AGENDA

Unlocking the Value of Innovation

Hear from a past attendee about the value of attending the VISION CONFERENCE.

Monday, January 22, 2024

8:00 am – 2:00 pm

Women in Ag Tech Meeting

1:00 pm – 5:00 pm

VISION Registration and Conference Material Pickup

2:00 pm – 5:30 pm

Attendee Lounge Open 

Stop by the Attendee Lounge to meet up with colleagues, network, or use the space to catch up on emails.  Don’t miss Happy Hour 4-5:30 pm!

Tuesday, January 23, 2024

7:00 am – 4:00 pm

Registration and Conference Material Pickup

8:00 am – 9:00 am

Breakfast

Begin the day engaging in meaningful conversation while making new connections over breakfast, as you fuel up for a full day of sessions and group discussions.

9:00 am – 9:15 am

Welcome and Opening Remarks 

HOST

Clare Forestier
Emcee

PRESENTER

Heather Tunstall
Corporate Content Director
Meister Media Worldwide

PRESENTER

Joe Monahan
President and Chief Operating Officer
Meister Media Worldwide

9:15 am – 10:00 am

KEYNOTE 

Seeding the Future: Navigating Ag Tech Horizons in the Next 2-5 Years 

Delve into the latest research and survey findings shaping the present and future of agricultural technologies on both national and global scales. This illuminating session will offer a comprehensive analysis of the significance of these findings for C-suite ag tech providers, retailers, and growers alike. Explore the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead as we navigate the dynamic terrain of agricultural innovation and gain valuable insights to steer your organization towards sustainable growth and success in the ever-evolving ag tech landscape. 

PRESENTER

Vasanth Ganesan
Partner, McKinsey & Company

10:00 am – 10:45 am

Revolutionizing Ag Tech Adoption: Proving the ROI to Farmers

Unlock the path to agricultural innovation by addressing the most crucial question on every farmer’s mind: “What’s the return on my time and investment?” Discover how to empower farmers to embrace change, overcome the barriers to ag tech adoption, and showcase how technology can pave the way to higher crop yields and increased revenue.

  • Gain practical strategies for showcasing ROI in ag tech adoption.
  • Learn how to effectively communicate the value proposition to farmers.
  • Understand the key metrics to measure and demonstrate ROI in agriculture.
  • Explore innovative approaches to address common barriers in ag tech adoption.

Our panelists will delve into the strategies and success stories that bridge the gap between traditional farming practices and cutting-edge agricultural technology.

MODERATOR

Vonnie Estes
Vice President of Innovation
International Fresh Produce Association 

PANELIST

Chad Hertz
Chief Operating Officer
Hertz Farm Management, Inc.

PANELIST

Tim Bucher
CEO & Co-founder
Agtonomy

PANELIST

Ben Voss, P.Eng, ICD.D
Director of Sales, North America and Australia
Raven Industries 

10:45 am – 11:45 am

Business Break

This is your time to exchange ideas, build relationships, and explore potential collaborations and partnerships. Catch up on emails and work or simply take a break to recharge.

11:45 am – 12:45 pm

Lunch

Grab a seat and enjoy a delicious lunch with colleagues, industry friends, and new connections.

1:00 pm – 2:00 pm

Strategic Solutions Teams

The Strategic Solutions Teams Challenge is an interactive session designed to harness the collective expertise and creativity of the industry leaders at The VISION Conference.

By breaking into three focused groups, participants will collaboratively tackle pressing challenges in AI and data usage, infrastructure and support barriers, and ag tech adoption. This platform presents a unique opportunity for all stakeholders to share their knowledge and resources to drive innovative solutions that will propel the industry forward.  The three groups will return to the main conference room to discuss the solutions developed during the challenges.

Problem Statement: Generative AI holds immense promise in transforming ag tech applications. Consider how generative AI can analyze vast amounts of data for real takeaways, enhance crop modeling, optimize resource allocation, and revolutionize yield predictions. Generative AI poses equally immense challenges, including lack of generative model transparency and data quality, relativity, and availability.

Objective: The mission for your team is to explore and articulate the strategic utilization of generative AI in agriculture. Ideate how this technology can be harnessed to drive real-world benefits for growers. Develop strategies that outline the ethical deployment of generative AI, address data needs, and offer solutions for potential integration challenges.

