AgriNovus Indiana

This week Inside INdiana Business Host Gerry Dick speaks with Dan Dawes, AgriNovus Indiana, Senior Director of Strategy + Innovation

35. My Journey as a Late-Career Mentor and Agbioscience Convener

From the early days of biotechnology to the growing voice of today’s consumer, a desire exists for knowledge and understanding of the work being done by scientists, farmers and agbioscience innovators to bring food to our tables. Today we are joined by Michele Payn, author and founder of Cause Matters Corp., who has made it her mission to bridge this gap, to make agriculture less defensive and to put emotion and heart at the center of the work happening across the industry. We get into:&nbsp;&nbsp; <ul><li>Michele’s boots on the ground perspective from scientists, farmers and industry professionals on what’s evolving in how they share their stories with consumers&nbsp;</li><li>How Cause Matters Corp. came to be and how new eras present a fresh set of challenges for her tackle and communicate in her business&nbsp;</li><li>The biggest gaps agbioscience has in bridging the technical to the practical&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>Helping others adapt and stay nimble in their communication and acceptance of new information in a fast-paced world&nbsp;</li><li>Artificial Intelligence, its role in how consumers learn about agbioscience, the pros and cons and how it can be leveraged as a trusted source in the future&nbsp;</li><li>Disinformation vs. Misinformation – the distinction and the dangers between the two&nbsp;</li><li>How she would compare agbioscience today to other decades of her time in the industry – from a communications and consumer acceptance perspective&nbsp;</li><li>Finding emotional center in your agbioscience story – and the importance of making it personal to seek understanding when you communicate&nbsp;</li><li>Her new book, Science Story Speak, and its opportunity for readers to connect with science understanding on a more meaningful level&nbsp;</li><li>What’s next for Cause Matters Corp.&nbsp;</li></ul>

Michele Payn

Author + Founder, Cause Matters Corp.

From the early days of biotechnology to the growing voice of today’s consumer, a desire exists for knowledge and understanding of the work being done by scientists, farmers and agbioscience innovators to bring food to our tables. Today we are joined by Michele Payn, author and founder of Cause Matters Corp., who has made it her mission to bridge this gap, to make agriculture less defensive and to put emotion and heart at the center of the work happening across the industry.

379. Cause Matters Corp.’s Michele Payn on consumer acceptance + making the agbioscience story personal

This is perhaps the most epic news recap we have ever encountered on Agbioscience! So much so, we had to go back and record audio after we thought we were done. We get into the USDA's announcement on re-organization and Indiana's inclusion as a regional hub as part of that, AgReliant Genetics' acquisition by GDM, BiomEdit's product pipeline milestones, Series B funding and new leadership additions, and a big partnership announcement and honor for Corteva Agriscience. We also provide an update on the AgriNovus CEO search and when you can expect to learn more information. Don't forget! AgriNovus Quadrant is August 20 -- Register here: https://agrinovusindiana.com/quadrant/ <ul><li><a href="https://agrinovusindiana.com/2025/07/24/secretary-rollins-announces-usda-reorganization-restoring-the-departments-core-mission-of-supporting-american-agriculture/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">USDA Reorganization Announcement + Memorandum</a></li><li><a href="https://www.hoosieragtoday.com/2025/07/27/lamb-usda-indy-regional-hub/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ISDA's Don Lamb Talks to Hoosier Ag Today on USDA Reorganization</a></li><li><a href="https://agrinovusindiana.com/2025/07/08/gdm-announces-agreement-to-acquire-agreliant-genetics/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">AgReliant Genetics Announces Acquisition Agreement by GDM</a></li><li><a href="https://agrinovusindiana.com/2025/07/16/biomedit-advances-first-of-its-kind-engineered-bacteria-product-to-final-development-phase-secures-series-b-funding-and-adds-key-industry-leadership/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">BiomEdit Announces Series B Raise, Advances Product to Final Phase</a></li><li><a href="https://agfundernews.com/biomedit-ceo-next-gen-designer-probiotics-will-disrupt-the-animal-and-human-health-market" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">AgFunder News Talks with BiomEdit on Designer Probiotics</a></li><li><a href="https://agrinovusindiana.com/2025/07/22/countrymark-celebrates-completion-of-diesel-expansion-project/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">CountryMark Completes $100M Diesel Expansion Project</a></li><li><a href="https://agfundernews.com/phytoform-and-corteva-partner-on-ai-to-boost-disease-resistance-in-corn" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Phytoform and Corteva Partner on AI to Boost Disease Resistance in Corn</a></li></ul>

