Dr. Allan Gray examines how the convergence of artificial intelligence and biological science is transforming agriculture from inputs to consumer products. Dr. Gray uses Waymo autonomous vehicles as a powerful analogy: over 200 cars in Phoenix and San Francisco all share the same AI driver, which has already accumulated more driving miles than any human alive and continuously improves with every experience. This same principle applies to agricultural AI systems.

Dr. Allan Gray discusses how agriculture's traditional "collect more land" growth model is breaking down across the Midwest and being replaced by disintegration into specialized business functions. The capital requirements have become so high that farmers must seek capital from multiple sources, forcing the development of entirely new structural models similar to those already in the hog and produce industries.

Dr. Allan Gray ignites a frank discussion about what truly drives agricultural innovation and change. The central thesis is straightforward: incentives drive behavior, period. Farmers invest in research and development for things they get paid for. When farmers are paid only for yield, seed companies focus on yield. When markets pay for non-GMO corn or high-protein soybeans, companies develop those products. Nutrient density and quality metrics will follow the same pattern once financial incentives are in place.

The relationship between food, health, and sustainability is no longer theoretical—it is reshaping the decisions made at every level of the agrifood value chain.

Many moving parts are required to operate a successful venture studio, transitioning from idea inception to successful startup companies.

Our Fall 2024 Fellows culminated their journey with an inspiring Pitch Day on Dec. 6, 2024, presenting groundbreaking solutions in Climate-Smart agriculture.

Our Fall 2024 Climate-Smart Ag cohort of Fellows embarked on an extensive tour across Indiana and Missouri, immersing themselves in the diverse challenges and innovation opportunities in the agrifood value chain. The enthusiasm and curiosity displayed by our Fellows as they engaged with industry leaders was great to watch.

Dive into the world of agriculture technology with The DIALogue

We are thrilled to announce that Pitch Day on June 7 was a resounding success! Our Spring 2024 cohort of Fellows presented their innovative business concepts to our valued corporate and investment partners.

The DIALogue is your go-to source for industry updates, entrepreneurial insights, in-depth agrifood analysis and much more. Stay informed on all things ag-tech with us!

Make Hay, a new digital platform, is on a mission to amplify the voice of America's agriculture industry by empowering farmers and agricultural producers to share their stories directly with consumers. Founded by CEO Scott Nelson, the company recognizes the growing demand for transparency in food production and aims to bridge the gap between consumers and the people who produce their food.

How Farmer-Owned Cooperatives Can Lead Through External Innovation

Harnessing Industry Sentiment for Strategic Decision-Making and Growth

Discover how innovative investments in the Gold & Black Agri-Food Fund are driving transformative solutions in the agricultural industry.

Welcome to The DIALogue, which covers industry happenings, entrepreneurial wisdom, advanced agrifood analysis, and so much more. We help YOU stay in the know for everything ag-tech.

As sustainability becomes increasingly essential across various sectors, it is imperative for cooperative managers to ensure their operations align with environmental and social governance (ESG) principles. This alignment, necessitated by regulatory demands and consumer preferences for sustainable products, is reshaping the agricultural retail landscape.

As the agricultural sector continues to evolve, it is imperative for agricultural retailers (Ag Retailers) to embrace omnichannel strategies to stay relevant. These strategies need to seamlessly integrate traditional customer service approaches with the rising dominance of digital channels, ensuring a holistic shopping experience for customers.

Farmer-owned cooperatives are at a critical juncture where the need to adapt and innovate is paramount to maintain relevance in a rapidly evolving marketplace. The focus must be on enhancing their role as essential service providers to the agricultural community, particularly through the adoption of new technologies, the development of customer-centric products and services, and the strategic positioning of crop advisors.

Consolidation of the U.S. Ag Retail industry is driven by a number of factors, but one clear factor is the heavy focus on improving efficiency through operational synergies. There is a pressing need for farmer-owned cooperatives to adopt strategic measures to capture more synergies across their business both geographically and across enterprises to realize the efficiency their counterparts are seeking.

The agricultural retail industry is experiencing profound changes due to evolving customer needs, advancing technology, and shifting business models. A key trend shaping this industry is consolidation.

DIAL Ventures brought together visionary leaders from various segments of the agrifood industry to forge digital solutions aimed at ensuring a sustainable and prosperous future for agrifood.

DIAL Ventures has added another AgriTech startup to its portfolio. Make Hay, the fourth company DIAL Ventures has launched through its studio process, is an innovative B2B marketing platform designed to transform the agriculture industry's narrative by amplifying authentic, farmer-generated content.

DIAL Ventures is featured in the Talent Impact category. This reflects our open innovation approach and bringing in entrepreneurs from a wide variety of industries into Agrifood and then providing experiential training. We do this by combining engagement with industry experts and a full curriculum of startup leadership training, with a goal of launching high-impact startups to benefit the Agrifood industry and our world's future.

I am delighted to share the concepts from Pitch Day, held on December 1st by DIAL Ventures at Purdue’s Burton Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship.

DIAL Ventures hosted the Digital Innovation Opportunity Assessment Workshop on Sept. 19 and 20 and it was a great success! Over the two-day event, we united 60+ industry leaders.

On the heels of launching its third agri-tech startup, DIAL Ventures is acknowledged for its commitment to innovation and impactful industry change.

Pitch Day was held on June 16, and it was highly successful! Our Fellows showcased their top business concepts in front of our corporate and investment partners.

The Spring Residency trip was simply amazing! Witnessing the inspired and enthusiastic Fellows as they soaked up the problems we uncovered in the agriculture and food industries on this trip was quite the experience.

Gripp is the third startup launched from DIAL Ventures’ venture studio program.

Oaken is second announced startup to be launched from the DIAL Ventures’ studio program, which delivers innovative digital solutions to the agri-food industry

The North American agribusiness landscape is continuously evolving due to factors such as climate change, technological advancements, and shifting consumer preferences.

Our studio cycle finished on a high note in 2022, see all that happened!

What will it take to achieve sustained innovation in the agri-food industry? DIAL Ventures is uncovering just that!

Organizations should strive to have the correct collection of capabilities to utilize data generated, which will create a competitive advantage.

Croft automates manual workflow processes, digitizes documents, and improves collaboration between growers, farmers, their H-2A legal experts, government agencies, foreign workers, and all other organizations involved.

DIAL Ventures was honored to partner with Purdue University students for the Fall Ideation Challenge!

The agri-food system is ready for digital innovation and we must overcome the barriers that currently exist. 

Dr. Allan Gray was welcomed by the AgriTalk show to share DIAL Ventures' strategy for innovating in food and agriculture with the operation of its venture studio.

This webinar will feature a panel of experts from the agriculture industry as they explore the complex relationship between farmers, AgTech companies and investors.

Conference for Creative Minds in Agriculture

Join industry leaders at Purdue University to explore actionable insights, transformative strategies, and breakthrough innovations in agrifood.

The Future of Agrifood Systems Innovation Consortium is an exclusive, industry-led collaborative hosted by Purdue's Department of Agricultural Economics in partnership with DIAL Ventures. We bring together forward-thinking companies across the agrifood value chain to drive research that matters.

DIAL ventures partners with Purdue University to publish featured article in Agriculture & Applied Economics Association