2024 Program - evokeAG.

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evokeAG. 2024 Program

Over two jam packed days exceptional thought leaders and change makers took to the stage to explore the exceptional edge of agrifood tech innovation.

Local and international speakers and delegates descended on Perth, Western Australia for the two-day event 20-21 February 2024, to share ideas and build connections in pursuit of a more resilient, sustainable, and profitable agrifood sector and value chain.

Sorry, there are no matches on this day

Registration opens

8:00am — 9:00am

Central Foyer

Once you have checked in at the registration kiosks, begin exploring The Exchange (our 2024 exhibition space)

Networking, Exhibition and Startup Alley

8:00am — 5:00pm

The Exchange

Our world-famous networking exhibition, Startup Alley and the new Scaleup Station area will run across the two-day event. Immerse yourself at any time among some of the world’s best operators and inventors in agriculture.

Innovation demonstration by Gaia Project

8:40am — 8:55am

Demonstration

Demo Stage

Gaia are paving a new path in advancing precision agriculture to optimise resource efficiency within the indoor farming domain, encompassing both greenhouse and vertical farming sectors.

Brought to you by

Loam Bio

Welcome to Country

9:00am — 9:15am

Morning Plenary

Elders Plenary

Welcome to evokeAG. 2024

9:15am — 9:20am

Morning Plenary

Elders Plenary

Welcome to evokeAG. 2024 by MC Craig Reucassel.

 

Mind-bending AI: The edge of possibility

9:20am — 9:50am

Morning Plenary

Keynote

Elders Plenary

Artificial intelligence (AI). It’s here. But where does it start, where does it end, and what comes next?

CSBP Logo

Brought to you by

CSBP

Official Address from Senator the Hon Murray Watt

9:50am — 10:00am

Elders Plenary

Official proceedings

10:00am — 10:10am

Morning Plenary

Elders Plenary

Official Address from AgriFutures Australia Chair, Cathy McGowan AO.

Platinum Partner opening remarks

10:10am — 10:20am

Morning Plenary

Elders Plenary

Opening remarks from Mark Allison, Managing Director and CEO, Elders.

Mining and agriculture: Shared challenges, shared knowledge, shared bounty

10:20am — 10:45am

Morning Plenary

Elders Plenary

We’ve golden soil and wealth for toil, but how do you thrive when you’re sharing both?

Facilitator

Tim Hunt

Principal, Tim Hunt Consulting

MC recap

10:45am — 10:50am

Elders Plenary

A recap on the mornings sessions and an overview of the breakout sessions to follow.

Innovation demonstration by Agricultural Innovation Australia’s Environmental Accounting Platform

10:20am — 10:50am

Demonstration

Demo Stage

AIA has created an Environmental Accounting Platform which will provide Australian agriculture, fisheries and forestry value chains with an accessible and standardised approach to carbon footprinting.

Brought to you by

Loam Bio

Morning Tea

10:50am — 11:20am

Break

The Exchange

Refuel and reconnect over a tasty morning tea packed full of delicious WA produce.

Innovation demonstration by Farmed Carbon

11:00am — 11:15am

Demonstration

Demo Stage

Farmed Carbon, an Australian technology firm, innovates rice straw waste management by converting it into bio-asphalt.

Brought to you by

Loam Bio

Innovating for good: How agrifood tech can digitise food supply chains and reduce food waste

11:20am — 11:40am

Morning Breakout

Keynote

Elders Plenary

A third of all the food we produce globally is wasted.

FaBA - Food and Beverage Accelerator Logo

Brought to you by

Food and Beverage Accelerator

Quantifying your emissions

11:20am — 11:40am

Morning Breakout

Keynote

Breakout Room 1

With over 70% of Australian agricultural produce exported down long and disparate supply chains, keeping track of Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions is as complex as it is important for primary producers.

Future Young Leader presentation: Natalie Bell

11:20am — 11:30am

Morning Breakout

Presentation

Breakout Room 2

Hear from Natalie Bell, one of our five emerging young leaders with a passion for Australian agriculture and its value chain.

