A recent addition to downtown Des Moines is Landus? new, unique facility: the Innovation Connector, which functions as an intersection between cutting-edge agriculture technology, farmers, and urban audiences. Ag innovation moves quickly, and that can create a disconnect between the technology and the farmers who use it. However, that doesn?t mean we should allow the industry to stagnate. The tried-and-true methods that we still use today are all well and good, but it?s time to bring change into the middle of the industry. Yesterday was the grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony for the Innovation Connector, and many state representatives and stakeholders were in attendance. Among those in attendance was Iowa Ag Secretary Mike Naig, who gave a few remarks on the meaning of this new building and how it will help us embrace and facilitate change in Iowa?s ag industry.
The Des Moines Innovation Connector will host farmer events that will bring at least 1,000 farmers to the downtown area each year. The events will connect farmers to global innovation leaders and give them an opportunity to leverage innovations more quickly. Landus President and CEO Matt Carstens touched on the innovative effort and echoed similar sentiments to Secretary Naig, saying that ?it?s time to be different.?
Currently, 11 innovation partners will be featured at the Innovation Connector: AGI, Grain Weevil, Haber Technologies, CapstanAg, Drift, ChopLocal, Indigo, Yara, Sukup, Midland, and Intellinair. The Innovation Connector will also host programming such as startup pitch competitions and ?Hackathons? while serving as the foremost hub of agricultural innovation. Consumers, city leaders, and elected officials will have the opportunity to see the performance technology available to growers. With the exponential growth of data resources, urban audiences can collaborate with Landus farmers to learn more about food production practices and sustainability efforts.
For more information, visit https://www.landuscooperative.com/.
