In today’s episode, we sat down with farmer and podcaster Corey Hillebo and Corteva Agriscience chief technology and digital officer Sam Eathington. Hillebo and Eathington help us to better understand how to unlock agriscience innovation, both at the farm level and at the corporate level.
“Can we use the science to find another crop or crops for Iowa? Like there's no doubt with Brazil coming on and being a major competitor of ours and we are just doing an amazing job as farmers and Corteva is doing an amazing job with science… It would be awesome if we could find something else that is of value. We could do really well to take some pressure off.” - Corey Hillebo
Science and technology are changing fast. It’s entirely plausible that the products that are returning value to farmers and shareholders today might be entirely different in the future. As Corteva Agriscience chief technology and digital officer, Sam Eathington shares that his pursuits in research and development are focused on current farmer issues, future farmer issues and what return on investment they can develop for both producers and shareholders.
“At the end of the day, it's really about capital allocation and what should we prioritize and why…Part of my job is to help take the science and turn it into why we care from the business. And that is a really important part…We can do incredible science, but if we don't figure out how to link it and make it into a business value, it never goes anywhere… And so my role is a lot about how to help communicate that and explain that and then help make choices about where we invest and where we don't invest.” - Sam Eathington
Some takeaways from this episode:
- The three overlapping circles of where to invest into future innovation are starting with the farmer needs, then the state of the science and finally the return on investment for shareholders.
- The pursuit of alternative crops is necessary and now possible as technology continues to make that more attainable
- We are definitely living in a time of disruptive innovation, and adapting to these changes is critical for all of us in agriculture.
Agriscience Explained is brought to you by Corteva Agriscience and hosted by Tim Hammerich. This show is produced by Clint Pilcher, Rayda Krell and Ann Leonard. Jaime Hammerich and Grant Bolton edit these podcasts, and the music was composed by Dmitri Volkov. Subscribe for more Agriscience Explained: From Science to Solutions.
What is Agriscience Explained?
This is Agriscience Explained: from science to solutions. A podcast brought to you by Corteva Agriscience. Host Tim Hammerich visits with both scientists and farmers about how agricultural innovations are discovered, developed and deployed on the farm.
Farming is a business, profit is never guaranteed. To manage risk and give the crop the best possible chance of success, farmers rely on the latest in management practices, and some really cutting edge science. We call it agriscience. This study brings together biology, chemistry, agronomy, ecology, physics, genetics, data science and numerous other fields to find the best possible solutions for farmers.
It’s complex, and it’s changing fast. The stakes have never been higher to equip farmers with the best possible tools for a productive, profitable and sustainable crop.