From the outside looking in, most would be shocked to learn that Mahsa Vazin was once afraid of dogs. The PawCo Foods founder went from a career in chemistry and nanoscience to plant-based diets for humans in her role at Impossible Foods – and eventually, her work trickled into pet animals. AgriNovus spoke with Mahsa during the Rally Innovation Conference in Indianapolis to talk about gaps in the pet food market, key allergens in dogs and her fast-growing line of fresh, plant-based dog foods.
She gets into the emerging trends surrounding plant-based foods for humans and animals, approaching the direct-to-customer subscription sales model and her plans to grow and scale PawCo (hint: it involves the Midwest). Mahsa also talks about her advice to entrepreneurs and what’s ahead for her company.
PawCo Foods was announced as the winner of the Rally Innovation Conference In-Prize Pitch Competition and could receive up to $1M in funding for her company. Learn more here.
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AgriNovus today announced that Karis Witte will serve as its new career success manager, a role aimed at fostering connections between academia and industry to attract next-generation talent to agbioscience careers.
Witte, who joins AgriNovus from TEKsystems, will lead AgriNovus’ career exploration platform, Field Atlas, and its on-campus student ambassador program; both resources are designed to connect students to careers and companies hiring in traditional and allied agbioscience roles.
“As AgriNovus continues its bold ambition to grow Indiana’s agbioscience economy, building a high-caliber talent pipeline is critical to our success,” said Mitch Frazier, president and CEO of AgriNovus Indiana. “Karis’ experience in connecting talent to roles that best align with their strengths, coupled with her dedication to helping young people succeed, makes her a great fit for our team.”
Prior to her work at TEKsystems, Witte received her bachelor’s degree in business communications from Purdue University. She also served as vice president of engagement for College Mentors for Kids, Inc. and is an active volunteer at Partners for Animal Welfare Society.
The addition of Witte to the AgriNovus team comes aligned with the fall school semester and a new class of Field Atlas Ambassadors. To learn more about Field Atlas, click here.
Patented cooling pads developed by animal science experts keep boars and sows cooler, improve their feed intake and milk output, and increase piglet wean weight
IHT Group, a division of Decisive Dividend Corp. (TSXV: DE) based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, is bringing patented cooling pad technology for hogs to the North American market in spring 2024.
The pads are 2-foot-by-4-foot aluminum tread plates on top of copper pipes that circulate water. Sensors in the pads determine if the hog is too hot and circulate new water to keep the pad cool. The technology was designed by researchers in Purdue University’s Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering and Department of Animal Sciences.
Heat harms hogs
Record heat across North America impacts not just people but also animals, including farmers’ livestock. Francisco Cabezon, research president at Pipestone Research, which specializes in swine health research and recommendations, said overheating can cause problems for hogs.
“Under heat stress conditions, lactating sows reduce their feed intake and milk output to attempt to reduce their metabolic heat production. In consequence, their piglet growth and subsequent reproductive performance is negatively affected,” said Cabezon, who earned his PhD at Purdue University. “In boars, some negative impacts of heat stress are decreased sperm motility and concentration and an increase in sperm abnormalities.”
Chris Grant, IHT president, said farmers benefit when their swine aren’t affected by heat stress.
“Animal welfare and well-being improve when heat stress is reduced,” Grant said. “Farmers will have a larger, healthier animal that can grow better and has a better chance of survivability at the next stage.”
Tests prove benefits
Allan Schinckel, a professor in Purdue’s Department of Animal Sciences, and Robert M. Stwalley III, associate clinical professor in Purdue’s Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, designed the cooling pads.
“The Purdue-developed IHT active swine cooling pads will represent a paradigm shift in hog production, increasing both operational efficiency and animal welfare,” Stwalley said. “We are refining the pads and their materials, currently testing stainless steel pipes versus copper pipes to continue optimizing their performance.”
Schinckel said the initial research showed the cooling pads make sows more comfortable.
“We saw a decrease in their overall respiration rates, slightly lower internal temperatures and lower daily maximum temperatures. The sows also produced more heat, which corresponded to an increase in their feed intake and milk production; this improves animal welfare and well-being,” Schinckel said. “Piglets who were on the cooling pads had a 26% increase in weaning weight and 7.2% increase in feed intake.”
