Davos on the Delta
Davos on the Delta
May 16–18 | Memphis, TN
Full Agenda
Join with leading startups, key corporate leaders, the entire agricultural value chain, and smart investors as we all come together in Memphis, May 17-18 to discuss what’s happening in agriculture, who’s leading the way, what might happen next.
Tuesday, May 16, 2017
Farm Tour in Wilson, Arkansas - Lawrence Group
The Lawrence Group is seven years into a major project to transform and reinvigorate Wilson, Arkansas, and tens of thousands acres of investment-grade farmland surrounding it. The project goes as far as establishing a leading-edge independent school, organic-vegetable farm, cultural arts, and a world-class restaurant. This tour will give participants a chance to learn how private investment and technology are being applied to renew one of the largest cotton farming operations in the world and the community that supports it.
12:30 p.m. – Bus departs Peabody to drive to Wilson
4:30 p.m. – Bus departs Wilson to return to Peabody
Opening Reception
6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. | Forest Room, Peabody Hotel, Memphis
Wednesday, May 17, 2017
Registration opens
7:00 a.m.
Welcome to Premier Davos on the Delta Event
8:00 a.m. | John D. Santi (Managing Director, Avondale Partners), Pete Nelson (President/Executive Director, AgLaunch Initiative), and Carter Williams (CEO, iSelect Fund)
Innovation Enables Patient Investment
8:20 a.m. | Gaylon Lawrence and Richard Hussey, The Lawrence Group | Gaylon Bio | Richard Bio
Among other interests, the Lawrence Group operates an extensive farming enterprise, totaling some 180,000 acres of cultivated land, including one of world’s largest cotton and citrus operations. Messrs. Lawrence and Hussey will describe the opportunities and challenges driving technical innovation in agriculture.
Are Producers Ready For The Changes Ahead?
9:00 a.m. | Kevin Van Trump, president and founder of Farm Direction and the Van Trump Report | Speaker Bio
Large or small, farming is first and foremost a "business" that must return profits for the producers doing the work. Mr. Van Trump will discuss the challenges and opportunities producers face in the current and future business climate.
Five Issues, Opportunities for Top-Tier Farmers
9:30 a.m. | Robert Serio, attorney, Ark Ag Law pllc. | Speaker Bio
A 20,000-acre farm generates more than $12 million in annual revenue, $4 million in free cash flow, enough to afford an advanced management team. Mr. Serio will describe his client’s key issues and opportunities in the current market of $3.50/bu corn. Rising interest rates, a strengthening dollar and tighter trade regulations pressure farmers to become more efficient. Robert serves some 200 of America’s largest farmers and therefore understands firsthand how they are navigating this challenging environment.
Break
10:00 a.m.
Technological Innovations Reshaping Agriculture
10:30 a.m. | Pete Nelson (President/Executive Director, AgLaunch Initiative) and Carter Williams (CEO, iSelect Fund) | Speaker Bio
From gene editing to cloud computing to robotics, technological innovations are accelerating change in agriculture. Consumers are dictating food specifications that reverberate through the market channels back to point of production. Mr. Williams will review how technical innovations and changing consumer demands create opportunities and threats for producers.
Are Microbes Going to Put a Dent in the Market for Inputs?
11:00 a.m. | Barrett Ersek, CEO, Holganix | Speaker Bio
The organic market is growing rapidly. Water is increasing in scarcity and other inputs are creating environmental issues. How can today’s farmer solve for each of these equations simultaneously? Just as the human body needs beneficial microorganisms to enable digestion and growth and fight disease, crops require beneficial organisms to prosper. Today’s probiotics are generating the data to show improvements in yield while simultaneously reducing the need for inputs, thereby lowering the cost and increasing the sustainability of production.
Fighting Drought through Microbe Engineering
11:30 a.m. | Barry Knight, Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations, North America, Indigo Ag | Speaker Bio
Farmers looking to boost yields may soon find a new tool in their arsenal: microbes. Seed-coating manufacturer, Indigo Ag, has demonstrated that the right microbes can improve cotton yields 11%. To explain the potential impact of this new $5 billion industry, Mr. Knight will describe how IndigoAg is using beneficial microbes to enhance yields.
Lunch
12:00 p.m.
Investor Panel Discussion
12:30 p.m. | Andy Daniels (Daniels Trading), Luca Fabbri (Farmland Partners), Jan Bouten (Innova Ag Innovation Fund), David Latham (Southern Hunt Club) moderated by Craig Herron (iSelect)
As industry shifts to meet emerging consumer needs, new investment opportunities emerge. But who will invest in these opportunities? Will big companies invest in their future competitors? Are individual investors ready to step in to meet investment needs? Is Silicon Valley ready to lead the way for investment? Or will places like St. Louis, Kansas City and Memphis emerge as the new Silicon Valley?