Natalie Bell in field

Natalie Bell

evokeAG. Future Young Leader and Founder, Hylo Ag

Ready for takeoff? The state of play for the biofuels industry

11:30am — 12:45pm

Morning Breakout

Panel Discussion

Breakout Room 2

The Australian biofuels industry finds itself at a critical juncture.

Fanny Mattens

Head of Strategic Development and Sustainability for Australia and the Pacific, Airbus

Image of Brianna Peake

Brianna Peake

Chief Stakeholder Relations, Sustainability and Strategy Officer, CBH

Stefan Vogel Rabobank General Manager

Stefan Vogel

General Manager, RaboResearch Australia and New Zealand, Rabobank

Image of Alexandra-Gartmann
Facilitator

Alexandra Gartmann

Director, Australian Farm Institute, and Non-Executive Director, Nufarm

Beyond waste: From obsolescence to value creation

11:40am — 12:45pm

Morning Breakout

Panel Discussion

Elders Plenary

Circular economy is a familiar term, and one that is often synonymous with industry waste systems.

Image of Huia Adkins

Huia Adkins

Sustainability Business Group Leader and Technical Director - Circular Economy, GHD

Image of Julie Hirsch
Facilitator

Julie Hirsch

Co-Founder, Eloments Natural Vitamin Tea, and Co-Founder, Mullin

Leaders and laggards: Pathways to a more sustainable agrifood landscape

11:40am — 12:45pm

Morning Breakout

Panel Discussion

Breakout Room 1

Environmental, social and regulatory pressure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across all parts of the agrifood supply chain is ever increasing.

Jacqui Biddulph.

Jacqui Biddulph

Director, Kerridge Farm, and Steering Committee Member, Australian Dairy Sustainability Framework

Charlotte Weston

Global Sustainability Director, EY, and Expert Advisory Board, The Earthshot Prize

Lunch

12:45pm — 1:45pm

Break

The Exchange

Grab a meal, swap notes on the morning’s sessions and peruse Startup Alley before diving back into the afternoon’s program.

Innovation demonstration by Xsights Digital

12:55pm — 1:10pm

Demonstration

Demo Stage

Xsights has developed scalable ‘plug and play’ solutions that collect valuable real-time location data on assets using Internet of Things (loT) devices, offered as a SaaS (‘Sensing as a Service’) subscription.

Brought to you by

Loam Bio

Innovation demonstration by AquaWatch Solutions

1:15pm — 1:30pm

Demonstration

Demo Stage

AquaWatch Solutions leads the charge in safeguarding waterways for future generations. Their accessible, scalable hardware gathers crucial data, offering actionable insights for current and predictive water management.

Brought to you by

Loam Bio

Innovation demonstration by Loam Bio

1:35pm — 2:05pm

Demonstration

Demo Stage

Loam Bio is one of Australia’s fastest growing start-ups. Loam Bio was founded by five passionate agronomists, climate specialists and growers in the Central West of NSW. Loam Bio has now expanded to work with farmers and scientists across three continents to enable high quality carbon removal at scale, while also creating value for farmers. The Loam team will demonstrate how they are harnessing the power of the world’s smallest organism to solve the world’s biggest challenges. They will also provide insights into Loam’s biological product and how it works.

Brought to you by

Loam Bio

The great balancing act: AI, the possibilities, and the responsibilities

1:45pm — 2:50pm

Afternoon Breakout

Panel Discussion

Elders Plenary

The power of artificial intelligence (AI) seems boundless, as do the opportunities it presents for improved efficiency, production, and resilience across the agrifood supply chain.

Future Young Leader presentation: Sam Lambert

1:45pm — 1:55pm

Afternoon Breakout

Presentation

Breakout Room 1

Hear from Sam Lambert, one of our five emerging young leaders with a passion for Australian agriculture and its value chain.

Sam Lambert in Japan

Sam Lambert

evokeAG. Future Young Leader and Co-Founder, zenGate Global

Price maker, or price taker? Unlocking the potential of more equitable agrifood supply chains

1:45pm — 3:00pm

Afternoon Breakout

Panel Discussion

Breakout Room 2

Market access, cost of inputs, logistics, supply and demand all influence who benefits most as food and fibre moves through the supply chain.

