Colin Steen: Venture Capital in Agriculture and the consolidation of Big Ag companies

Colin Steen is the CEO of Legacy Seeds a holding company that sells non-GMO and organic seeds in addition to traited (GMO) seeds. Steen spoke with Vance Crowe about how venture capital is being spent in agriculture, what it was like to be in Syngenta when Monsanto attempted to buy it, and then go on to talk about organic seed loopholes, SPACs, and why the climate change discussion is so one-dimensional.

Chapters —

3:05 Start

3:40 Where are venture capitalists investing in agriculture

6:20 Is regulation inhibiting innovation in agriculture?

11:04 What is a SPAC?

15:29 Legacy seed companies vs venture capital

21:33 Stories of the biggest acquisitions in agriculture

23:29 GMO vs organic

32:20 How does the alfalfa market work?

38:34 Laundering organic crops from Europe

45:01 How has consolidation changed agriculture?

47:38 Is pork at threat of disappearing? | African Swine Fever in Puerto Rico

54:32 How farmers view climate change

PODCAST LINKS —

Vance Crowe Podcast Website: https://www.vancecrowe.com/podcast

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-vance-crowe-podcast/id1463771076

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/08nGGRJCjVw2frkbtNrfLw?si=WUCu-FoyRRu9U_i-1gJZfg

RSS: https://feeds.transistor.fm/the-vance-crowe-podcast

YouTube Full Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCigB7W5bX_gCinJxev9WB8w/

YouTube Clips: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJKKb66A5_4ZcsE-rKI24yg

Buy a sweatshirt, T-shirt or mugs from the podcast! Check out the Articulate Ventures Merch Store: https://teespring.com/stores/thevancecrowepodcast

Subscribe to the podcast for email notifications on new episodes, invites to events and other exclusive content — http://eepurl.com/gSTfk5

ABOUT THE VANCE CROWE PODCAST — 

Vance Crowe interviews people with an expertise that you would want to know about, but might not think to ask. He prompts his guests to think about their work in novel ways, discusses how it applies to regular people and has fun sharing stories and experiences.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST —

Rate the Podcast |  https://ratethispodcast.com/vcp

Join the Articulate Ventures Network | https://network.articulate.ventures/ —

We are a patchwork of thinkers that want to articulate ideas in a forum where they can be respectfully challenged, improved and celebrated so that we can explore complex subjects, learn from those we disagree with and achieve our personal & professional goals.

Contact Vance for a Talk | https://www.vancecrowe.com/ —

Vance delivers speeches that reveal important aspects of human communication.  Audiences are entertained, engaged, and leave feeling empowered to change something about the way they are communicating.  Vance tells stories about his own experiences, discusses theories in ways that make them relatable and highlights interesting people, books, and media that the audience can learn even more from. 

Join the #ATCF Book Club | https://articulate.ventures/category/atcf-book-club