Thank you for making the 2020 AgTech Innovation Summit a huge success!
Stay tuned for more details on the the sixth annual AgTech Innovation Summit. Mark your calendars now for March 10, 2021.
March 10, 2021
I-HOTEL AND CONFERENCE CENTER
1900 S. FIRST STREET, CHAMPAIGN
Media
March 10, FarmWeekNow: Farmers: Technology key to drive future improvements in ag
March 9, The News Gazette: At AgTech Innovation Summit, farmers looking to keep hands clean with data
February 28, Smile Politely: Next week is AgTech Week in C-U
February 26, AgriNews: AgTech Innovation Summit returns to Champaign
February 25, Daily Illini: Agriculture technology summit celebrates fifth anniversary
February 25, Journal Gazette & Times Courier: OVER THE COLES: AgTech Innovation Summit returns to Champaign for fifth year
February 19, AgriMarketing: AgTech Innovation Summit Returns to U of Illinois
Sponsors
Thank you to our generous sponsors who make this event possible.
2020 Panels
Digital Disruption in Agriculture: Modernizing the Value Chain
This panel will discuss the latest innovations maximizing data-driven insights in order to enhance producer decision making from season to season. Advancements in artificial intelligence, cloud computing, robotics, and IoT are being integrated to improving productivity and sustainability. It will bring together a broad set of perspectives on how analytics – once a novelty in agriculture – has become ubiquitous in all aspects of the industry
Investment in AgTech: A Maturing Industry?
While still a niche industry in the overall venture capital market, investment in foodtech and agtech startups has grown exponentially since 2012 – reaching $17 billion in 2018, according to AgFunder. This panel of experienced AgTech investors will discuss how the industry continues to “mature”, what technologies are attracting the most interest, why and what they hope to see in return.
Corporations and Collaboration: Industry Leaders on the State of Agriculture
Leading agriculture corporate executives will delve into today’s most pressing challenges, and the variety of ways that digital solutions are shifting the conversation away from just rehashing problems to implementing solutions. This panel will discuss strategies including (but not limited to) collaborations within industry; outsourcing innovation to startups; and partnering with academic institutions to advance their corporate technology portfolios.
Insights from Growers and Producers: Preparing for the Next Generation
Growers are on the “front lines” of bringing farming from the industrial age into the digital age, at a record pace. From land management to machinery to maximizing inputs, growers are not only balancing the need to adapt, but also how to make farming viable for the next generations. Our panel of growers will discuss how they’re navigating labor shortages, climate change and maximizing yields as they adopt new technologies and services.
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 Farm & 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
3:55 pm: Closing Remarks
4:00 pm: AgTech Showcase and Networking Event
AgTech Showcase
AgTech Summit History
Check out these highlights from our AgTech Innovation Summits of past years.