Chris Peacock is the CEO and Founder of AQUAOSO, a company that aims to build a water-resilient future through software and technologies that identify, analyze, and monitor water risk in the economy. Chris is a three-time water tech entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in the water industry. He works with agricultural lenders and helps reduce their financial risk by providing analytics and insights on water risk management.

Chris joins me today to share AQUAOSO’s main goal and how it can help interpret water data that can benefit both banks and farmers. He discusses the importance of knowing where farm water is sourced and how much water they use. He explains why there is an imperative need to address water needs from both an economic and humanitarian perspective. Chris also describes what happens if AQUAOSO becomes a successful company in the future.

“The reality is, extreme water events, degrading water quality, these are all happening. We need to find ways to manage around them. We can't really ignore them anymore.” - Chris Peacock

This Week on The Future of Agriculture Podcast:

• My thoughts on the current effects of the coronavirus.
• What AQUAOSO is and what it aims to do to help farmers.
• The importance of knowing water data and how it impacts bank loans.
• How AQUAOSO’s tech can help provide accurate water data.
• The different water problems and issues each state faces.
• How Chris defines water scarcity and how it impacts economics.
• The economics of water and how you price it.
• AQUAOSO’s plans for the business and what to expect in the future.
• The water risks we're facing now and what we should do.

Connect with Christopher Peacock

• AQUAOSO
• Email: chris@aquaoso.com
• LinkedIn

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Thanks for joining us on the Future of Agriculture Podcast – your spot for valuable information, content, and interviews with industry leaders throughout the agricultural space! If you enjoyed this week’s episode, please subscribe on Apple Podcasts and leave your honest feedback. Don’t forget to share it with your friends on your favorite social media spots! And be sure to join the new Future of Agriculture Membership for even more valuable information on the future of ag.

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Mark Kahn is the Managing Partner of Omnivore, an India-based venture capital firm specifically focusing on funding entrepreneurs who are working to advance agriculture and food systems. Before this role, Mark served as the Executive Vice President of Strategy and Business Development at Godrej Agrovet and Strategy Manager of Syngenta. Mark earned his MBA from Harvard Business School and has extensive experience in rural marketing, corporate strategy, product development, research and development, mergers and acquisitions, and new business incubation.

Mark joins me today to discuss his business, Omnivore, and share his insights on the agritech landscape in India. He shares differences between the makeup of the agricultural sectors in India versus the United States, including how the family dynamic plays a role in certain Indian aspects of agriculture such as dairy farming. Mark also explains impact investing, and what Omnivore looks for when it comes to choosing which start-ups to invest in.

“Venture capital is like jet fuel. If you put jet fuel in a jet, the jet flies. If you put jet fuel in a Ford, the Ford explodes.” - Mark Kahn

This Week on The Future of Agriculture Podcast:

• What led Mark to build his venture capital firm Omnivore and some of the companies the firm has invested in.
• How to determine whether or not your company is suited for venture capital and the role of scalability in making this determination.
• Trends Mark has noticed with entrepreneurship and the talent dynamic in India’s start-up sector.
• The farming dynamic in India, including how many farmers there are in the country and the average farm size.
• How the Indian dairy industry works, the socio-cultural aspects of this, and the industries India ranks highly in.
• What leads many smallholder farmers to want to adopt new technologies and how accessibility plays a role.
• What impact funding and impact investing is, how it is a spectrum, and how it differs from ESG investing.
• Changes Mark has seen in agriculture, what he sees for the future of agriculture, and why Mark prefers “agritech” over “agtech.”
• Mark’s thoughts on exits and three ways exits could happen.

Resources Mentioned:

• Upstream Ag Insights

Connect with Mark Kahn

• Omnivore
• Mark Kahn on LinkedIn

Share the Ag-Love! 

Thanks for joining us on the Future of Agriculture Podcast – your spot for valuable information, content, and interviews with industry leaders throughout the agricultural space! If you enjoyed this week’s episode, please subscribe on Apple Podcasts and leave your honest feedback. Don’t forget to share it with your friends on your favorite social media spots! And be sure to join the new Future of Agriculture Membership for even more valuable information on the future of ag.