Leith Teakle

General Manager, Member Services, and Interim CEO, Geraldton Fishermen’s Co-operative

Facilitator

Tim Hunt

Principal, Tim Hunt Consulting

Bleeding edge: Securing a premium

1:55pm — 3:00pm

Afternoon Breakout

Panel Discussion

Breakout Room 1

Spotting a gap in the market is one thing, building the solution and making it pay is another.

A headshot of John Foss. He is in a navy tshirt and navy jacket.

John Foss

Founder and CEO, Fancy Plants, and Founder and CEO, The Chia Company

Richard Lovell

Director of Global Procurement and Networking, CP Foods

Image of Julie Hirsch
Facilitator

Julie Hirsch

Co-Founder, Eloments Natural Vitamin Tea, and Co-Founder, Mullin

Innovation demonstration by CropX

2:30pm — 2:45pm

Demonstration

Demo Stage

CropX Technologies stands at the forefront of an intuitive yet powerful agronomic farm management system, linking real-time farm data with agronomic knowledge to foster sustainable and prosperous farming.

Brought to you by

Loam Bio

Future Young Leader presentation: Guy Coleman

2:50pm — 3:00pm

Afternoon Breakout

Presentation

Elders Plenary

Hear from Guy Coleman, one of our five emerging young leaders with a passion for Australian agriculture and its value chain.

Guy Coleman in field

Guy Coleman

evokeAG. Future Young Leader and Creator, OpenWeedLocator (OWL)

Innovation demonstration by FarmLab

2:50pm — 3:05pm

Demonstration

Demo Stage

FarmLab offers an ecosystem of environmental measurement services and software, facilitating the digitisation of on-farm environmental data.

 

Brought to you by

LoamBio

Afternoon Tea

3:00pm — 3:30pm

Break

The Exchange

We have you covered. Recharge those batteries before reconvening for the last session of day.

Innovation demonstration by Laconik

3:10pm — 3:25pm

Demonstration

Demo Stage

Laconik specialises in technology that facilitates convenient monitoring and reporting of farm-scale trials, contrasting the limitations of small-scale research plots.

Brought to you by

Loam Bio

AgriFutures Australia Researcher of the Year Presentation

3:30pm — 3:40pm

Afternoon Plenary

Elders Plenary

Mechatronics engineer at the University of Southern Queensland’s Centre for Agriculture Engineering and winner of the 2023 AgriFutures Research Award, Dr Cheryl McCarthy, is revolutionising the chicken meat industry.

 

Cheryl McCarthy, AgriFutures Australia researcher of the year. Cheryl is wearing a yellow cardigan and multicolored dress. She is standing in front of a green agrifutures australia sign holding a trophy.

Dr Cheryl McCarthy

Associate Professor (Mechatronic Engineering), University of Southern Queensland

Innovation demonstration by Agbot

3:30pm — 3:45pm

Demonstration

Demo Stage

Agbot a division of Gasbot Pty Ltd, specialises in state-of-the-art fit-bit technology for on-farm liquid and solid fill-level management.

Brought to you by

Loam Bio

Growing Global: how global connections are enhancing Australia's agrifood innovation ecosystem

3:40pm — 4:00pm

Afternoon Plenary

Elders Plenary

Hear firsthand how AgriFutures growAG. has triggered the elevation of Australian agriculture, innovation and research to a prominent position in the global agrifood technology and innovation landscape.

Rebecca Robinson

President and CEO, Kansas State University Innovation Partners

Harriet Mellish, General Manager of Global Innovation Networks, AgriFutures Australia
Facilitator

Harriet Mellish

General Manager, Global Innovation Networks, AgriFutures Australia

State of the agritech ecosystem: Uniting ‘team Australia’

4:00pm — 4:05pm

Keynote

Elders Plenary

With around 500 agritech businesses in Australia, and 10 years of growth and excitement, the industry is well placed to become a multi-billion dollar industry delivering thousands of jobs for Australia.

Tim Neale

Tim Neale

President, Australian Agritech Association and Co-Founder and Managing Director, DataFarming

provokeAG.

4:05pm — 4:55pm

Afternoon Plenary

Panel Discussion

Elders Plenary

evokeAG.‘s take on Jeopardy will see contestants kept on their toes as they tackle all the big challenges and opportunities at play in the agrifood sector in a fast-paced quiz show.

2024 evokeAG speaker

Bill Hyem

AgriFutures Horizon Scholar Alumni (2020) & Soil Carbon Operations Officer, AgriProve

Image of Devon Long

Devon Long

General Manager, Asia Pacific, Regrow Ag

Image of Bryce Ives
Facilitator

Bryce Ives

Founder and Principal, YoBou

Day 1 Wrap Up

4:55pm — 5:00pm

Afternoon Plenary

Elders Plenary

Image of Craig Reucassel
Facilitator

Craig Reucassel

Climate change series host on ABC TV, Writer, Comedian

Festival of Food

5:00pm — 7:00pm

Enter the Summer Garden for a culinary journey across Western Australia’s exceptional food and wine regions. Ruminate on the smorgasbord of thought-provoking ideas from Day One and strengthen new and old connections as you enjoy the best of the West.

Sorry, there are no matches on this day

Doors open

8:00am — 9:00am

The Exchange

Networking, exhibition and Startup Alley

8:00am — 5:00pm

Break

The Exchange

Our world-famous networking exhibition, Startup Alley and the new Scaleup Station area and Demo Stage will run across the two-day event. Immerse yourself at any time among some of the world’s best operators and inventors in agriculture.

Innovation demonstration by Southern NSW Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub

8:00am — 8:30am

Demonstration

Demo Stage

Ag tech has the potential to help Australian farmers increase their productivity, profitability and sustainability. But how do you estimate the return on your technology investments? Introducing the AgTech ROI Calculator, a Southern NSW Innovation Hub and Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) partnership that estimates the costs and benefits of ag tech solutions.

Brought to you by

Loam Bio

Innovation demonstration by The Leaf Protein Co

8:45am — 9:00am

Demonstration

Demo Stage

The Leaf Protein Co. is at the forefront of extracting protein from Earth’s abundant leaf sources, unlocking a vital solution to address the agricultural industry’s challenges.

Brought to you by

Loam Bio

Welcome to Day 2

9:00am — 9:10am

Morning Plenary

Elders Plenary

Welcome to Day two by MC.

Innovation demonstration by Pairtree Intelligence

9:05am — 9:20am

Demonstration

Demo Stage

Pairtree Intelligence serves as the conduit unlocking farmers’ data beyond the farm gate, enabling seamless export to banks, agribusinesses, and innovative platforms.

Brought to you by

Loam Bio

Official Address from The Hon Jackie Jarvis MLC

9:10am — 9:20am

Morning Plenary

Elders Plenary

Official Address from The Hon Jackie Jarvis MLC, Minister for Agriculture; and Food; Forestry; and Small Business, Western Australia.

The Great Exchange

9:20am — 9:50am

Morning Plenary

Elders Plenary

The pursuit of innovation continues at a breakneck pace as we teeter on the edge of ecological, environmental, and economic uncertainty.

Justin Webb, Co-Founder and CEO AgriWebb

Justin Webb

Co-Founder and Executive Chairman, AgriWebb

Image of Bryce Ives
Facilitator

Bryce Ives

Founder and Principal, YoBou

Transition Time

9:50am — 9:55am

Elders Plenary

Natural capital: An opportunity ripe for the picking

9:55am — 10:55am

Morning Plenary

Panel Discussion

Elders Plenary

Natural capital is the phrase on everyone’s lips, but taking it from a concept to achieving tangible, valuable outcomes is challenging.

Image of Bob Nixon

Bob Nixon

Director, GRDC, and Farmer, Bunketch Ag

Image of Heechung Sung

Heechung Sung

Head of Natural Capital Investments, Clean Energy Finance Corporation

Image of Nicole Yazbek-Martin

Nicole Yazbek-Martin

Head of Taxonomy and Natural Capital, Australian Sustainable Finance Institute

Innovation and collaboration: Solving Western Australia’s agriculture and food challenges

9:55am — 10:55am

Morning Breakout

Panel Discussion

Breakout Room 1

Discover how Western Australia (WA) is tackling the complex challenges of producing food and fuel on diverse and demanding soils.