The Potential of CRISPR and Gene Editing
1:30 p.m. | Todd Mockler, Ph.D., Donald Danforth Plant Science Center Geraldine and Robert Virgil Distinguished Investigator; CTO Benson Hill Biosystems | Speaker Bio
Genome editing is an emerging technology that revolutionizes a traditional practice. Genome editing accelerates product development by enabling precision breeding to harness natural variation within a crop species. Genes that cause unwanted traits can be knocked out, genes for preferred traits from the same species can be knocked in, and new products can get to market faster without multiple breeding cycles. The challenge is being able to identify the gene targets using advanced analytics… that’s where Todd and the Benson Hill team focus their efforts.
Nutrient Content versus Yield
2:30 p.m. | Natalie DiNicola, Benson Hill Biosystems | Speaker Bio
Benson Hill Biosystems’ CropOS™ computational platform leverages predictive analytics and machine learning to more precisely guide new product development, greatly improving the cost and speed of that process. This creates opportunity to redefine what crop innovation is targeted as well as who in the value chain is empowered to innovate. Can closing the gap between data and biology help close the gap between producers and consumers? Can competing traits such as crop yield and nutrient content evolve from a tradeoff to a joint opportunity and market differentiator? Dr. DiNicola will address these questions.
Memphis in May Riverfront Festival and Barbecue Competition
3:00 p.m. | sponsored by Daniels Ag
Thursday, May 18, 2017
Review of Day 1 Conclusions, Agenda for Day 2
8:30 a.m.
Russian Dandelions and the Rise of the Industrial Crop
9:00 a.m. | Roger Beachy, chief science officer, Kultevat | Speaker Bio
Solutions are being sought to use sustainable, plant based alternatives for things like rubber, industrial dyes and high value hydrocarbons. Kultevat extracts high-value rubber from Russian Dandelions that can be grown in 42 states. What are the opportunities for today’s farmers in industrial crops?
How Does Tomorrow’s Farmer Meet the Needs of Evolving Consumer Expectations?
10:00 a.m. | Chris Harbourt, Ph.D., CEO, Agrible | Speaker Bio
Consumers are behind emerging trends in nutrient content, environmental sustainability and food safety, causing shifts in the supply chain. As a farmer, how can I position my business to take advantage of these trends? Agrible connects consumer brands directly to farmers providing valuable, actionable insights and improving profitability throughout the supply chain.
BREAK
10:30 a.m.
Bioreactors: The Agricultural Factories of the Future
11:00 a.m. | Tim Fitzgerald, ForeLight | Speaker Bio
Bioreactor designs are used to produce products ranging from antibiotics to foods to fuels. Recent advancements have had as much to do with technology as with biology. Forelight uses bioreactors to produce plant based, natural dyes and high nutrient proteins.
Killing Pests Without the Pesticide - Implications of RNAi in Agriculture
11:30 a.m. | John Killmer, CEO, Apse, Inc. | Speaker Bio
APSE has developed technology to enable cost-efficient production of RNA for broad acre topical RNAi and benign, sustainable RNAi products for urban-structural pest control. RNAi is a highly targeted, effective way to impart traits without genetic modification and specifically and sustainably control agricultural and non-agricultural insect pests.
Conference Summary Conclusions, Closing
12:00 p.m.
Quick Details
Discussions Around Agricultural Innovation
System Dynamics: Leveraging advanced systems modeling out of MIT, Ventana System and iSelect are building an analytical model that represents the forces emerging in the agriculture market, including innovation trends and pathways to increase innovation and investment.
Dynamic Regulation: New thinking on regulatory approaches that enable innovation and protect consumers, all at a lower cost.
iSelect: A venture fund focused on substantially increasing agtech investment.
The Future of Ag: Remote sensing and geospatial technology spinning out of DoD, biosensors for food health, pathogen protection, reforming rural America, and more.
May 16-18 at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, TN
A huge amount of the best barbecue you will ever have
Wednesday night will feature a barbecue hosted by Andy Daniels of Daniels Trading
Register for the event now: $750 per attendee Kevin Van Trump Report Readers: $500 per attendee
Book hotel room at Peabody. Event fees are in part set based on the assumption you are staying at the Peabody. Area hotels are filling up fast for Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue.