COLUMBIA, Mo. — Marshall Stewart, University of Missouri vice chancellor for extension and engagement, will be a keynote speaker at the 2019 Ag Innovation Forum(opens in new window) on Feb. 14 at the American Royal Complex in Kansas City.
The annual forum, hosted by the Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City, showcases emerging innovations in agricultural technology.
Two panel discussions feature researchers from the University of Missouri and Kansas State University, and innovators and business leaders in ag technology fields.
Stewart’s keynote address, “Technology Can Fuel a Dynamic Future,” will explore how unfolding innovation and technology can build a strong future for agriculture and drive economic development across the region. In addition to leading MU Extension, Stewart serves as chief engagement officer of the four-campus University of Missouri System.
Sonny Ramaswamy, former director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, will deliver the other keynote address, “The Vision Thing,” offering a big-picture look at the scope and nature of agricultural innovation in key areas such as genetics, information technology and drones. Ramaswamy is currently president and CEO of the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, a regional accreditation agency.
Panel discussions
Promising Research in the Academic Pipeline
-Kansas State University entomologist Brian McCornack, an expert in emerging pest issues in field crops, presents “Understanding the impact of increased productivity on beneficial communities and sustainability of current practices.”
-Melissa Goellner Mitchum, Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, will explain plant-nematode interactions, with a focus on soybean cyst nematode.
-Bob Rowland, Kansas State University, and Randall Prather, University of Missouri, will discuss collaborative efforts to detect and control swine disease.
New Technology Solutions in the Marketplace
-Todd Firkins, executive director of commercial operations, GrowSafe Systems, will talk about “New technology to measure and monitor animal health and performance.”
-Donald DeJong, co-founder of Sedron Agriculture, will describe the company’s innovative technology to treat animal wastewater.
-Arsalan Lodhi, founder and CEO, WISRAN explains how Work Intelligence System Running ANalytics (WISRAN) improves worker comfort and equipment utilization to boost profits.
J.J. Jones, co-founder of Roots & Legacies Consulting, will emcee the event.
The Ag Innovation Forum is 1-5:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 14, at the American Royal Complex, 1701 American Royal Drive, Kansas City, Mo. For details and registration, visit www.agbizkc.com/upcoming-events(opens in new window).
Event sponsors include John Deere, Kansas Department of Agriculture, MFA Inc., TechAccel, Farm Credit Services of America/Frontier Farm Credit, and Lathrop Gage.
Media contact for Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City: Bob Petersen, 816-912-2993, bob.petersen@agbizkc.com(opens in new window).
— Curt Wohleber, University of Missouri Extension
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