The initial research at Purdue also showed the cooling pads maintained boars’ semen quality by reducing heat stress abnormalities. The pads kept the boars cool even at high environmental temperatures and high humidity. They also kept the boars’ respiration rate low.
Peer-reviewed papers about the initial research have been published in journals including Applied Engineering in Agriculture, Applied Animal Science, Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, Journal of Animal Science, Livestock Science, The Professional Animal Scientist and the Journal of the ASABE (American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers).
Schinckel will present a poster about the effects of cooling pads on sows prior to farrowing and mid and late lactation at the Allen D. Leman Swine Conference, which takes place Sept. 16-19 at Saint Paul RiverCentre in Minnesota.
Initial research on the cooling pads’ effects on boars, sows and gilts conducted at Purdue was funded by grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the Agricultural Science and Extension for Economic Development, or AgSEED, program from Purdue’s College of Agriculture. IHT Group supported beta tests at Pipestone Research in Minnesota, led by Cabezon, and at Purdue and two commercial facilities in the U.S. IHT Group funded a graduate student at Purdue during the beta test period. Data from those tests is being complied for summarization for analyses.
Manufacturing and sales
IHT evaluated pads for their commercial assessment under a Commercial Evaluation Agreement with the Purdue Innovates Office of Technology Commercialization. Based on the results of the evaluation, IHT and OTC negotiated an exclusive license for manufacturing and selling the pads.
“We will sell the pads across North America in spring 2024 as farmers prepare for the heat stress of the summer,” Grant said. “That launch date will also allow us to compile and analyze final data from the boar stud tests, which will be available in October.”
Their combined experience in agbioscience leadership has paved the way for Katie Sauer and Scott Keetle’s venture into helping industry companies grow and scale. This week, the Epiphium Advising co-founders join us to talk about helping companies find their innovative spirit, using insights to help agbioscience companies grow and creating processes and procedures to enable business success.
How do you help entrepreneurs grow while you’re also trying to grow a consulting business? Katie and Scott talk about the key ingredients that startups and medium-sized businesses need to consider, slowing down to speed up and making sure you focus as much on whole business growth as much as product growth. They also talk about digging deep into your organization to find great ideas from your team and staying curious to unlock new potential.
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Partnership will enable development of new engineered medicines to address unmet needs in animal health
The Indiana Biosciences Research Institute (IBRI), a leading translational research organization, is pleased to announce an integrated drug discovery collaboration with BiomEdit, the most advanced microbiome company in animal health.
“This collaboration leverages the IBRI’s strong translational science capabilities in partnership with BiomEdit to pursue opportunities that otherwise would not happen,” said Alan Palkowitz, PhD, president and CEO of the IBRI. “Our Diabetes Center, combined with the power of our iPSC (induced pluripotent stem cell) Lab, will allow us to contribute to BiomEdit’s efforts to address unmet needs in animal health with the potential to impact human health.”
In recent years, studies into microorganisms in the gut (known as the microbiome) have led to a basic understanding of their role in human and animal health and in how foods are digested and glucose metabolism is regulated in the gastrointestinal tract. Influencing the gut microbiome can have a major impact on human health – and, similarly, can impact the health, well-being and performance of animals.
“The talented team at the IBRI brings unique capabilities, skills and innovative insights that will further our combined efforts to advance novel microbiome-based approaches to addressing chronic conditions in companion animals,” said Aaron Schacht, CEO of BiomEdit. “We’re also very interested in demonstrating how studying and developing products for animal health can create powerful translational insights as starting points for analogous human conditions. The IBRI is an ideal partner for BiomEdit in this important project.”
This collaboration utilizes the synergistic application of the IBRI’s drug discovery capabilities combined with the deep expertise of BiomEdit’s R&D team, which has advanced a novel approach to addressing a chronic condition with an engineered live bacterial therapeutic. By combining the strengths of BiomEdit and the IBRI, the collaboration looks to develop a new approach to keep animals, specifically cats, healthy in a safe and sustainable way.
