INDIANAPOLIS–Indiana is helping feed the world. More food will have to be produced with less land, so Hoosier companies are working on ways to do it effectively. Steve Forbes, editor of Forbes Magazine, visited the state as part of the Forbes Ag Tech Summit, in Indianapolis.
This year’s event was only the second not held in California.
“The food industry is undergoing a complete transformation in the way we grow, develop, process and consume food,” said Sherry Phillips, vice president of Forbes LIVE events, talking to Inside Indiana Business.
LINK: Inside Indiana Business story
“The agricultural sector touches more lives than any other industry and with cutting-edge developments in agricultural biotechnology, we can create food more sustainably than ever before.”
The event was hosted by AgriNovus Indiana, and addressed food animal health, protein and crops. It also examined how data and technology can improve not only the amount of food for a growing global population but also how to increase the nutritional value and to make it more sustainable.
While in Indiana, Forbes visited seed company Beck’s Hybrids, in Atlanta, Ind., the largest family-owned seed company in the country.
“The longer term impact, I think, is what is interesting, in terms of showcasing Indiana,” said Inside Indiana Business host Gerry Dick, on Tony Katz and the Morning News. He said the presence of people like Forbes shows that the state is a major player in the future of ag science and feeding the world.
It may also have an impact on jobs.
“The jobs in the ag-tech biosciences typically pay above the average salary,” said Dick.
“As we think about innovation and food and agriculture. It’s colliding today with the life sciences economy with human health and nutrition with automation, logistics and supply chain with tech and IT and data,” said AgriNovus Indiana President and Chief Executive Officer Beth Bechdol.
PHOTO: Fotokostic