This is perhaps the most epic news recap we have ever encountered on Agbioscience! So much so, we had to go back and record audio after we thought we were done. We get into the USDA's announcement on re-organization and Indiana's inclusion as a regional hub as part of that, AgReliant Genetics' acquisition by GDM, BiomEdit's product pipeline milestones, Series B funding and new leadership additions, and a big partnership announcement and honor for Corteva Agriscience. We also provide an update on the AgriNovus CEO search and when you can expect to learn more information. 

Don't forget! AgriNovus Quadrant is August 20 -- Register here: https://agrinovusindiana.com/quadrant/


378. Libby Fritz recaps July, big news for USDA in Indiana, AgReliant Genetics' acquisition, BiomEdit moves, a CEO update + more

The <a href="https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/usda-actions-nutrition-security.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">USDA estimates</a> that each year in the U.S., poor nutrition causes roughly $1.1 trillion in preventable health care spending and lost productivity from diet-attributable diseases. As farmers continue their work of producing food for a growing population, agbioscience companies are also seeking new ways to innovate and optimize for human, animal and planetary health. This week, we are joined by Corteva Agriscience’s first Chief Health Officer, Dr. Claudia Coplein, to examine the breadth of her new role with the company and what they aim to achieve. We get into:&nbsp;&nbsp; <ul><li>The macro gaps in the way we produce and consume food and its overall impact on our health&nbsp;</li><li>Corteva’s launch of the Chief Health Officer role and how they’re approaching new audiences to tell the story of farming around the world&nbsp;</li><li>Putting this platform into practice – Claudia talks about where you see and experience her team’s work&nbsp;</li><li>What reception has been like from different audiences thus far&nbsp;</li><li>Corteva’s focus on farmer health and how current headwinds facing the industry impacts their physical, mental and emotional well-being&nbsp;</li><li>Claudia’s vision for how Corteva’s health platform evolves&nbsp;</li><li>Her background and how this role – and agbioscience – feels custom-built for her&nbsp;</li><li>Where Claudia believes the food is health movement is headed and Corteva’s role in that movement&nbsp;</li><li>What’s ahead for her team – and what has her most excited&nbsp;</li></ul>

Dr. Claudia Coplein

Chief Health Officer, Corteva Agriscience

The USDA estimates that each year in the U.S., poor nutrition causes roughly $1.1 trillion in preventable health care spending and lost productivity from diet-attributable diseases. As farmers continue their work of producing food for a growing population, agbioscience companies are also seeking new ways to innovate and optimize for human, animal and planetary health. This week, we are joined by Corteva Agriscience’s first Chief Health Officer, Dr. Claudia Coplein, to examine the breadth of her new role with the company and what they aim to achieve. 

377. Advancing science for better food + health, farmer wellness with Corteva Agriscience’s Dr. Claudia Coplein

The words talent and shortage come packaged together in nearly every sentence across almost every industry these days. It's a widespread challenge that raises a bigger question for agbioscience companies. Do our hurdles look like the same as other industries? If not, what do we do next? This week, we are joined by Vivayic’s Agriculture Practice Lead, Blaze Currie. We get into: &nbsp; <ul><li>His high-level take on the current market overview for talent relative to the workforce needs of other industries&nbsp;</li><li>The headwinds facing the agbioscience industry that are uniquely their own when it comes to talent and leadership&nbsp;</li><li>A history lesson on how agbioscience got here – and the generational waves that have created the talent disparity we are facing today&nbsp;</li><li>How companies will need to adapt in the future to fill their talent needs&nbsp;</li><li>Executive and senior leadership positions aging out of the workforce, how those positions will need to be developed and what organizations need to do today to prepare for tomorrow&nbsp;</li><li>How Blaze sees the next 10-15 years of talent evolution shaking out in agbioscience – and it looks a lot different than is has in the past&nbsp;</li><li>What’s ahead for Vivayic</li></ul>

Blaze Currie

Agriculture Practice Lead, Vivayic

The words talent and shortage come packaged together in nearly every sentence across almost every industry these days. It's a widespread challenge that raises a bigger question for agbioscience companies. Do our hurdles look like the same as other industries? If not, what do we do next? This week, we are joined by Vivayic’s Agriculture Practice Lead, Blaze Currie.

376. Vivayic’s Blaze Currie on agbioscience’s talent disparity, how we got here + preparing for next generation talent + leadership

The food ingredients market is expected to grow to $97 billion by 2029. That's an annual growth rate of just over 6.5%. Central to that growth is the voice of the consumer seeking options to improve their health and ingredients that contribute to their overall wellness. One company has been innovating in this space for generations. Ed Fish, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Varietal Solutions at Bay State Milling, joins guest host Jarrod Sutton from Purdue DIAL Ventures to discuss the market's rapid change -- from consumer demands to regulatory pressures and beyond. We get into:&nbsp;&nbsp; <ul><li>The overall ingredients market and the perspective on how consumer health is creating new opportunities&nbsp;</li><li>Who Bay State Milling aims to serve through innovation, the company’s 125-year family-owned legacy and its growing portfolio&nbsp;</li><li>Unique differentiation, being nimble and knowing how to connect food to agriculture&nbsp;</li><li>Leveraging their Rothwell Grain Essential Center to work with customers on refining and troubleshooting products – and how their customers participate in the process&nbsp;</li><li>New products being rolled out by Bay State Milling in the food is health space, including HealthSense™ (a high-fiber wheat flour) and SowNaked Oats™ (a higher-protein oat)&nbsp;</li><li>How the relationships work for Bay State Milling across the value chain – farmers to food companies&nbsp;</li><li>How Ed believes the winners of tomorrow are innovating today&nbsp;</li><li>What’s ahead for Bay State Milling&nbsp;</li></ul>

Ed Fish

SVP + General Manager of Varietal Solutions, Bay State Milling

The food ingredients market is expected to grow to $97 billion by 2029. That's an annual growth rate of just over 6.5%. Central to that growth is the voice of the consumer seeking options to improve their health and ingredients that contribute to their overall wellness. One company has been innovating in this space for generations. Ed Fish, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Varietal Solutions at Bay State Milling, joins guest host Jarrod Sutton from Purdue DIAL Ventures to discuss the market's rapid change -- from consumer demands to regulatory pressures and beyond. 

375. Bay State Milling’s Ed Fish on food is health, innovating “in the middle” + connecting food to agriculture

The market for ag biologicals is projected to grow significantly according to Grandview Research – making the leap from $11B market in 2024 to a $16.8B in 2030. One Indiana company has recently created a strategic alliance to drive biological innovation at every stage of the crop nutrition cycle. Dr. Tanya Soule, Vice President of Microbiology at BW Fusion, joins us to talk science, producers and the farm. We get into:&nbsp;&nbsp;<ul><li>What biologicals are and how they benefit farmers&nbsp;</li><li>How they work in tandem with other fertilizers and modes of crop protection to drive yield&nbsp;</li><li>BW Fusion’s approach to scientific discovery and innovation&nbsp;</li><li>How the company got into the agbioscience industry – it wasn’t its first vertical&nbsp;</li><li>Bain Capital Double Impact’s support that led to the strategic alliance between BW Fusion, Biodyne USA and Agronomy 365 and what that has allowed them to do from an innovation perspective&nbsp;</li><li>The farmers’ role in advancing innovation at BW Fusion&nbsp;</li><li>Why Tanya, a career academic, made the switch to working with the BW Fusion team and coming to the agbiosciences&nbsp;</li><li>Her advice for young scientists&nbsp;</li><li>What’s ahead for BW Fusion&nbsp;</li></ul>

Dr. Tanya Soule

VP of Microbiology, BW Fusion

The market for ag biologicals is projected to grow significantly according to Grandview Research – making the leap from $11B market in 2024 to a $16.8B in 2030. One Indiana company has recently created a strategic alliance to drive biological innovation at every stage of the crop nutrition cycle. Dr. Tanya Soule, Vice President of Microbiology at BW Fusion, joins us to talk science, producers and the farm.

374. BW Fusion’s Dr. Tanya Soule on biological innovation + the importance of strategic partnerships to accelerate scientific discovery

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.

35. My Journey as a Late-Career Mentor and Agbioscience Convener

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