2025 Round Table Meetings

July 16-18, 2025
Spokane, Washington
Automation for a Resilient Future for Agriculture:
Technology, Tools, & Trends

Not all sessions included PowerPoints. Additionally, not all speakers gave permission to post their slides; however, the presentations approved to post are included in the PDF for each session. Please do not share these materials beyond the Round Table.

Wednesday, July 16, 2025
Tour Day
Tour A
Nelson Farms
METER Group
Lower Granite Dam

Tour B
McCoy Loading Facility/PNW Cooperative
Papé Machinery Agriculture & Turf
Qualterra

Tour C
Okanagan Specialty Fruits Slicing Facility
Endless Orchard Hard Cider Tasting
Okanagan Specialty Fruits’ Skyline Orchard

Thursday, July 17, 2025
Welcome Address and Farm Foundation Updates
Shari Rogge-Fidler, Farm Foundation
Cheri DeJong, AgriVision Farm Management
(presentation)

Opening Keynote Address
Rob Dongoski, Kearney

Primer: AI Economy
Mary Snapp, Microsoft

Session One | Artificial Intelligence in Action: Transforming Farming and Food Systems
Mary Snapp, Microsoft
Brian Carroll, Grand Farm
Elizabeth Fastiggi, Idealyst Innovations
Shail Khiyara, SWARM Engineering

Session Two | The Role of Automation in the Workforce
Jay Akridge, Purdue University
Speakers: Wendy Powers, University of Maryland, College Park
Ben Palone, Western Growers
Rob Trice, The Mixing Bowl & Better Food Ventures
Alex Russomagno, AGCO Ventures

Cultivator Lunch
Natalia Espinoza, University of Georgia
Ike Inniss, Southern University and A&M College
Jordan Knapp-Wilson, University of Georgia
Duplicate Sambani, University of Florida
Wendell Scales Jr., University of Arkansas
Jared Trask, Purdue University
Yasin Yildrim, North Dakota State University
(presentation)

Session Three: Policy and Regulation: Navigating the Path to Automated Agriculture
Jay Vroom, DCLRS, Inc.
Jim Bair, U.S. Apple Association
Louis Aspey, USDA NRCS (presentation)
Brett McMickell, Kubota Corporation
Gregory Jaffe, Jaffe Policy Consulting LLC
Mike Miller, Washington Genetics

Session Four: AI Literacy, Personal Adoption, and Hands on Learning
Dan Maycock, Agerpoint (presentation)
John Foltz, Round Table Advisory Council Chair, Farm Foundation

Chair’s Dinner, Awards, & Round Table Recognitions
Cheri DeJong, Board Chair, Farm Foundation
Awards: R.J. Hildreth Public Policy Award
Farm Foundation Emerging Leader Award
Farm Foundation Innovator of the Year Award
Farm Foundation Book of the Year Award

Friday, July 18, 2025

Day Two Keynote Address
Derek Sandison, Washington State Department of Agriculture (presentation)

Session Five | The Economics of Automation
Kanlaya Barr, Deere & Company
Andrew Nelson, Nelson Farms, Inc. & Silver Creek Farms
Ines Hanrahan, Washington State Tree Fruit Research Commission
Amandla Ooko-Ombaka, McKinsey & Company

Dialogue on Technology and Traceability
Morgan Craven, Farm Foundation
Rob Trice, The Mixing Bowl & Better Food Ventures
Drew Zabrocki, TOTEM LTD (presentation)

Session Six: Ag Unfiltered: An Open Conversation on Labor, Trade & Markets and More
Gregg Doud, National Milk Producers Federation
Speakers: Dan Basse, AgResource Company
Jon DeVaney, Washington State Tree Fruit Association
Krysta Harden, U.S. Dairy Export Council
Brian Jennings, American Coalition for Ethanol

January 15-17, 2025
Raleigh, North Carolina
Getting the Next Green Revolution Right

Wednesday, January 15, 2025

Tour Day
Avalo Biosciences
BASF
Cotton Incorporated
NC State Plant Sciences Initiative
Pairwise
Smithfield Foods
Syngenta

Thursday, January 16, 2025
Cultivator Breakfast (Presentations)
Speakers:
Tim Brennan, Farm Foundation
Jenna Wicks, Farm Foundation
Cooper Cable, North Carolina State University
Yasmeen Saleem, University of Florida
Ashton Dalton, Louisiana State University
Amanda Lay-Walters, University of Arkansas
Raymond Yan, Pennsylvania State University
Grace May, University of Illinois

General Session Begins: Welcome Address and Farm Foundation Updates (View the Video)
Speakers: (Presentation)
Shari Rogge-Fidler, Farm Foundation
Daniel Basse, AgResource Company
Amanda Martin, Farm Foundation

Opening Keynote Address with Dr. Rodolphe Barrangou
Speakers:
Ray Starling, NC Chamber
Rodolphe Barrangou, NC State University

Session One: Biotech at the Farm Level
Speakers:
Matt Moreland, Moreland Farms
Bo Stone, P&S Farms, Inc.
Elena Rice, Genus PLC
Larkin Martin, Martin Farm

Session Two: Regulatory Panel
Speakers:
Karen Carr, ArentFox Schiff LLP
Terry Stone, Stone Biological Solutions, LLC
Fan-Li Chou, ASTA
Bernadette Juarez, USDA APHIS
Luis Burzio, Gates Ag One

Session Three: Consumer Perceptions on Agricultural Technology
Speakers:
Sylvia Wulf, Biotechnology Innovation Organization
Sarah Gallo, Consumer Brands Association
Jenét DeCosta, Driscoll’s
Tom Adams, Pairwise

Session Four: Communicating a Vision for Biotechnology
Speakers:
Jenny Maloney, Bayer
Sarah Evanega, Okanagan Specialty Fruits
Chris Abbott, Pivot Bio
Neal Gutterson, Radicle Growth

Reception & Chairman’s Dinner
Speakers:
Daniel Basse, AgResource Company
Tim Brennan, Farm Foundation
Commissioner Steve Troxler, North Carolina Department of Agriculture
John Foltz, The Ohio State University
Legacy Videos
John Kautz Legacy Video
Orion Samuelson Legacy Video
Gary Baise Legacy Video

Friday, January 17, 2025

Round Table Fellow Breakfast (Presentation)

Day Two Keynote
Speakers:
Ted McKinney, NASDA
Jayson Lusk, Oklahoma State University

Session Five: Investors Panel
Speakers:
Bonnie Brayton, Fulcrum Global Capital
Matt Danner, Templeton Family Farms
Luke Jaeger, EGE Products
Karen LeVert, LeVert Ventures
Tom Greene, Corteva
Cristina Rohr, S2G Ventures

Session Six: What Next? How We All Can Contribute to Ensuring a Future for Biotech in Food and Agriculture (Presentation)
In this highly interactive session, we took the insights heard throughout the meeting and build on them. Attendees participated in a fast-paced “event storm” that focused on biotech acceptance among stakeholder groups. – Blog containing results to come.