Dr Gaus Azam sitting in a soil pit and pointing at his ruler. He is wearing a DPIRD tshirt and an excavator is in the background

Dr Gaus Azam

Principal Soil Scientist, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development

Dr Ben Biddulph headshot at the beach
Facilitator

Dr Ben Biddulph

Chief Primary Industries Scientist, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development

Scope 3 in action: On-farm emissions reduction for Australian cropping businesses

9:55am — 10:55am

Morning Breakout

Panel Discussion

Breakout Room 2


On paper, decarbonisation programs to reduce scope 3 emissions on-farm sound like the best option for our producers, our industry and our planet; but what do they look like in practice?

Ben Fargher

Ben Fargher

Environmental Markets Lead, APAC, Cargill

Image of Devon Long
Facilitator

Devon Long

General Manager, Asia Pacific, Regrow Ag

Innovation demonstration by Bird Control Group

9:55am — 10:10am

Demonstration

Demo Stage

Bird Control Group pioneers premium laser bird repellent equipment, mitigating bird presence by over 70%.

Brought to you by

Loam Bio

Morning Tea

10:55am — 11:25am

Break

The Exchange

Refuel and reconnect over a tasty morning tea packed full of delicious WA produce.

Innovation demonstration by Optomni

11:05am — 11:20am

Demonstration

Demo Stage

Optomni facilitates enhanced market reach and decreased food wastage through their AI-powered platform, OmniOrder®.

Brought to you by

Loam Bio

The convergence of cultural IP and western innovation

11:25am — 12:25pm

Morning Breakout

Panel Discussion

Elders Plenary

How can western and first nations businesses share knowledge and networks in a mutually beneficial way?

Image of John Gibbs

John Gibbs

Founding Partner and Head Brewer, Spinifex Brewing Co

Oral McGuire

Founding Director, Noongar Landholder Enterprises, and Chair, Yaraguia Enterprises

Dr Terri Janke, speaker for evokeAG 2024
Facilitator

Dr Terri Janke

Owner and Solicitor Director of Terri Janke and Company

Future Young Leader presentation: Dr Katia Taylor

11:25am — 11:35am

Morning Breakout

Breakout Room 1

Hear from Dr Katia Taylor, one of our five emerging young leaders with a passion for Australian agriculture and its value chain.

Dr Katia Taylor

evokeAG. Future Young Leader and Postdoctoral Researcher, CSIRO

In innovation we trust

11:25am — 12:35pm

Morning Breakout

Panel Discussion

Breakout Room 2

Consumer trust is hard won and fragile.

2024 evokeAG speaker

Lauren Mackenzie

Lead Sustainability Manager for Forests, Land and Agriculture, Coles

Biologicals: Where to from here?

11:35am — 12:35pm

Morning Breakout

Panel Discussion

Breakout Room 1

Biologicals. They’ve attracted a lot of attention and had early wins, and while widespread adoption and scalability has been a challenge, it’s a field ripe with potential.

Image of Pam Marrone-web

Dr Pam Marrone

Co-Founder and Executive Chair, Invasive Species Corporation

Image of Nitin Vaish

Nitin Vaish

Business Development - Agriculture, Ginkgo Bioworks

Mick Wettenhall

Director, Weemabah Pastoral Co., and Co-founder and Head of Grower Success, Loam Bio

Image of Ethy Levy
Facilitator

Ethy Levy

Founder and CEO, Impact Innovation Israel

Innovation demonstration by Zetifi

12:00pm — 12:15pm

Demonstration

Demo Stage

Zetifi provides connectivity solutions that keep farmers and their machinery connected in even the most challenging of locations, enabling farming businesses to embrace connected digital technology and modernise their operations.

Brought to you by

Loam Bio

Future Young Leader presentation: Dr Roberta Marcoli

12:25pm — 12:35pm

Afternoon Breakout

Elders Plenary

Hear from Dr Roberta Marcoli, one of our five emerging young leaders with a passion for Australian agriculture and its value chain.