FACILITATOR
Sidhartha Bhandari
Global Practice Lead Food and Agriculture
Publicis Sapient

Problem Statement: One of the significant hurdles hindering widespread Ag Tech adoption lies in farmers’ legitimate concerns over infrastructure and support. This encompasses the dual challenges of limited access to reliable rural broadband and wireless connectivity across vast agricultural fields, as well as the need for dependable, local resources for timely service, readily available parts, and long-term maintenance support.

Objective: This challenge aims to ideate, prototype, and propose scalable solutions that address these critical infrastructure and support gaps. Participants are encouraged to think innovatively, considering technologies, partnerships, and strategies that can provide sustainable, accessible, and cost-effective solutions.

FACILITATOR
Adam Farmer
Chief Technology Officer
Mercer Landmark

Problem Statement: Bridging the gap between potentially groundbreaking Ag Tech solutions and their extensive adoption by farmers remains a pivotal challenge. Key obstacles encompass financial constraints, connectivity limitations in remote fields, data saturation, and the tools to acquaint growers with these transformative technologies.

Objective: How can we bridge the gap between innovative Ag Tech solutions and their widespread adoption among farmers? Help devise actionable strategies to empower growers and revolutionize the agricultural landscape for a sustainable future.

FACILITATOR
Kathleen Glass
VP Of Marketing
AquaSpy

2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Business Break

This is your time to exchange ideas, build relationships, and explore potential collaborations and partnerships. Catch up on emails and work or simply take a break to recharge.

3:00 pm – 3:30 pm

Strategic Solutions Teams Challenge Report Out

MODERATOR

Clare Forestier
Emcee

FACILITATOR

Sidhartha Bhandari
Global Practice Lead Food and Agriculture
Publicis Sapient 

FACILITATOR

Adam Farmer
Chief Technology Officer
Mercer Landmark

FACILITATOR

Kathleen Glass
VP Of Marketing
AquaSpy

3:30 pm – 4:15 pm

Turning Data Deluge into Strategic Insights: Maximizing Growth Potential for C-Suite Leaders

In today’s data-rich agricultural landscape, the challenge lies not in the volume of information, but in its quality and utilization. This session equips leaders with actionable strategies to navigate and extract valuable insights from the digital haystack.

  • Gain insights into cutting-edge data management technologies shaping the future of agriculture.
  • Learn how to discern quality data for informed decision-making.
  • Implement robust cybersecurity measures for fortified operations.
  • Establish unassailable traceability in data workflows for enhanced accountability.

This panel discussion holds the potential to influence the future of agriculture in tangible ways.

MODERATOR

Sebastian Ortiz-Chamorro
VP of Engineering for Latin America
MentorMate

PANELIST

Doug Applegate
President, Applegate Acres
CEO, Praxidyn

PANELIST

Kevin Krieg
Director, Business Development
Intelinair

PANELIST

Brent Shedd
AgTech Executive 

4:15 pm – 5:00 pm

Driving Ag Tech Adoption: The Power of Interoperability and Collaboration

Interoperability is key to unlocking the full potential of ag tech solutions. Successfully doing so helps ag tech professionals to leverage diverse tools effectively, leading to improved decision-making, operational efficiency, and overall productivity – and higher ag tech adoption.

  • Gain insights into practical strategies for establishing an interconnected ag tech ecosystem.
  • Learn about current and proposed standardization practices for seamless compatibility among diverse tech solutions.
  • Discover the power of data sharing protocols in driving collaborative ag tech solutions.
  • Understand the benefits of plug-and-play, itemized purchasing for ag tech professionals.
  • Explore success stories showcasing improved decision-making and operational efficiency through interoperability.

This panel of leaders promises actionable insights to drive ag tech adoption through increasing efficiency, productivity, and overall success in the agricultural industry.

MODERATOR

Aaron Magenheim
COO & Co-Founder
Lighthouse Ag

PANELIST

Bob Trogele
Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President
AMVAC

PANELIST

Ben Sloan
Vice President of Strategy and Product
Ever.Ag

PANELIST

Martha Montoya
Chief Executive Officer
Agtools, Inc.

5:00 pm – 6:30 pm

Networking Reception

Finish off the day with casual networking and wind down with hors d’oeuvres and a cocktail as you share ideas and build relationships that last far beyond the conference.

