Henry Gordon-Smith is considered one of the leading experts in urban agriculture. He is the Founder and Managing Director of Agritecture, a global urban agriculture consultation company that seeks to spread and promote the idea of urban and vertical farming. Part of Henry’s duties as Managing Director include overseeing projects, planning events and conferences, and networking with like-minded businesses. He has a BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia and an MSc in Sustainability Management from Columbia University.

Henry joins me today to share his passion for urban farming and discuss some of its more fascinating details. He explains what urban farming is, what makes it different from local farming, and how it can improve a city’s economic growth as well as its sustainability efforts. He shares research data on urban agriculture, how someone can be eligible to have an urban farm, and the potential profitability. Henry also describes what we can expect from their AgLanta conference in April 2019.

“If a certain population in the city know how to grow food, and there are policies to support it, the city will be able to impact its own food security and be more independent.” - Henry Gordon-Smith

This Week on The Future of Agriculture Podcast:

• How Henry became interested in working in agriculture.
• Why he chose blogging as a means to spread stories on Agritecture.
• Why we should be looking into urban farming and how it helps sustainability efforts.
• Where the most opportunities lie in sustainable urban farming.
• Emerging green technologies that embody the food, water, and energy systems.
• The difference between urban and local agriculture.
• Urban agriculture profitability and investments.
• The idea of replacing the sun using new technology.
• The types of plants that can thrive in an urban setting.
• Minimum requirements for someone to start urban farming.
• Some of the reasons urban farming fails and how to make it succeed.
• What to expect at the AgLanta conference.

Resources Mentioned:

• AgLanta
• AgTech X

Connect with Henry Gordon-Smith

• Agritecture
• LinkedIn

We Are a Part of a Bigger Family! 

The Future of Agriculture Podcast is now part of the Farm and Rural Ag Network. Listen to more ag-related podcasts by subscribing on iTunes or on the Farm and Rural Ag Network Website today. 

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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 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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Dr. Paul Zorner is the CEO of Locus Agricultural Solutions, an agricultural company that develops microbial “probiotics.” These microbial probiotics aim to become the alternative to conventional farm pesticides, effectively reducing chemical interaction with our crops as well as preserving soil health. Dr. Paul’s responsibilities as CEO include overseeing the company’s strategies, operations, and product development. He has over 40 years of experience in science and R&D operations from multiple international companies.

Dr. Paul joins us today to discuss the potential benefits of microbes for soil health and farm yield. He shares the science behind using microbes for soil and their untapped potential for the agriculture industry as a whole. He describes some of the microbes’ functions, how they are to be applied on crops, and how they can reduce pesticide usage. He also explains how these microbes can help reduce carbon gases in the atmosphere.

“We know more about the surface of the moon than we do about soil microbe ecology.” - Dr. Paul Zorner

This Week on The Future of Agriculture Podcast:

• Why he thinks microbes will revolutionize the agricultural industry.
• The microbes they've developed and their purpose in farming.
• How he proposes their microbes will work on various crops.
• How their company produces and mixes microbe "cocktails."
• Their marketing methods and how they do business with farmers.
• Carbon sequestration, the atmosphere, and soil sustainability.
• Real world examples of microbe usage in farms and their potential yields.
• Why microbes can reduce the use of chemical pesticides.

Connect with Dr. Paul Zorner

• Locus Ag
• LinkedIn

We Are a Part of a Bigger Family! 

The Future of Agriculture Podcast is now part of the Farm and Rural Ag Network. Listen to more ag-related podcasts by subscribing on iTunes or on the Farm and Rural Ag Network Website today. 

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

AgGrad Website

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Matt Zieger is the Vice President of Village Capital, a company that seeks startups offering innovative solutions and disruptive ideas that promote sustainability. As Vice President, he is responsible for developing strategic partnerships with individual investors, private organizations, and government projects. He specializes in cross-sector collaboration which allows him to weave multiple business entities into focusing on sustainability and economic growth.

