Barney Debnam is the Director, Agribusiness Industry Solutions, at Microsoft. Barney joins the podcast to provide insight into Microsoft's focus and involvement in agriculture, his background and current role with Microsoft, and the state of ag technology adoption. This episode has great insight into how the tech industry is approaching ag. Tune in! Show Notes: https://themodernacre.com/211

211: Agriculture at Microsoft with their Director of Agribusiness Industry Solutions, Barney Debnam

Launch Giveaway: Scope the details HERE In this episode, we talk about the importance of education in inspiring the next-generation of farmers and ag entrepreneurs with the president of the California FFA, Luke O’Leary.&nbsp; Luke talks about his experience with FFA in high school, the transition to college in Texas, then back to California for a year spent traveling around the state inspiring and educated the next generation. We discuss the importance of educating others about the importance and breadth of agriculture, as well as the role FFA plays. Connect with Luke HERE Connect with the California FFA HERE

5: Agricultural Education with CA FFA President, Luke O'Leary

Launch Giveaway: Scope the details HERE We made it! Episode 1 of The Modern Acre. On the first episode of the podcast, we share more of the vision of The Modern Acre and who we are. We’ll let our voiceover guy take it from here… “The Modern Acre - Agriculture for the Next-Generation Farm &amp; Business The Modern Acre is a community of students, farmers, professionals, and entrepreneurs passionate about building their ag businesses through modern day innovation and technology. If you’re in the ag industry and looking for strategies for your business and inspiration from industry leaders and disruptors, you’re in the right place. Stay tuned and join the community of ag innovators at themodernacre.co” Thanks, voiceover guy.&nbsp; But seriously, we are really excited about starting this podcast and hope it will provide a ton of value to you! You can connect with Tim and Tyler HERE

1: Introduction to The Modern Acre | Agriculture for the Next-Generation

Launch Giveaway: Scope the details HERE On this episode, we talk with Austin Maness, COO of Harvest Returns, a crowdfunding platform for ag investing. Austin talks about learning about agriculture and farming from his grandparents, his extensive military service, and helping start an innovative ag business.&nbsp; Harvest Returns provides farmers with more flexible financing options that a traditional loan, while also providing an alternative, passive investment for investors. Austin provides some examples of ag businesses they have worked with and talks about how the industry is trending and adopting technology. This is a good one, tune in! Check out Harvest Returns HERE Connect with Austin HERE

3: Ag Financing & Investing through Crowdfunding with Austin Maness

Launch Giveaway: Scope the details HERE “A flamethrower is at stake here people.” On this episode, we interview John Stenderup, Strategic Sales Executive for C.H. Robinson. We discuss what growing up on a farm was like, studying international ag business at Cal Poly, and transitioning to supply chain management, logistics, and global trade for fresh produce. We also get into what his recent Mount Everest climb was like. Needless to say, it’s a jam packed show! John talks about learning about hard work doing odd jobs on the farm and how that established a foundation for him later in life. We discuss the disruption of technology in agriculture in the past 10 years and how that will continue to change the industry at a faster pace. John highlights the importance of relationships, networking, and partnering with academia to push innovation.&nbsp; Connect with John HERE Read the Cal Poly article HERE

2: Climbing Everest and Managing Ag Supply Chains with John Stenderup

Launch Giveaway: Scope the details HERE On episode 4, we have a hugely valuable conversation with Jesse Vollmar, Co-founder and CEO of the farm management technology company, FarmLogs. Jesse discusses his passion for technology and software development, and how he brought that passion back to the agriculture community. We talk through the difference between maximizing yields and maximizing profits, as well as what lessons he has learned as a CEO. Jesse touches on the importance of net neutrality and how technology will continue to impact agriculture. FarmLogs is a platform of easy-to-use tools and software that enables farmers to more effectively leverage data on the farm. There are over 50,000 farms covering over 80M acres that use FarmLogs, allowing thousands of farmers to run more efficient and profitable businesses. That's a LOT of modern acres. Check out FarmLogs&nbsp;HERE Connect with Jesse&nbsp;HERE