to headquarters – and looks ahead to AgriNovus’ moves to impact the state long-term. Highlights include:  Corteva’s decision to double down on Indiana, choosing the state for its global headquarters, what factors ultimately helped drive that decision and what it signals to the rest of the state USDA’s pending relocation announcements and how welcoming missions to Indiana might reshape the region’s ecosystem The opportunities that exist to accelerate innovation and commercialization at the intersection of federal presence and global anchors as headquarters (both Elanco and Corteva) Secondary effects Christy expects from these decisions – from partnerships to venture and beyond – and how AgriNovus is working with industry to capture those Ecosystem engagement amid the pursuits of Corteva and USDA and how these decisions will ultimately impact all industry players Indiana’s robust university system and how they fit into attracting bigger companies and organizations to the state that are seeking to fill talent Investment, talent and innovation as proof points of momentum and the impetus behind the launch of BioHeartland – a shared economic identity for Indiana Why now for BioHeartland and what differentiates the region from other innovation hubs across the U.S. How Christy will view BioHeartland as a success Biggest gaps and opportunities to seize momentum over the next few years to unlock Indiana’s next chapter of agbioscience growth  catalyst for growth What’s coming up for AgriNovus

    434. AgriNovus CEO Christy Wright with a checkup on Indiana’s agbioscience economy, hubs, headquarters + their impact on the state + launching a new economic identity for sustained momentum

  7. 15 Jun

    433. Purdue’s Dr. Trey Malone on simplifying ag economics research, preparing for the future vs. predicting it + how consumers are behaving amid a rapidly changing food system

    Convergence research: the idea of taking major agricultural themes and breaking them down into simple, digestible insights for various audiences. Necessary? Absolutely. And it’s the work that Dr. Trey Malone, Boehlje Chair in Managerial Economics for Agribusiness at Purdue University, has been doing with his team for awhile now. He brings his expertise in the studio today to dive into the intersection of entrepreneurship, policy and a massive agbioscience supply chain. Many highlights follow, including:    What the role of Boehlje Chair in Managerial Economics for Agribusiness has meant to Trey in his career and how it has scoped the work he is leading at Purdue today The realization behind convergence research and how they’ve seen it pay off in practice Pressure points Trey sees creating the most concern for the industry at large and what the economics say about how industry is responding to them The idea of “real options thinking” as less about predicting the future and more about preparing for it by placing small bets to widen your options rather than focusing on one path for success How real options thinking applies across the value chain How Trey has seen agbioscience businesses respond to the demands of the consumer and their shifting behavior over the last five years What moves the needle for consumers versus what’s mainly just perceived to be marketing The Health Halo effect, hard seltzer drinks and what they’ve taught industry about labeling, marketing and how they interact with the consumer The gap Trey sees that academic research needs to address for industry in agricultural economics Research that Trey wishes everyone had their hands on and used with regularity to drive insight and decision making What’s ahead for his time this year

    433. Purdue’s Dr. Trey Malone on simplifying ag economics research, preparing for the future vs. predicting it + how consumers are behaving amid a rapidly changing food system

  8. 8 Jun

    432. The future of the bioeconomy with FiberX’s Dave Skibinski, turning corn stover into circular innovation + TechPoint Mira honors as market validation

    From volatile markets to high input costs, farmers are facing a number of challenges that could be offset by additional markets and revenue streams. Today, we're joined by Fiber X CEO Dave Skibinski who's working to give producers exactly that: a new opportunity rooted in the growing demand for natural fiber. Fresh off of a big win at TechPoint’s Mira Awards, Dave shares how FiberX is helping farmers diversify their operations and how agricultural byproducts are enabling the future of the bioeconomy. Highlights include:  The work FiberX leads and who they serve through their work in a growing bioeconomy How their team chose the approach to leverage ag byproducts like corn stover to make bioindustrial resins and biocomposite plastics rather than other approaches FiberX’s differentiation from traditional petroleum-based plastics – both in terms of performance and sustainability Why they chose corn stover as the right feedstock for FiberX New applications or industries showing the strongest demand for biocomposite materials in this rapidly growing bioeconomy; and how these companies have evolved over time Performance metrics that industrial customers care most about and how FiberX is delivering on those benchmarks Barriers their team has faced getting manufacturers to adopt bio-based materials and how they tackle objection The FiberX // farmer relationship and how they execute that side; how their business model benefits them in terms of a new market unlock, additional revenue stream and more How the farmer relationship, alongside the manufacturer, creates a circular economy – and what that means The role of partnerships within the Indiana agbioscience ecosystem to grow and scale their technology Winning the Agbioscience Innovator Award at TechPoint’s Mira Awards and how that honor validated the company’s work and its trajectory Breakthroughs and milestones Dave believes will define the future of bioindustrial materials over the next decade

    432. The future of the bioeconomy with FiberX’s Dave Skibinski, turning corn stover into circular innovation + TechPoint Mira honors as market validation
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About

This weekly podcast dives into agbioscience, where agriculture, life sciences and cutting-edge technology converge. Agbioscience is an in-depth conversation with leaders and entrepreneurs across food, animal health, plant science and agtech. This one-of-a-kind podcast offers updates on the latest advancements and future trends from those at the forefront of agbioscience innovation.

Information

  • Creator
    AgriNovus Indiana
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    435
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 AgriNovus Indiana
  • Show Website
    Agbioscience

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