Roberta Marcoli in lab

Dr Roberta Marcoli

evokeAG. Future Young Leader and Postdoctoral Aquaculture Researcher, James Cook University

Agrifoodtech investment: Highs and lows and predictions for the year ahead

12:35pm — 12:45pm

Afternoon Plenary

Elders Plenary

2023 was a challenging year for venture capital across sectors and agrifoodtech was no exception.

Image of Robyn O'Brien
Facilitator

Robyn O'Brien

Founder, Sirona Ventures, and Author, Seeding Innovation

Lunch

12:45pm — 1:40pm

Break

The Exchange

Grab a meal, swap notes on the morning’s sessions and peruse Startup Alley before diving back into the afternoon’s program.

Innovation demonstration by Stoktake

12:50pm — 1:05pm

Demonstration

Demo Stage

Stoktake employs proprietary image recognition tech to uniquely identify livestock through a single mobile photo. It simplifies data management, tracking, and sharing via its user-friendly app.

 

Brought to you by

Loam Bio

Innovation demonstration by Transport Genie

1:15pm — 1:30pm

Demonstration

Demo Stage

Transport Genie specialises in real-time precision monitoring, ensuring stress-free transportation events while fostering economic value and mitigating risks, all with an eco-conscious approach.

 

Brought to you by

Loam Bio

On a knifes edge: The need for responsible investment

1:40pm — 2:00pm

Afternoon Plenary

Keynote

Elders Plenary

We are in the middle of a massive paradigm shift. Paradigm blindness is catching a lot of companies off guard, and fault lines are emerging in business as we know it.

Image of Robyn O'Brien

Robyn O'Brien

Founder, Sirona Ventures, and Author, Seeding Innovation

Innovation demonstration by Syngenta

1:40pm — 2:10pm

Demonstration

Demo Stage

Syngenta is one of the world’s leading agriculture companies, comprised of Syngenta Crop Protection and Syngenta Seeds.

Brought to you by

Loam Bio

Pooling our resources towards a collaborative investment landscape

2:00pm — 3:00pm

Afternoon Plenary

Panel Discussion

Elders Plenary

As private equity investment in agrifood technology, innovation, and enterprise increases, how will the role of venture capital change?

Adam Anders evokeAG 2023 speaker

Adam Anders

Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Anterra Capital

Sarah Nolet

Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Tenacious Ventures

Image of Robyn O'Brien
Facilitator

Robyn O'Brien

Founder, Sirona Ventures, and Author, Seeding Innovation

Innovation demonstration by Agronomeye

2:35pm — 2:50pm

Demonstration

Demo Stage

Agronomeye is an Australian agtech company, advancing the use of digital twins in agriculture.

Brought to you by

Loam Bio

Afternoon Tea

3:00pm — 3:30pm

Break

The Exchange

We have you covered. Recharge those batteries before reconvening for the last session of day.

Innovation demonstration by Hone Corporation

3:10pm — 3:25pm

Demonstration

Demo Stage

Hone Corporation introduces a handheld spectrometer with an ML chemometric model-engine, revolutionising on-the-go chemical analysis for agriculture.

Brought to you by

Loam Bio

Agrifood systems: Balancing the social tensions and emissions budget

3:30pm — 3:50pm

Afternoon Plenary

Keynote

Elders Plenary

When it comes to our remaining global emissions budget, things are tight.

GRDC Logo

Brought to you by

The Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC)

Charting the path to a new climate economy

3:50pm — 4:50pm

Afternoon Plenary

Panel Discussion

Elders Plenary

How do we best work towards our sustainability targets while balancing productivity goals and a focus on consumer trust?

Image of Anna Bennett

Anna Bennett

Executive General Manager of Strategy, Sustainability and Innovation, Elders

Facilitator

Tim Hunt

Principal, Tim Hunt Consulting

Official event close

4:50pm — 5:00pm

Afternoon Plenary

Elders Plenary

Closing remarks from AgriFutures Australia.

18 February 2024

19 February 2024