Farmer to Founder

This week, Tim Ryan and Zack Miller sit with Diana Warren and Shari Neuhofer of Agricision. Agricision, Inc is an AgTech company founded by farmers, to help farmers solve the $56.3 billion pest and weed control problem in healthier and more cost-effective ways. Watch this week's episode to hear about reducing crop disease, detecting weeds with AI, using drones to laser target pests, and much more! Show notes: (00:00) Intro (02:00) Zack's New Comedy Bit (04:40) What problem does Agricision solve? (06:06) Why do farmers still use pesticides in 2023? (07:03) How do weeds destroy crops? (10:19) Why are weeds becoming resistant to pesticides? (11:19) Saving farmers almost $250,000 a year (13:04) The links between pesticides and cancer (15:00) Even organic crops are sprayed with chemicals (18:09) Saves farmers money. Healthier for the community. Where's the AgTech capital? (19:44) Farmers to Founders (24:13) What is Agricision's revenue model? (27:18) How is Agricision surviving without revenue? (29:20) Co-founders Jason Gilikan and Mickey Cowden (30:31) Detecting pests with AI (31:20) Using drones to laser target pests (36:18) Increasing rural access to the Internet with Starlink (40:15) More accurate than GPS (42:24) How big is the average farmer's field? (45:15) $800,000 sprayer vs. $40,000 drone (47:33) Solving the case of the Beech Tree killer (48:13) An AI model that can detect any pest or weed (48:47) Saving banana crops in Ecuador with AI (50:19) All-terrain robotic drone for high-tech farming (51:21) How many people touch your food before you eat it? (53:10) How 600% inflation is hurting farmers (55:18) The End of Garlic Farming (57:50) How did Diana and Sheri meet? (58:25) Knowing your strengths and weaknesses About Agricision: In 2019, Diana Warren and her husband Ken founded Agricision, Inc., becoming a woman-owned, farmer-led, AgTech company that bridges the gaps in agricultural pest detection of weeds, insects, and plant disease, using artifical intelligence and drone technology to bring farmers precise, and accurate data at the most critical moments. Crops require constant monitoring and attention throughout the growth process. Because of the realization of  waste and inefficiency, a vision was born that drove Ken and Diana to start a small, woman-owned business dedicated to providing farmers with  innovative pest and crop management solutions. With this realization, and an incredible team of talented professionals to back them up, the autonomous technology known as ScoutX2 was born! Our innovative method of pest detection combines the use of unmanned vehicles such as drones to identify invasive pests such as bugs and weeds. Learn more: https://www.agricisioninc.com/our-story About the hosts: Tim Ryan is an angel investor and the Executive Director of Innovate Hampton Roads, an organization dedicated to connecting entrepreneurs with resources in Hampton Roads, Virginia. Tim also serves as the Director of REaKTOR, a space for technology-based startups to start and grow. Zack Miller is a serial entrepreneur and author of Anomaly, a guide on differentiating yourself and your business from the crowd. Enjoy the show? Watch the Fervent Four Show LIVE every Thursday at 11 AM. Live: https://www.innovate757.org/live/ Watch past episodes: https://www.innovate757.org/fervent-four-show/ Listen to past episodes: https://fathom.fm/podcast/fervent-four   The Fervent Four Show: Did you know that only 4% of businesses hit $1M in revenue? Tim Ryan and Zack Miller are the creators of The Fervent Four Show, designed to help you get there. Check them out Live every Thursday at 11 AM. Social Media: Tim Ryan https://www.innovate757.org/ X (personal): @ryantnt (https://twitter.com/ryantnt) X: @Innovate757 (https://twitter.com/Innovate757) Instagram: @InnovateHamptonRoads: https://www.instagram.com/innovatehamptonroads/ LinkedIn (personal): https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryantnt/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/innovate757/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Innovate757 Zack Miller https://www.zackmillersays.com X: @zackmillersays (https://twitter.com/zackmillersays) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zackmillersays