Agbioscience

August was a wet one! We kick this episode off by recapping Indiana's heavy rains and its impact on the state's agbioscience ecosystem. Highlights include: Velocity's 12 startups, an accelerator update and AgriNovus' Senior Director of Innovation Tim Dixon's required reading list for innovators (plus one band recommendation). Books include: Watch Tim's episode of Agbioscience and his preview of Velocity here: https://youtu.be/loP_NAz6X7IKeystone Cooperative joining as a collaborator on Alloy Partners' One Health Studio (check out Ben Lewis, One Health Studio Director at Alloy Ventures', episode of Agbioscience here: https://youtu.be/JQxFCkmEB1E)Anu + Hancock Health working together to bring precision nutrition to their healthcare system (check out Scott Massey, CEO of Anu, on Agbioscience here: https://youtu.be/B6eAcp7E4c4)Purdue DIAL Ventures' announcement of their four innovation fellows (check out DIAL's Allan Gray on Agbioscience here: https://youtu.be/SO4oHbJBOuo)All of this news as proof points for BioHeartland and the region's momentum (check out BioHeartland here: https://inbioheartland.com/)AgriNovus' Field Atlas program, its 13 student Ambassadors, where we'll be on campus this fall and how employers can connect to agbioscience talent through this platform and its programs (visit https://myfieldatlas.com/)MOST IMPORTANT: we discuss food is health and State Fair food -- yes, in one sentence.

Henry Markarian, Co-Founder and CEO of Integrated Dynamics, joins us this week to explore a technology platform aimed at unlocking new value from existing ethanol infrastructure. Henry shares the founding story behind the company, the problem Integrated Dynamics set out to solve and why its approach to repurposing operating, underused and idle assets could matter in the next phase of the bioeconomy’s growth. Highlights include: The origin story behind Integrated Dynamics, the market problem it was built to solve and the opportunity the team saw from the beginning. A practical model built on reusing existing ethanol and industrial infrastructure, and why that approach could be especially compelling from both a speed-to-market and cost perspective. How the technology works, including why high temperature matters and how that affects performance, economics and operational design. Henry dives into whether the Integrated Dynamics model introduces additional capital or operating costs and how those factors fit into commercial viability. Strategic rationale for pursuing cellulosic ethanol, including why ethanol remains an important platform within the evolving bioeconomy. How Integrated Dynamics expects to compete, along with the risks and tailwinds he sees shaping the broader market. Winning AgriNovus’ Velocity in 2025 elevated the company’s visibility and credibility and recognition unlocked in subsequent conversations. How the company’s technology could affect farm economics, ecological outcomes, input costs and potential revenue streams if it succeeds at scale. Economics of deploying the model through Greenfield, Brownfield and idle plant strategies, as well as through licensing or joint ventures. Integrated Dynamics' next phase of growth, including how the team may evolve over the next 12 to 24 months.

Heartland BioWorks was formed to help the Midwest advance its position of leadership in the next era of bioscience innovation. By uniting industry, academia, workforce leaders, and public partners, the organization was created to accelerate discovery, grow talent and build a stronger, more connected bioeconomy across the region. We are joined this week by Michelle Dennis, Regional Innovation Officer for Heartland BioWorks, to talk the federal Tech Hub designation, our existing strengths and moving innovation to market faster. Highlights include: An overview of the work Michelle’s team is leading to advance the bioeconomy in Indiana Momentum in discussion around onshoring and biomanufacturing in the US – and why that’s critical Gaps identified by stakeholders across the industry that Heartland BioWorks is uniquely positioned to address Bridging the gap between scientific discovery and innovation and commercial scale- up through Heartland BioWorks’ BioLAUNCH Where Michelle sees promising intersections between agbioscience, biotech and advanced manufacturing What Michelle believes makes a strong ecosystem of connecting startups, companies, researchers and investors across domains Workforce skills most needed in this growing bioeconomy and how BioTRAIN is creating a wider funnel for talent in its pipeline Biggest opportunities Michelle sees for industry, academia and public partners to continue working together to build the state’s talent base Emerging trends that excite Michelle and where she believes agbioscience should be paying attention right now What success looks like to Michelle over the next five years What’s ahead that has her most excited for Heartland BioWorks

Last week, AgriNovus announced that 12 startups will participate in its 2026 Velocity accelerator, a five-month program that awards entrepreneurs a total of $75,000 in cash prizes for their technology solutions divided equally between the strategic categories: bioinnovation, farmer-focused innovation and food is health. Behind this year’s cohort magic is the organization’s Senior Director of Innovation, Tim Dixon, who joins us this week. He gets into: Tim’s journey to joining the AgriNovus team and what drew him to the organization How he defines innovation – and how the definition has evolved over the years Most promising areas of innovation across agbioscience that have opportunities for transformational impact How startups should think about customer adoption in a tight farmer and agribusiness market What makes Indiana uniquely positioned to lead in agbioscience versus other regions of the country Velocity’s launch and how it’s designed to address gaps in the ecosystem Tim’s ambitions for Velocity in year one and what he believes competing teams need to be successful The importance of collaboration among companies, universities, investors and entrepreneurs to turn ideas into market-ready solutions Outcomes that will signal success for Velocity in 2026 What has him most excited about this year's cohort of startups

From the land to the animals, Dave Fischer has taken a committed approach to the family business. He joins us this week to talk Southern Indiana’s Fischer Farms, his rapid growing natural meat delivery business, the criticality of consumer voice, soil health and beyond. Highlights include: The history of Fischer Farms, Dave’s approach to leading the family operation and their scope of service today Regenerative agriculture, soil health and creating an environment where cows are a net positive for sustainability What innovation looks like in practice at Fischer Farms and their differentiated approach across the portfolio Fischer Farms’ growth story and how Dave has balanced scaling while maintaining innovative and sustainable practices The consumer voice and what Dave believes to be the role of the farmer and food brands in this space when it comes to food’s impact on health Fischer Farms’ retail business, focus on tight supply chain and direct to consumer approach How they’ve designed their retail operation for efficiency to guarantee quality products – while also maintaining their commitment to sustainability What technologies – from AI to automation – are transforming how Fischer Farms is operating their processing and packaging business The pursuit to innovate and find the next opportunity, finding great partners along the way and which organizations make sense for their collaborative approach Fischer Farms’ participation in the Beef Research Project with USDA and what they are aiming to accomplish What is happening this year – and it’s a big facility that cranks out a lot of burgers – and beyond