Pre-Conference Workshop Day, February 27, 2024

Workshop A – 9:00 A.M. to 11:00 A.M.

Meet the Growers: Educating on Workflow & Application to Inform Your Products & Increase Chances of Adoption

  • Brent Rendel Farmer, Owner, Operator, Rendel Farms
  • Matt Meisner Former Vice President, R&D & Data Science, Formerly Farmer’s Business Network
  • Steve Fritel Producer, Owner, Operator, East Barton Family Foods

Synopsis

Growers are looking to invest in products that are compatible with resources and current field applications, provide optimal yield and diversity – but what are the unexplored secrets? What tools and applications are currently being used in the field to promote crop growth? How do you find that balance between science and marketing to communicate effectively to growers?

Join this workshop with our trusted farmers to ask your questions, learn what good looks like, and the exact details of what your farmers need from you.

  • Discussing current equipment and tools taken under a grower’s wing to identify needs that need to be met and deliver accordingly
  • Identifying from a grower’s perspective how to better integrate products into the workflow and differentiate from competitors
  • Adapting to language and data requirements to ensure a holistic understanding on how to present products to meet grower expectations

Workshop B – 12:00 P.M. to 2:00 P.M.

Discovery: Unravelling Microbiome Mechanisms to Inform AgBiologics Formulation & High-Quality Crop Growth

Synopsis

With a crowded market and new agbiologic products on the rise, it’s becoming immensely difficult to differentiate amongst competitors and achieve commercial success.

In assessing the mechanisms taking place within the soil microbiome, the formulation process for your agbiologics can be optimized ten-fold, enabling you to unlock the full potential of your products and their effects on growers.

Join this workshop to get to know the bacteria in your soil and improve understanding of functionality to evolve the quality of your products.

  • Understanding the importance of biological composition to elicit characteristic optimization and better categorize your product within the market
  • Diving deep into biological composition: learning how to understand Rizhobia present in the soil to better inform decision making and crop compatibility
  • Learning how to undertake a personalized crop management approach to increase nitrogen-fixation and carbon-sequestration and unlock an untapped level of productivity for crops

Workshop C – 3 P.M. to 5 P.M.

Regenerate: Identifying Your Position Within the World of Regenerative Agriculture to Enhance Sustainability

  • James White Professor, Rutgers University
  • Dari Biswanath Agriculture and Natural Resource Specialist, North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University
  • Hongjun Wang Soil Science Lead/ Data Science Manager, Locus Agricultural Solutions

Synopsis

It’s been holistically recognized that regenerative agriculture is an emerging market with blossoming opportunities. Our expert speakers will shed light on regenerative agriculture opportunities and microbiome discovery to help pave the way for new products to emerge within the next 5 years.

Join this workshop to navigate the complexities of the microbiome to align with grower expectations and requirements.

  • Gaining a mechanistic understanding of microbial functionality – moving beyond genomics to enhance agbiologics evolution
  • Exploring the practicality of endophytes and related nutrient-use efficiency in order to boost effective production and application to take crops to new heights
  • Identifying where we are with understanding microbial interactions to help target characteristics and boost personalization on the market