Matt joins me today to discuss the idea of disruptive startups and why being disruptive may not be what the ag industry currently needs. He shares what Village Capital is all about, how they determine which companies they will invest in, and their business processes. He also shares the problems their company believes ag startups should focus on and describes when a company should scale and when it should just stay its course.

“The farm economy is the backbone of the American economy.” - Matt Zieger

This Week on The Future of Agriculture Podcast:

• What Village Capital is and the companies they invest in.
• The problems in the food system Village Capital aims to solve.
• Why displacing the ag industry is not always the solution.
• How they choose companies to invest in within the ag industry.
• What business models should be to benefit both investors and consumers.
• Why the "move fast and break things" business strategy is not applicable in ag.
• Determining whether it's time to grow and scale or to keep the cycle.
• What excites him the most about the future of the ag industry?

Resources Mentioned:

• Abaca
• Growing a Sustainable Food System

Connect with Matt Zieger

• Village Capital
• Twitter
• LinkedIn

We Are a Part of a Bigger Family! 

The Future of Agriculture Podcast is now part of the Farm and Rural Ag Network. Listen to more ag-related podcasts by subscribing on iTunes or on the Farm and Rural Ag Network Website today. 

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

AgGrad Website

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

Ross Thruston is the President and Founder of Livestock Water Recycling, a company that is implementing technology in animal agriculture units that recycles the water and nutrients from animal agriculture systems. He has over 30 years of experience in construction and environmental technology.

Jay Binversie is a third generation dairy farmer and the owner of Robinway Dairy and Bucky Organics. Robinway Dairy is a 1700 cow dairy farm based in Kiel, Wisconsin. Bucky Organics is a company that produces and sells organic plant nutrients. Jay has used the Livestock Water Recycling’s system on his dairy farm for over four years, extracting the nutrients from his cow’s manure and using it to create natural organic plant nutrient supplements for farmers.

Ross and Jay join me today to discuss nutrient cycling and the manure economy. Ross shares what inspired him to create a system for the agriculture industry and how it impacts farm sustainability. Jay shares the agricultural and economic advantages he has experienced since installing the system on his dairy farm as well as how implementing the system has opened new opportunities for growth and revenue. We also discuss how dairy farmers can utilize the LWR recycling system to extract valuable nutrients and materials from their farms to improve their soil health, increase product yields, and make a positive impact on the economy and environment.

“From a sustainability perspective, what we do in terms of compacting and segregating the nutrients lets the manure economy work so you can take nutrients back to your feed sources - which you were never able to do before.” - Ross Thurston

This Week on The Future of Agriculture Podcast:

• How Livestock Water Recycling got started in the animal agriculture industry.
• What inspired Ross to create the LWR system for the ag industry.
• How the LWR system is helping farmers increase product yields and create new income streams.
• Why Jay decided to implement the LWR system on his dairy farm.
• The economic advantages of implementing the LWR system.
• How using the system has impacted Jay’s life and business.
• The primary pain point that often drives producers to connect with Ross.
• The impact that the LWR system can have on ag sustainability.
• How the system can reduce greenhouse gasses in the environment.
• How it opens new opportunities for new marketplaces in the agriculture space.
• How the system has helped Jay reduce the use of antibiotics on his dairy farm.
• The impact that the manure economy has on a farmer’s ability to scale.
• Why farmers are often hesitant to implement new technologies.

Related Content:

• Episode 99: Nutrient Management, Intercropping, and The Sharing Economy with Jason Mauck
• Episode 139: Building a Family Dairy Business Through a Commitment to Sustainability and Rural Communities with Ken McCarty of McCarty Family Farms

Connect with Ross Thurston:

• Livestock Water Recycling
• LinkedIn

Connect with Jay Binversie:

• Robinway Dairy
• Bucky Organics

We Are a Part of a Bigger Family! 

The Future of Agriculture Podcast is now part of the Farm and Rural Ag Network. Listen to more ag-related podcasts by subscribing on iTunes or on the Farm and Rural Ag Network Website today. 

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

AgGrad Website

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