Adam Tank

It’s exciting to see universities taking an increasingly active role in agriculture and food entrepreneurship. Programs like Purdue’s DIAL Ventures and Iowa State’s Start Something are proving that innovation isn’t just about software or biotech; it’s about solving real-world problems on the farm. What stands out to me is the emphasis on connecting technically skilled students with the realities of agriculture. You can’t build solutions for farms from an office in Silicon Valley; understanding the land, the operations, and the people is critical. At Cox Farms, we see the same principle in action every day. Whether it’s deploying data-driven solutions, improving logistics, or applying sustainable practices, innovation works best when it’s rooted in the real challenges of food production. Investing in ag-focused entrepreneurship benefits everyone. It strengthens local communities, equips the next generation of innovators, and pushes the entire industry forward. Programs like these are helping students build not just startups, but lasting experience and perspective that will drive agriculture technology for decades to come. #CoxFarms #AgTech

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“Flipping the Script for Food Processors via Standardized Production Data Metrics“ #Grantek’s Bryon Hayes, P.Eng. shared his expertise and insight with ProFood World Magazine for their article on data metrics for food manufacturers. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/gB-Hx8a4 #FoodSafetyReadyWithGrantek Grantek

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A software company for beekeepers is looking at St. Louis to expand... A network of agricultural innovators from the Netherlands explored partnerships here... Not Austin. Not Denver. Not SF... St. Louis. Here's what they're seeing: 400+ companies in the Cortex district. $1.3 billion invested. 5,400 people go to work every day in a 200-acre innovation hub that didn't exist 25 years ago. A new $100 million bioscience complex is going up in Midtown. Apartments are breaking ground to keep up with the demand. The numbers aren't the story. The story is the trajectory. 9Line is headquartered in the Cortex district, so I see this growth firsthand. What keeps me here isn't (just) nostalgia. Every year, the ecosystem gets a little wider. The talent pool gets a little deeper. The founders get a little more ambitious. If you're a founder thinking about where to plant roots, come visit before you decide. Need an extra nudge? The annual Arch Grants competition is a great way to fund your idea: https://lnkd.in/giqwnZrf Great piece from KMOV discussing more on what's happening at Cortex: https://lnkd.in/g8UAUQKv #StLouis #STLTech #Cortex #StartupLife #Midwest

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🌿 Attention Illinois researchers — there's $40K in seed funding with your name on it. The Illinois Soybean Association's 2026 SpringBoard Seed Funding Challenge is looking for proof-of-concept innovations that grow demand for soy-based products. Think beyond the field — this is about materials, chemistry, and engineering. Priority areas include: 🧴 Bioplastics ⚙️ Lubricants 🚫 PFAS Substitutes (huge right now) 🔬 Biopolymers 🌱 On-farm soy innovations This is a natural fit for researchers in Materials Science & Engineering, Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Chemistry, Agricultural & Biological Engineering, and related departments at Illinois. And for COZAD Challenge teams — if your venture has a soy-based materials or industrial angle, this is an incredible early-stage funding opportunity to validate your concept. Here's how it works: → Submit a 3-page Pre-Proposal by April 1, 2026 at www.ilsoy.org → Finalists are invited to submit a full proposal (due May 22) → Winners announced July 1, 2026 → Up to $40,000 in seed funding There's also a free in-person workshop on March 4–5 in Bloomington, IL at ISA headquarters to help teams understand what's fundable. Note: PI salaries are not covered, but student and faculty researcher salaries are. This is designed to move fast — projects must be completed within 12 months. Tag a colleague who's been working on sustainable materials, ag innovation, or bio-based chemistry. This one's worth a look. 🌱 University of Illinois Research Park, Technology Entrepreneur Center, Gies College of Business - University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, iVenture Accelerator, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Office of Technology Management, Illinois Soybean Association, Hannah Andresen, PhD, Brad Edwards #UIUC #SoybeanInnovation #Sustainability #Bioplastics #PFAS #MaterialsScience #COZADChallenge #ResearchFunding #IllinoisSoybean #GreenChemistry

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What happens when an association turns 85 years of expertise into a product? That’s exactly what the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) has done with Co-Developer, an AI-enabled platform that embeds decades of food science directly into the R&D workflow. And in the latest Sidecar Sync episode, Mallory Mejias, AAiP sat down with Jay Gilbert, PhD of IFT to talk all about it. IFT didn’t “add AI” as a feature; they transformed 85 years of journals, publications, and expertise into a tool that accelerates food product development. Co-Developer isn’t about replacing food scientists. It’s about pairing “human intelligence” (volunteers, SMEs, researchers) with #AI to create hybrid intelligence that moves faster and makes better decisions. The board allocated seed funding and treated this like a startup. The team stayed deeply involved with developers; (daily standups, detailed prompt engineering, constant feedback). In a world of trade secrets and proprietary formulas, they designed the product from day one so members can use the platform without fear their data will be reused or exposed. For me, Co-Developer is one of the clearest examples yet of what I keep telling association leaders: You are sitting on a gold mine of structured knowledge, trust, and community that AI-native startups simply don’t have. 🎧 I highly recommend listening to this episode if you’re even thinking about an AI product in your association. Link in comments. Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction to Jay Gilbert & IFT 2:07 Meet Jay: From Student Member to Tech Leader 6:36 Introducing CoDeveloper: The AI-Powered R&D Tool 11:42 How Members Are Responding 15:35 Bringing the Board Along for the AI Ride 21:19 Keeping Member Data Private 23:47 Lessons from the CoDeveloper Launch 28:38 Educating Users & Spreading the Word 32:59 What’s Next for IFT’s AI Ecosystem 35:55 Final Advice: Start Small, Learn Constantly

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Precision agriculture is meeting farmers where they are, with affordable and effective solutions for the challenges they’re facing, and I’m excited to see it. The tools aren’t just innovative, they represent what’s possible when technology is accessible.  Over the past decade, farmers have faced rising production and transportation costs, climate change, labor challenges, and more uncertainty. Precision agriculture was an ongoing project, combining generational knowledge with computational power, but limited data, high prices, and a lack of access to resources stalled progress.  🤝 AI unlocked effective, scalable, and affordable solutions, but only after it got into the right hands.  A free AI market with access for all isn’t just good for business; it’s good for uplifting communities.  When *all* voices have the opportunity to bring their ideas to life, projects geared towards local interests and social good take off—we tap into the good intentions already at work.   I’m looking forward to seeing ideas like these grow through technology and collaboration.  💡 I’d love to hear from you: what’s a technology-driven social solution that gives you hope for the future? #Agriculture #AI #FoodSecurity #PrecisionAgriculture

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3 Lessons every Ops Leader learn when overtime costs get out of control.... ...unless they automate. Watching overtime costs spiral hurts It’s a reality for a lot of ops leaders Here’s what teams learn the hard way: 1️⃣ Spreadsheets and legacy systems = hidden cost centers 2️⃣ Real-time visibility beats guesswork 3️⃣ Advanced scheduling tools aren’t just nice-to-have, they’re essential That’s why leaders are moving to tools like Indeavor. Because fixing frontline scheduling isn’t optional anymore. It’s how you protect your margins and your people. Worth a read if spreadsheets are still running your life 🤯 Link to full case study below 👇

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