Ag Future: Innovation in Agri-Food

Consumers are growing more and more environmentally conscious, and many have started to experiment with meat-free options. From plant-based burgers to burgers made entirely of tissue-cultured meat, are these really the "alternative meats of the future?" What does this mean for the beef industry, and which option is actually better for the environment?

How do you attract and retain dairy farm employees? Jorge Delgado, dairy advisor at Alltech, highlights how the labor force in dairy is changing and the importance of creating a work culture with strong values where employees feel respected.

By the year 2022, pig diets in the EU will be free of zinc oxide thanks to a recently passed ban. Jacob Dahl, chief nutritionist of Vilofoss, an international feed company, discusses the negative effects of using zinc oxide in pig feed and how the company is working to provide solutions for the future. How will pig producers face these new challenges?

Among the challenges faced by the swine industry, this one may not be on the radar. In reality, deaths due to sows crushing their young costs producers billions of dollars a year. SwineTech, a U.S. based startup, is solving the problem using artificial intelligence and sensors to prevent piglet deaths. Can the next generation of ag-tech increase efficiency and improve profitability on the pig farm?

We are in the midst of some of the most significant scientific breakthroughs since Norman Borlaug's Green Revolution of the 1940s. Just as his innovative approach to crop science saved billions of lives, agriculture now stands poised to feed the rising population. What technology will drive the new era? Dr. Richard Lally joins us to discuss the most promising research from the field.

Floating islands of plastic waste. Sea turtles with straws lodged in their nostrils. Images abound and emotions are high as the critical problem of single use plastics floats to the surface. At the same time, food waste is as high as 40% in some countries. How do we balance the preservation of our most perishable products with protecting our environment? We explore the complex issues with Karl Deily of Sealed Air and find opportunities for hope.

With a mortality rate of up to 30%, blackhead disease can be detrimental to the flock and to poultry producers. Dr. Robert Beckstead's team at North Carolina State University is conducting research on the disease on a molecular level. Are there alternative treatments and preventatives to consider? In this podcast, Dr. Beckstead shares why producers may reconsider their feeding strategy in the future.

Dr. Frank Mitloehner has done the math on the livestock industry’s contribution to climate change. He is a professor in the Department of Animal Science at the University of California, Davis, specializing in measurement and mitigation of airborne pollutants from livestock production, including greenhouse gases, VOCs, ammonia, hydrogen sulfide and particulate matter. Dr. Mitloehner joins us for a closer look at the claims against agriculture and what he says are the truths behind the actual environmental impact of cattle production.

Livestock misses out on about 25 percent of the available nutrients in feedstuffs, resulting in a $4-quadrillion loss the ag industry can't afford as it works to feed the growing population. Dr. Kyle McKinney focuses on solutions that allow animals to get the most from their feed, increasing efficiency and profitability. He joins us to discuss how enzyme technology offers hope for supporting a planet of plenty.

Can we provide the engineering solutions to meet the challenges of the open ocean? And can we realistically produce five-kilo salmon onshore in closed systems? We take a deep-dive into the future of salmon farming with Dr. Oyvind Fylling-Jensen, CEO of Nofima, the Norwegian Institute of Food, Fisheries and Aquaculture Research.