#Agrifood tech

From Australian-first advances in granulated, organic fertiliser through to methane-inhibiting feed additives, Mort & Co is no stranger to innovation. Mort & Co Sustainability Manager, Brad Robinson shares how the Queensland-based company has gone from a $1.7 million annual turnover in 1998 to in excess of $400 million in recent years – all while keeping sustainability at the forefront.

Harriet Mellish’s daughters are too young to understand the concept of an event – instead she tells them she’s off to a show. And she’s not wrong; building a successful event requires a production element, it needs to engage the audience and spotlight a talented cast.
Here, the General Manager, Global Innovation Networks, AgriFutures Australia, shares what she’s learned from attending several agrifood tech and innovation events in four continents over the past year – and why there are aspirations for the AgriFutures evoke^AG. 2025 program to be the greatest ‘show’ of all.

Circus vet. Pecan farmer. Research manager. Inaugural CEO of the CRC for Irrigation Futures. And now, Co-Founder of a vertically integrated beef business, co-owner of a macadamia orchard developer, and director of a grain supply business.

Diverse as these occupations might seem – one thread runs through Matthew Durack’s varied career: the quest for transformation. Here, the Queensland allrounder shares learnings from his 30+ year journey. Including why past experience is no predictor of future success.

In this evoke^AG. podcast episode we’re taking a look at the visibility of women and diversity of roles in the workplace with two of the finalists in the AgriFutures Australia Catalyst program.

Eighty-eight per cent of agrifood tech and innovation startups inhouse their grant writing. That may work when you’re first starting out, but you’ll likely quickly outgrow the late nights pulling an application together only to find you weren’t competitive. Done poorly, they’re a huge time drain. Camilla Roberts, CEO, SCALE IMPACT, shares how to tackle grant applications efficiently with greater chances of securing money fast.

With so much capacity, creativity, and conviction in Australia’s agritech ecosystem, our primary industries are turning to forums like AgriFutures evoke^AG. to connect problems with problem solvers. Here, Western Australia’s (WA) Primary Industries Development Chief Scientist, Dr Ben Biddulph, asks WA’s broadacre, pastoral, and horticulture sectors to outline the big challenges impacting their industry – and their wish list for the next generation of agritech innovations.

From founders to funders, there’s a lack of diversity in agtech. Three female innovators share their vision on how to make the sector more inclusive.

The self-described ‘spaceship of the cultured meat industry,’ Australia’s Vow has become only the third company in the world to bring a cell-based meat product to market. Its cultured quail has received the green light from Singapore’s food regulator, whetting the appetite of the world’s culinary elite.
Vow Founder and CEO George Peppou explains how the company based in Alexandria, New South Wales, went from founding to first sales in just five years – an unrivalled achievement in a segment where many spaceships crash back to earth.

This week we bring you our evoke^AG. 2024 series with Nina Schick and Phil Morle joining our contributor Jayne Cuddihy in conversation to explore how artificial intelligence is changing humanity.

Are the robots coming for us? Or is artificial intelligence a new ally on the path to a sustainable food future? Here, global expert in responsible generative AI, Nina Schick, demystifies artificial intelligence – and explains why food producers should embrace this kind of scary, but really cool technology to unlock the food system transformation we need to see.

What do you get when you have leading international agrifood tech venture capitalists (VCs) and top tier private equity investors on a panel? A lot of predictions about the future, of course. But this year a panel at evoke^AG. 2024 also spoke openly about their reflections and the stark reality - a downturn in investment, coupled with geopolitical relations and inflation brings further financial headwinds. However, it’s certainly not all bad news. While entrepreneurs don’t have as much money to access from VCs, the overall agrifood tech ecosystem is maturing, with a broader awareness of the sector. 

With more applications than ever before, it’ll be a nail-biting, whip cracking, nerve wracking time when the 2024 evoke^AG. Pitch in the Paddock Competition fires up next month at Beef2024. Get to know the eight visionaries and innovators who will be going head-to-head in Rockhampton, Queensland.