Learn more about AgGrad by visiting: 

Future of Agriculture Website

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Sam Watson Jones is a fourth-generation farmer and the co-founder of Small Robot Company, an agri-tech startup firm that specializes in advancing agriculture through artificial intelligence and robotics. Specifically, Small Robot Company uses precision agriculture to promote efficiency over speed. Sam is also a director of his family’s farming, house building, and manufacturing business, Howle Manor Group.

Sam joins me today to discuss a different way of looking at precision agriculture and how his brand, Small Robot Company, is making waves in the agricultural industry. He shares some insights on agricultural technology entrepreneurship as well as current trends in agriculture. Sam also highlights how his brand’s technology enables per plant precision agriculture as well as his vision for the future of farming.

“We are not looking to replace the farmer. We are looking for this technology to empower the farmer.” - Sam Watson Jones

This Week on The Future of Agriculture Podcast:

• Sam’s journey back to his family’s farm and what he realized about the farm’s business model.
• The trend of precision farming and how big of an industry it currently is.
• The potential relationship between small smart machines and per plant precision farming.
• Concerns Sam has with bigger machines and the impact they could have on soil health.
• Sam’s perspective on what kills so many entrepreneurial ideas.
• The power of shifting your mindset from thinking “how” to thinking “who.”
• The three robots that Small Robot Company is working to create and their functions.
• Sam’s “farming as a service” model, how it differs from other models, and why his company chose that route.
• The reason monocultures exist, whether or not it is natural, and the implications.
• How innovation will influence big players in agriculture.
• The potential of what could happen to the cost of production over the next five years.
• How Sam’s farmer background aided his perspectives as an entrepreneur.
• Sam’s hopes for the future of agriculture, our farmlands, and the 4th Agricultural Revolution.
• The personality behind Small Robot Company and why this branding matters.

Resources Mentioned:

• Strategic Coach
• RootWave

Connect with Sam Watson Jones

• Small Robot Company
• Sam Watson Jones on LinkedIn

Share the Ag-Love! 

Thanks for joining us on the Future of Agriculture Podcast – your spot for valuable information, content, and interviews with industry leaders throughout the agricultural space! If you enjoyed this week’s episode, please subscribe on iTunes and leave your honest feedback. Don’t forget to share it with your friends on your favorite social media spots! 

Learn more about AgGrad by visiting: 

Future of Agriculture Website

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Michael Stenta is the software developer and owner of farmOS, a web-based app used for planning, record keeping, and general farm management. What sets farmOS apart from other apps is its open-source nature. This means the app can be tweaked or fixed by virtually any contributor. To take advantage of its open-source nature, Michael also created Farmier, a platform that makes it easy for farmers to update or host their farmOS systems.

Michael joins me today to discuss what farmOS is, its purpose, and why he decided to develop it. He shares where his passion for programming came from and what inspired him to apply his skills to the ag industry. He explains the unique aspects of creating an app that is open-source by nature and some of the benefits and risks involved with open-source platforms. Michael also describes what the farmOS community is like and the onboarding process involved with using the app.

"We've been sharing ideas forever. It's really the foundation of civilization." - Michael Stenta

This Week on The Future of Agriculture Podcast:

• When his passion for development met agriculture.
• Comparing software development to solving puzzles.
• The humble beginnings of farmOS and what it aims to do.
• What it's like working with an open-source community.
• The advantages of working with open-source software.
• The different costs involved in software development.
• What the farmOS community is like and its members.
• How farmers will be onboarded using farmOS.

Resources Mentioned:

• Drupal
• Discourse
• Farm Hack
• GOATech

Connect with Michael Stenta

• Farmier
• farmOS Community
• farmOS

Share the Ag-Love! 

Thanks for joining us on the Future of Agriculture Podcast – your spot for valuable information, content, and interviews with industry leaders throughout the agricultural space! If you enjoyed this week’s episode, please subscribe on Apple Podcasts and leave your honest feedback. Don’t forget to share it with your friends on your favorite social media spots! And be sure to join the new Future of Agriculture Membership for even more valuable information on the future of ag.

Learn more about AgGrad by visiting: 

Future of Agriculture Website

AgGrad Website

AgGrad on Twitter 
AgGrad on Facebook 
AgGrad on LinkedIn 
AgGrad on Instagram