The collaboration between the IBRI and BiomEdit is underwritten by the Indiana 21st Century Research and Technology Fund (21 Fund), created by the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC). The 21 Fund is a dedicated investment fund for Indiana-based companies in a growth stage that have a market size of more than $1 billion and demonstrate clear, sustainable competitive advantages and specific measurable outcomes with an in-state, non-profit research partner.
“Access to the 21 Fund and Indiana’s full ecosystem of support for growth-stage companies like BiomEdit unlocks our ability to innovate transformative, novel solutions faster,” said Schacht. “We are grateful for IEDC and their fund administrator, Applied Research Institute (ARI), for their support of BiomEdit’s mission to address some of the most important problems in animal health, sustainability and food security.”
Artificial intelligence is projected to be among the fastest-growing jobs through 2027 based on survey results highlighted by World Economic Forum earlier this year. Known as AI, the discipline is making an impact on agbioscience, and today’s guest is partnering with a well-known celebrity’s foundation to ensure the agbioscience economy has the AI talent it needs. Dominique Pianeli, Senior Product Manager from Corteva, joins us to talk tech as a way of expressing her creativity and building tech platforms as a way of solving problems being huge in all sectors – from MySpace to Hobby Lobby, enter her career in agbioscience.
Dominique gets into AI as it relates to agbioscience, Corteva’s partnership with The Mark Cuban Foundation AI Bootcamp and bringing high school students along to learn more about their future career opportunities; hint: there’s another one coming soon and an opportunity to register! She gets into what students can expect from Camp Corteva, where to apply at markcubanai.org/cortevaai and how the camp paves the way for young people to imagine the future of AI.
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IEDC Chief Strategy Officer Ann Lathrop appointed to join Rosenberg on Governor’s Cabinet
Governor Eric J. Holcomb today named David Rosenberg, Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) chief operating officer and chief of staff, as the state’s Secretary of Commerce effective immediately. Ann Lathrop, IEDC’s chief strategy officer, will continue to lead the agency’s integrated business development strategy while assuming more of the agency’s strategy-focused responsibilities. Lathrop will join Rosenberg on Gov. Holcomb’s cabinet.
“David has been instrumental in guiding the IEDC team over the last two years, and I am confident in his ability to continue to lead the strong team and Indiana’s extraordinary economic momentum,” said Gov. Holcomb. “Under Ann’s leadership of the IEDC’s business development team, Indiana has pivoted its focus to attracting the economy of the future. I am thrilled to have both David and Ann join my cabinet, and I know their leadership will help solidify more wins that will provide opportunities to Hoosiers for decades to come.”
Rosenberg, who joined the IEDC in August 2021, began his career as deputy chief of staff and director of enterprise development for former Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard. He also previously served as operations officer for Indianapolis Public Schools and vice president of operations for Market Street Group. As chief operating officer and chief of staff for the IEDC, Rosenberg oversaw the agency’s operations, cultural and young professional development team, as well as several strategic IEDC initiatives, including the Indiana Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative (READI), and the LEAP Innovation and Research District in Boone County.
“I’m incredibly humbled and grateful to Governor Holcomb for the opportunity to lead the IEDC and serve Hoosiers as Indiana’s next secretary of commerce,” Rosenberg said. “Over the last two years, we’ve executed against a strategic vision that enables businesses and talent to be successful in Indiana while setting new committed capital investment records and unprecedented investments in communities throughout the state. Our focus on the economy of the future will impact generations as we ensure Indiana continues competing to win.”
Rosenberg serves as a board member for BSA’s Crossroads of America Council, Visit Indy and KIPP Indy Public Schools. He has been recognized as one of Indiana’s 250 most influential leaders and a Forty Under 40 leader by the Indianapolis Business Journal. He and his wife, Ali, reside in Zionsville with their children, Will and Lily.
Lathrop joined the IEDC in November 2021 with more than 30 years of combined experience in business development, sales, finance and brand management. She began her career as an auditor for KPMG and went on to serve as deputy mayor for the city of Indianapolis before transitioning to city controller. Most recently, she served as Crowe’s first chief marketing officer, where she led marketing and brand strategy and realigned the Inside Sales team deployment. As chief strategy officer of the IEDC, Ann oversees Indiana’s integrated approach to business development aligning external engagement, workforce, business development, foreign direct investment, federal engagement, government-to-government relations, defense, foreign policy and trade to meet the speed and needs of the market.
