AgriNovus Indiana

In partnership with the Indiana Corn Marketing Council and Indiana Soybean Alliance, the 2023 Producer-Led Innovation Challenge tasked companies, entrepreneurs, students and innovators with creating new revenue streams from current on-farm processes to increase efficiency and return on investment for producers’ operations.&nbsp; <a href="https://www.fiberxproducts.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">FiberX</a>, the winning team of this year's challenge, works with corn growers to source and convert corn stover into a feedstock for the chemical and materials sectors. The company’s product portfolio includes natural fiber-reinforced plastic polymer pellets and fiber for the plastic injection molding industry, focusing on customers producing durable products for long-term use such as outdoor furniture. Their team, comprised of Dave Skibinski, Wade Lange and Tom Santelli, has already received a Manufacturing Readiness Grant from Conexus Indiana and an Innovation Voucher for Elevate Ventures. As winners of the Producer-Led Innovation Challenge, FiberX receives $25,000 to help accelerate commercialization of their solution.&nbsp; Dave Skibinski joined us following the winners announcement to talk about how the FiberX team will use their $25,000, creating new revenue streams for the farmer and what's ahead for their company.

In partnership with the Indiana Corn Marketing Council and Indiana Soybean Alliance, the 2023 Producer-Led Innovation Challenge tasked companies, entrepreneurs, students and innovators with creating new revenue streams from current on-farm processes to increase efficiency and return on investment for producers’ operations. 

FiberX, the winning team of this year's challenge, works with corn growers to source and convert corn stover into a feedstock for the chemical and materials sectors. The company’s product portfolio includes natural fiber-reinforced plastic polymer pellets and fiber for the plastic injection molding industry, focusing on customers producing durable products for long-term use such as outdoor furniture. Their team, comprised of Dave Skibinski, Wade Lange and Tom Santelli, has already received a Manufacturing Readiness Grant from Conexus Indiana and an Innovation Voucher for Elevate Ventures. As winners of the Producer-Led Innovation Challenge, FiberX receives $25,000 to help accelerate commercialization of their solution. 

Dave Skibinski joined us following the winners announcement to talk about how the FiberX team will use their $25,000, creating new revenue streams for the farmer and what's ahead for their company.

271. BONUS: Winning the 2023 Producer-Led Innovation Challenge

This weekly podcast dives into agbioscience, where agriculture, life sciences and cutting-edge technology converge. Agbioscience is an in-depth conversation with leaders and entrepreneurs across food, animal health, plant science and agtech. This one-of-a-kind podcast offers updates on the latest advancements and future trends from those at the forefront of agbioscience innovation.

Keeping the heart of the heartland requires two key things when we think about growing small towns, cities and rural economies: big vision and lots of hard work. Today’s guest is no stranger to either and shares a great perspective on how one small community in the Midwest is reimagining itself into an epicenter of innovation. Nichole Like, CEO of The Pantheon, an innovation engine in Vincennes, Indiana joins us to talk:&nbsp;<ul><li>Investing in small communities while also honoring their heritage to make them a destination for newcomers to move to and hometown kids to return to for their careers.&nbsp;</li><li>The steady decline of entrepreneurial activity in rural America and The Pantheon’s vision to create the economy they want – not the way they’re given.&nbsp;</li><li>Vincennes as Indiana’s first city has big stats to tout – including Knox County leading in ag receipts, being the #1 producer of fruit and vegetable production in Indiana and #2 in the United States for melon production.&nbsp;</li><li>The simple, but effective, equation to building an agtech ecosystem: bring really smart, progressive farmers to the table with innovators to solve critical problems facing their operations.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>Creating community buy-in and the importance of local support to drive local economies.&nbsp;</li><li>What’s ahead for The Pantheon and Indiana’s first city.&nbsp;</li></ul>