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Ag Innovation Forum

  • Union Station - Chamber Boardroom 30 West Pershing Road Kansas City, MO, 64108 United States (map)
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Now in its fourth year, this Forum will showcase innovation and entrepreneurship in the region.  The program will include nationally recognized keynote presentations and panel discussions.

Opening Keynote Speaker…

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Jim Carrington, President, Danforth Center

Jim Carrington is President of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, and leads the Center in delivering on its mission is to improve the human condition through plant science. With over 300 employees, the Danforth Center is the largest independent plant science institute in the world. 

Since joining the Danforth Center in 2011, Jim has focused the Center’s scientific enterprise around high technology, big data, and computation for the purpose of addressing the needs to feed and power a growing, changing world, while also preserving the environment and vital natural resources. Through attracting interactive teams of scientists and development of unique platforms to discover underlying principles about how plants work, the Danforth Center under Jim’s leadership aims to develop more productive, sustainable crops, and to partner with organizations that are best positioned to solve problems where they exist around the world.

Closing Keynote Speaker…

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Michael Helmstetter, President & CEO, TechAccel

Michael Helmstetter, Ph.D., is Founder, President and CEO of TechAccel, a technology and venture development firm that matches capital with breakthrough science to advance early-stage innovations. Founded in 2014, the TechAccel portfolio holds more than 40 assets representing novel innovations in agriculture, animal health and food technology.

Prior to launching TechAccel, Dr. Helmstetter served as the fifth President and CEO of MRIGlobal (formerly Midwest Research Institute), where he led its growth from two locations to 17 with revenues exceeding $680 million. Beyond Dr. Helmstetter’s 14 years with MRIGlobal, he has experience in the private sector and government agencies, including laboratory management positions at Applied Marine Research Laboratory and program management for the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution.

Our Event Emcee…

Chelsea Good, Vice President Government & Industry Affairs, Livestock Marketing Association

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Chelsea is a graduate of Washburn University School of Law. She also has bachelor’s degrees in agricultural communications and journalism, political science, and public relations and a master’s degree in communications studies, all from Kansas State University. Chelsea comes from a beef industry background and is passionate about agriculture.

Academic Panel: Promising Projects in the Pipeline

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Moderated by: Dr. Dan Thomson, The Jones Professor of Production Medicine and Epidemiology at Kansas State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. He is recognized internationally as a leader in animal welfare, beef cattle production and cattle health management.

Joining Dr. Thomson on the panel will be:

  • Dr. Tom Spencer, University of Missouri. Dr. Spencer, newly named to the National Academy of Sciences, holds a joint appointment in the Division of Animal Sciences and in the School of Medicine’s Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women’s Health. He is internationally recognized for his research in reproductive and developmental biology.

  • Amy Hilske, Greenhouse Director, University of Nebraska Innovation Greenhouse. The greenhouse focuses on transformative technologies in high-throughput plant phenotyping platforms that offer the opportunity to integrate proximal remote sensing and imaging measurements of intricate morphological and functional characteristics of plants.

  • Justin Siegel, Associate Professor, Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Chemistry, and the Genome Center at UC Davis. Siegel is also a co-founder of four companies, and Faculty Director of the Innovation Institute for Food and Health at UC Davis.

Entrepreneur Panel: New to Market Technology

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Moderated by: Kevin Lockett, Partner and CFO, Fulcrum Global Capital. The firm invests in companies disrupting agriculture and animal health. Its newest initiative will invest $36 million into early-stage companies in agriculture, animal health and agricultural technology.


Joining Mr. Lockett on the panel will be:

  • Dr. Brad Fabbri, Chief Science Officer, TechAccel. Fabbri drives initiatives in business needs assessment, science advancement, business and partnerships development & negotiations, and strategy processes to identify and explore new areas for the company to grow. His focus areas include plant biotechnology and agribusiness.

  • Pete Nelson, President, AgLaunch Initiative, based in Memphis, Tennessee. AgLaunch works to attract, create, and grow agtech startups, facilitate the development of new agriculture and food value-chains, and build collaborative farmer networks, with a commitment to intentional inclusion. This effort is working to raise $100 million in capital, and create, attract and grow 100 agricultural companies by 2022. Since its formation in 2015 partnering with Tennessee Department of Agriculture, AgLaunch has assisted over 40 companies, facilitated over 50 farm trials, and coordinated a national network of farmers. AgLaunch partners with Innova Ag Innovation Fund which raised $31 million working with Farm Credit banks through the USDA Rural Business Investment Program.

  • Trish Cozart, IN2 Program Manager, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Cozart manages the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) program, a technology incubator funded by the Wells Fargo Foundation and administered by NREL. IN2’s mission is to speed the path to market for early-stage, clean-technology entrepreneurs.

Data Panel: Using Data - Blockchain, Traceability, Precision Ag

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Moderated by: Doug Dresslaer, Director of Cultural Innovation for Dairy Farmers of America. Doug works with DFA farmer members and employees to foster a culture of innovation within the Cooperative to help keep DFA at the forefront of emerging technologies and trends in the industry.

Joining Mr. Dresslaer on the panel will be:

  • Andy Brudtkuhl, Director of Emerging Technology with the National Pork Board. He focuses on the impacts and implications of blockchain technology applied to the food supply chain and specifically, how it can benefit pork producers.

  • Orlando Saez, Founder and CEO, Aker Technologies. Aker is a company focused on using drone technology to help ag chemical and service providers utilize imaging data to better deliver and validate the use of their products. The firm provides accurate crop monitoring of disease, insects, and other stresses without changing the farming principles that work for generations.

  • Matt Teagarden, CEO, Kansas Livestock Association. KLA is among the leaders in exploring how technology can benefit its members. It is a partner in the traceability pilot project, CattleTrace, which is working to create an end-to-end disease traceability system beginning with cow-calf producers and ending at the beef processing plant. The goal is to utilize ultra-high frequency tags and readers to collect the minimal amount of data necessary for disease traceability at the speed of commerce.


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Sponsorship opportunities are available!

This is a great opportunity to bring some exposure to your organization at a relatively low cost. We have three levels of sponsorship to choose from:

  • Platinum Level - $2,500 sponsorship – includes three complimentary registrations, promotional opportunities listed for gold & silver levels, plus logo included in event program

  • Gold Level - $1,000 sponsorship – includes two complimentary registrations, promotional opportunities listed for silver level, plus logo included in event signage

  • Silver Level - $500 sponsorship – includes one complimentary registration, logo displayed in event slideshow and listed in meeting invitations as a sponsor

Contact Erica for more information - erica.venancio@agbizkc.com

Earlier Event: January 16
January 2020 Meeting
Later Event: March 19
March 2020 Meeting