“Our future-focused economic strategy has produced historic results, created quality careers for Hoosiers, modernized and professionalized our economic tools and built a highly motivated, highly engaged team that truly loves the work and service they deliver,” said Lathrop. “I am thankful for the opportunity to serve alongside David on Gov. Holcomb’s cabinet and continue this incredible work with the IEDC team.”
Less than 1 percent of startups in the world are funded by venture capital, yet venture remains the focus for many seeking to advance innovation. Today’s guest is a veteran of the venture capital community and is here to shed more light on the role of venture and share a few tips for startups and big companies alike. Ting Gootee, CEO of TechPoint, joins us to talk capital connectivity in startups, big companies investing to create strategic product consolidation and how the venture community is evolving in the Midwest at large.
Ting also talks about investor interest in agbioscience and driving momentum using the customer voice. As the past Chief Investment Officer at Elevate Ventures, she lays out quick tips for entrepreneurs getting ready to make their first pitch including and how to create an “aha” moment rather than a “so what” moment. Ting also lays out for big companies the benefits of working with startups and entrepreneurs to expand their portfolio of solutions and looks ahead at agtech and its acceleration in Indiana.
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Croft streamlines the H-2A process, saving farms, their H-2A agents and recruiters, and workers time, money, and hassle
Croft Technology, Inc., the agribusiness workforce platform backed by Purdue University DIAL Ventures and High Alpha Innovation, has onboarded its first H-2A workers in Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, and Indiana. In 2023, Croft will eliminate paperwork and manual H-2A processes, while increasing worker success, to help labor-intensive farms increase profit across the country.
Labor takes up to 40% of a specialty crop farm’s operating budget, and this number is only increasing. Today, over 12,000 farms in the U.S. rely on the H-2A visa program to fill labor gaps. Croft digitizes worker data and automates onboarding steps and labor management workflows, leading to decreased back-office costs, faster worker ramp-up, and more accurate records for automated form filing and audits.
“Croft’s subscription-based online software is easy for our workers and staff to understand and use. There’s no more waiting around to fill out forms or lines of workers,” said Courtney Hamilton Griffin, Director of Operational Support, Southern Valley Fruit & Vegetable, Inc.
Next up, Croft is adding functionality that helps workers connect with jobs that will increase their success. The resulting productivity gains will have a significant impact on worker satisfaction leading to profitability, enabling farmers to do more with fewer resources.
“Helping H-2A farms and their partners digitally collaborate to streamline labor processes is just the start. Once workers onboard in Croft, we can set them up for success with the right jobs and crews,” said Scott Prince, CEO, Croft. “Croft is helping growers and their partners reach their profit margin goals.”
Croft’s innovative platform has far-reaching implications for the agricultural ecosystem. Employers, their H-2A agents and recruiters, and workers will benefit from digitally collaborating for the first time for more efficient and cost-effective hiring workflows. Longer term, the move towards digitization enables farmers with actionable business intelligence, providing them with valuable real-time data and insights to make faster strategic decisions about their operations.
The labyrinth of navigating foreign worker programs is one that is navigated by many … including many here in agbioscience. It’s a dizzying maze of service providers, forms, agencies and advisors, and it’s a system that a new startup connected to Purdue University is seeking to improve. Today we welcome agtech company Croft founder and CEO Scott Prince.
Scott is no stranger to startups. He gets into his passion for starting and growing businesses, what Croft aims to solve through innovation and what it would mean for the challenge to go un-solved. Farms struggle to find seasonal talent to help their operations run efficiently and Scott dives into the H2A program, the experience for the farm operator and the employee and how this streamlined option creates better trusting work relationships on both sides.
So why does an IU grad get into a venture studio at Purdue University? Scott gets into the go-to-market resources and opportunity to collaborate with a base of professionals that allow them to accelerate quickly and optimize their product. He also talks Indiana’s agtech ecosystem and what’s ahead for Croft.
