AgTech Innovation Summit a Success Once Again
The AgTech Innovation Summit was a success again this year. The 2020 AgTech Summit brought together the brightest minds in agtech for the fifth year.
This year’s event included remarks from industry thought leaders including Bayer’s Senior Vice President of Open Innovation and Strategic Partnerships Allen Christian who said, “The future of agricultural innovation lies in the hands of the next generation of talented students. The AgTech Summit is a great example of how bringing people from across scientific disciplines together can help shape a more sustainable future for one of the world’s most important industries. At Bayer, we are proud to partner with the University of Illinois through our Innovation Center in the Research Park and as a sponsor the AgTech Summit.”
The 2020 panels included discussions on investment, collaboration, and digital disruption in the agtech industry, including a discussion from growers and producers at the front lines of farming in a digital age. In addition to the unique mix of panel discussions, startup companies gave brief presentations on their technology, their company, and their plans for the future.
The day concluded with the AgTech Showcase and Networking Event, a first for the Summit. The showcase not only allowed agtech companies to show off their technology, but it also provided the opportunity for the community to connect with Research Park companies, discover innovative technologies and network with industry leaders.
The AgTech Summit is a collaboration between the University of Illinois Research Park, the University of Illinois, College of ACES, and the Office of Corporate Relations. Thank you to the generous sponsors who make this year’s event possible: Bayer and The Climate Corporation, John Deere, Kin + Carta, Google Cloud, Corteva, COUNTRY Financial, AGCO, Land O’Lakes, and the Illinois Center for Digital Agriculture.
2020 Agenda
Wednesday March 4, 2020
7:30 AM: REGISTRATION AND CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST
8:00 AM: WELCOME AND OPENING REMARKS
- Laura Frerichs | Executive Director, University of Illinois Research Park
- Chancellor Robert Jones | Chancellor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
8:10 AM: PLATINUM SPONSOR REMARKS
- Sam Eathington | Chief Science Officer, The Climate Corporation
8:25 AM: MORNING KEYNOTE ADDRESS
- Keith Narr | Vice President, Digital Labs and Data, Cargill
9:15 AM: COMPANY PRESENTATION
- Chinmay Soman | Co-Founder & CEO, EarthSense
9:30 AM: INVESTMENT IN AGTECH: A MATURING INDUSTRY?
- Moderator: Harlee Sorkin | Managing Director, Common Place Holdings
- Dennis Beard | Managing Partner, Serra Ventures
- Nancy Sullivan | CEO & Managing Partner, Illinois Ventures
- Dean Didato | Partner, Innova Memphis
- Abby Taubner | Partner, Gener8tor
10:20 AM: BREAK
10:35 AM: COMPANY PRESENTATION
10:50 AM: COMPANY PRESENTATION
- Gabriel Burks | Senior Polymer Scientist, FrostDefense Envirotech
11:05 AM: DIGITAL DISRUPTION IN AGRICULTURE: MODERNIZING THE VALUE CHAIN
- Moderator: Vikram Adve | Co-Director, Center for Digital Agriculture
- Mark Moran | Director, John Deere Technology Innovation Center
- John Rahiya | Senior Manager, Business Development Global Fuse at AGCO
- Scott Hermes | Senior Director of Solution Delivery, Kin + Carta
12:00 PM: LUNCH
12:20 PM: AFTERNOON KICKOFF
12:35 PM: MOORE INNOVATION PRIZE
12:40 PM: COMPANY PRESENTATION
- Kaiyu Guan | Chair, Aspiring Universe
12:55 PM: AFTERNOON FIRESIDE CHAT
- Moderator: Laura Frerichs | Executive Director, University of Illinois Research Park
- Teddy Bekele | Chief Technology Officer, Land O’Lakes
1:30 PM: BREAK
1:45 PM: GROWERS AND PRODUCERS: PREPARING FOR THE NEXT GENERATION
- Moderator: Holly Spangler | Editor, Prairie Farmer
- Michael Ganschow | Farmer & Co-Owner, Ganschow Farms
- Jake Nims | Agricultural Engineer, Frank & West Environmental Engineers
- Leslie Cooperband | President & Co-owner, Prairie Fruits Farms & Creamery
- Jason Lakey | Farmer, Lakey Farms
- Brian Corkill | Owner, B.A. Farms
- Michael Haag | Past President, Illinois Pork Producers Association
2:45 PM: COMPANY PRESENTATION
- Daphne Preuss | Co-founder & President, BlooMD
- Shawn Carlson | Senior Scientist, BlooMD
3:00 PM: CORPORATIONS AND COLLABORATION: INDUSTRY LEADERS ON THE STATE OF AGRICULTURE
- Moderator: Dean Kim Kidwell | Dean, University of Illinois College of ACES
- Allen Christian | Senior Vice President, Open Innovation and Strategic Partnerships, Bayer Crop Science
- Neal Gutterson | Chief Technology Officer, Corteva Agriscience
- Paul Bloom | Vice President of Process & Chemical Research, ADM
- Aaron Schacht | Vice President of Innovation Regulatory & Business Development, Elanco Animal Health