Wednesday, January 24, 2024

8:00 am – 9:00 am

Breakfast

9:00 am – 9:15 am

Day Two Opening Remarks

Clare Forestier, Host

Jennifer Goldston, Founder and CEO, AgTech PR

HOST

Clare Forestier
Emcee

PRESENTER

Jennifer Goldston
Founder and CEO
AgTech PR

9:15 am – 10:00 am

KEYNOTE

Exploring Cross-Industry Synergies to Enable the Ag Tech Evolution 

Brian Lutz will take the stage for a keynote that looks beyond the traditional boundaries of the agriculture industry. This session will challenge your thinking — pointing to tech as an enabler to our industry versus the solution — and how we can come together to leverage tech enablers both inside and outside of agriculture to solve for the challenges ahead. Join us as we dive into the cross-industry synergies that will shape the future of ag tech.

PRESENTER

Brian Lutz
VP, Agricultural Solutions
Corteva Agriscience

10:00 am – 10:45 am

Cross-Industry Insights: Accelerating Ag Tech Advancement and Adoption

Historically, agriculture has been behind other industries in tech advancement and adoption. In this panel, we will connect with experts across diverse fields – aerospace, biotech, construction, financial services – to glean insights into how these industries address challenges parallel to those in agriculture. From seamless integration in medical devices to robust cybersecurity and data privacy in finance, discover existing solutions and drivers with the potential to propel agricultural technology toward exponential growth.

  • Gain cross-industry perspectives on advancing ag tech, drawing from pioneers in the biotech, IT, manufacturing, and CPG sectors.
  • Explore key solutions that have the potential to drive our industry toward unparalleled growth.
  • Uncover innovative drivers that are poised to revolutionize the trajectory of agricultural technology.

This panel isn’t just about bridging industries – it’s about launching agriculture into a future of unprecedented advancement. Join us for a session that promises to ignite the next wave of ag tech innovation.

MODERATOR

Ram Devarajulu
Director
Cambridge Consultants 

PANELIST

Ron Osborne
Global Head of Technology, Agriculture
Amazon Web Services (AWS) 

PANELIST

Cassie Edgar
Biotech Attorney – Partner
McKee Voorhees & Sease PLC

PANELIST

Meiko Martin
Director of Business Development, Off-Road Autonomy
Trimble

10:45 am – 11:15 am

Business Break

This is your time to exchange ideas, build relationships, and explore potential collaborations and partnerships. Catch up on emails and work or simply take a break to recharge.

11:15 am – 12:00 pm

Cultivating Resilience: Harnessing Ag Tech for Sustainable Agriculture Transformation

As the agricultural landscape grapples with macro issues such as extreme weather, economic pressures, and evolving consumer demands, growers are compelled to not only prepare for challenges but also adapt their entire business models. The imperative for sustainability spans the entire supply chain, from soil to crop to table. Join our panel discussion to explore how cutting-edge agricultural technology serves as a catalyst for this transformative journey.

MODERATOR

Susan Groeneveld
Founder
sylvester.ai

PANELIST

Steve Sibulkin
Chief Executive Officer and Board Member
BioLumic

PANELIST

Ben Cloud
Chief Executive Officer
Biodel AG

12:00 pm – 12:30 pm

Unlocking the Value of Innovation: Global Ag Tech Alliance’s Vision for the Future

The sessions and outlooks discussed at VISION will have inspired you and you’ll leave with a fresh perspective on the future of agriculture. Our Global Ag Tech Alliance panel will present the key insights and takeaways that will shape our industry in the years to come.

MODERATOR

Clare Forestier
Emcee

PANELIST

Ernie Chappell
Founder and Former President
Ever.Ag Agribusiness

PANELIST

Kathleen Glass
VP Of Marketing
AquaSpy

PANELIST

Maia Donahue
Digital Farming Lead
Corteva Agriscience

PANELIST

Ron Osborne
Global Head of Technology, Agriculture
Amazon Web Services (AWS) 

12:30 pm – 1:30 pm

Lunch

Strengthen connections made with colleagues and reflect on the valuable insights gained over the last two days while enjoying a delicious lunch as you finish out your time at The VISION Conference.

1:30 pm

The 2024 VISION Conference Concludes

Agenda as of 11-14-2023