Register today for Exceed the Seed and receive an exclusive link to view our first event, Challenges on the Pathway to Commercialization
AgriThority®
Luke Samuel, Ph.D.
Manager of Business and Technology,
AgriThority®
Technology, agronomy and product development leadership is what Luke brings to AgriThority. His devotion to delivering quality results that drive customer and company revenue is supported by his love of applying new technologies. For more than 10 years Luke has lead local to global strategic business and knowledge transfer efforts of new and existing products within The Climate Corporation, Monsanto Company, and Compass Minerals. Intensely curious about nature and natural systems, Luke studied Natural Resource Management and invasive weed ecology while in North Dakota earning his Ph.D. He continues to pursue his passion in the field research of experimental seed, traits, chemistry, and biological products to advance crop production.
Global Product Development
Gloverson Moro
AgriThority®Director,
Global Product Development
Gloverson Moro leads the expanding science and technology group at AgriThority, directing product development, field-testing, and regulatory services worldwide. His extensive experience spans seed development, biotechnology, crop protection, and regulatory management of teams in Latin America, Asia Pacific, and North America. He has multiple academic degrees including an MBA and Ph.D. in Molecular Biology. He is fluent in Portuguese, English and Spanish.
Featured Presenters
Open Prairie
J.M. “Jim” Schultz
Managing Partner,
Open Prairie
Jim Schultz is the Founder and Managing Partner of Open Prairie and a fifth-generation agriculture investor and entrepreneur with over 40 years of investment experience. Schultz has been instrumental in starting and providing capital to companies throughout the country. In addition to his career in private equity, Schultz held senior leadership positions and served as the Chairman of the Board of the Illinois State Chamber of Commerce and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Small Business Advisory Council on Agriculture, Labor and Small Business. At Open Prairie he has served in a board capacity at several portfolio companies, including: Legacy Seed Companies, Vestaron Corporation, Agrivida, NewLeaf Symbiotics, and CommoditAg.
RaboResearch Food & Agribusiness
Chiakai Kang, Ph.D.
Analyst Farm Inputs,
RaboResearch Food & Agribusiness
As a detail-oriented and data-driven plant scientist, Dr. Kang’s expertise and focus is production of top quality plants in a controlled environments of greenhouse and vertical farming as well as in the field. Her work as Analyst-Farm Inputs with RaboResearch Food & Agribusiness extends her experience in genetics and plant ecophysiology into production agriculture analysis for fertilizers, seeds, agrochemicals, equipment and animal nutrition. Her recent reports explore the shifting role of farm input companies from supplier to coach and Structural changes in the Seed Industry.
Talipot US Services
Keith Vodrazka
Director of Business Development,
Talipot US Services
With a broad agricultural industry background in both commercial and technical roles, Keith Vodrazka has collaborated closely with cross-functional teams as well as internal/external stakeholders from various product lines. His current work with biocarbon technologies for soil health began in 2017 as Director of Technical Services with Cool Planet and transitioned to Talipot US Services, an agriculture technology company that develops and optimizes liquid biochar extracts for use in agriculture and green industry markets. Since completing degrees in biology and entomology, Vodrazka has spent over twenty years in the agriculture industry with companies like Bayer, Chemtura, Arysta, and Plant Impact helping develop and commercialize new products and technology.
Crop Science Division, Bayer
Martin Gruss
former Global Head SeedGrowth,
Crop Science Division, Bayer
Recently retired after 40 years with Bayer, Martin Gruss has been a champion of ground-breaking achievements in seed applied technologies that have created new market segments. During his tenure with Bayer, Gruss managed the Crop Protection business in Australia and New Zealand, in the country group for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, and then the global Bayer SeedGrowth unit. He remains committed to maximizing seed value and high yields for farmers while serving on the AgriThority Board of Advisors.
Douglas Plant Health
Marcus Jones, Ph.D.
VP of Research and Development,
Douglas Plant Health
As an experienced practitioner in agricultural research and product development, Dr. Jones has a history with innovation and emerging technology, experimental design and cropping systems. Since his academic years at Pennsylvania State and Michigan State Universities, Jones has led and collaborated with teams at Syngenta, Monsanto, NewLeaf Symbiotics, ADAMA, and ICL Specialty Fertilizers. In his newly accepted role at Douglas Plant Health, he will direct the R&D effort to bolster the existing portfolio and spur innovation in the biologicals space.
Interact with our experts and other attendees in a live Q&A.