IdeeLab Biotecnologia has established itself as a leading partner in the innovation and development of biotech-based products for agriculture. Through proprietary development platforms, a highly skilled team, and state-of-the-art R&D and scale-up infrastructure, the company enables top agricultural input players to build differentiated, high-quality product portfolios with real market impact.

IdeeLab’s core strength lies in its deep expertise in biotechnology and bioprocesses, combined with its ability to deliver exclusive, customized solutions—such as biofertilizers, biostimulants, and biopesticides—efficiently and at speed. With a proprietary microorganism library and a cutting-edge approach to product development, IdeeLab is recognized as Brazil’s foremost Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) for agricultural biologicals.

Brazil has been on my personal 'must-do' list for a long time. It's a global leader in the use and production of bio-inputs, including inoculants, biofertilizers, and biological pest control products. Its regulatory framework is among the most advanced globally, serving as a model for other nations transitioning to biological-based products.

It's also a country where collaboration between industry, research & government lies at the heart of its success in supporting farmers and growers transition to a more biological future. 

In this podcast, Dennis & Peter tried to cover a wide topic area; Research & Development, Investment, Adoption, Support Services. For anyone trying to get a better understanding of the Brazilian market and how its multi-stakeholder ecosystem works, our panel members were able to share their insights from their own unique perspectives. 

As a policymaker, a regulator, a grower and a scientist, the lessons taken back home were wide-ranging. What was clear from the podcast was that Brazil is seriously deserving of its reputation as a global model for others.

A huge thanks to each of the team for taking part in a very open and informative discussion. It was a fascinating session and is a must-watch for anyone with an interest in biologicals and their adoption.

Featuring:

CDFA Secretary Karen Ross, DPR Director, Dr Karen Morrison, Don Cameron & Dr Jeana Cadby

Nuss Farms is a 5th generation family farm located in Lodi, CA growing a wide range of specialty crops at scale. Tim oversees the company’s finance and sales operations, but occasionally get let loose on a tractor to get his hands dirty.

Tim is also founder of the biological products portal, AgList.

In her previous work, she worked alongside growers, including enterprise, government, and NPO partners, on issues surrounding soil health, crop inputs, water quality and developing innovative solutions to bolster climate resilience. Jeana currently serves on the board of her local Resource Conservation District and has a B.S. and M.S. in Plant and Soil Sciences and a Ph.D. in Agricultural Development Studies.

More recently, Jeana has supported the development of the Platform10 initiative.

Braga Fresh is a large, vertically integrated, primarily organic grower with operations in the Salinas Valley and Imperial Valley. One of the primary concerns they had in organic production was no ability to put their red lettuce aphids in check. No organic sprays worked well to take care of lettuce aphids, so they turned to natural enemies to help reduce populations.

Eric says the process of farming with nature has been humbling. Having been in the industry a long time, he thought he had all the answers. “And then come to find out that I was really ignorant about the biological process in place. I've been able to answer a lot of questions that I've had for my entire career by observing biological systems and drawing conclusions from that; and then trying to find some level of translation to our production.” Eric enjoys discovering solutions. “I think discovery is what's making this entire process exciting. And I think it's what's exciting our entire team.”

Tony is also a co-founder of Sabor Farms, a farming operation with an emphasis on specialty items. Tony and his wife, Cathy, also established Gud Pak Harvesting, which has since partnered to transform into today's Foothill Packing. Alameda is President of United Vegetable Growers Cooperative, a member of San Benito and Monterey County Farm Bureaus and supporter of San Benito and Monterey County fairs.

She was also the Senior Research Manager of the California Strawberry Commission from 2011-2015 and is a Fruit and Veg class of 2019 40 under 40 award recipient.

As Sun World’s COO and head grower for 20+ years, Kevin was responsible for growing operations comprising 20,000+ acres of table grapes, citrus, stone fruit, and row crops in the San Joaquin Valley/Mexico and over 3,000 acres in the Coachella Valley. Kevin’s growing ability is incomparable in the industry; breeders often use his crops as their “showcase” vineyards for grower and customer tours, as well as seek his advice on how to develop and grow their varieties.

Prior to joining the Almond Board, she led the Environmental Defense Fund’s work on sustainable agriculture. She helped launch the University of California, Davis World Food Center and worked in business development for Arcadia Biosciences.

Josette spent 16 years with the U.S. Agency for International Development, and as Director of the Office of Agriculture, she played a leadership role in the development of the Administration’s global initiative on food security.

Almonds are California's largest specialty crop. Producing 80% of the global supply, over 1.5M acres of land are dedicated to almonds. In this fascinating podcast, Josette shares the Almond Board story and how research continues to play a significant role in maintaining its reputation as the world's leading almond producer.

Since 1987, Don has been the Vice President and General Manager of Terranova Ranch, Inc. located 25 miles southwest of Fresno, California. Terranova farms approximately 6,000 acres, in addition to 1,500 acres custom farmed for other clients. The farm has a mix of conventional, organic and biotech field crops including conventional and organic processing tomatoes, peppers, onions, seed product, corn and a diversity of other annual crops. 

Don currently serves as chairman for the California Cotton Alliance, director and past chairman for the California Tomato Growers Association and a director for Western Growers Association.

As one of California's most innovative growers, Don shared his experiences and hopes for the future with Dennis & Peter. For growers everywhere, Don's insights in this 'The Grower Talks' podcast will be immense.

Pam spent her 30+ year career focused on biological products for pest management and plant health, having started and led three bioag companies (Entotech, AgraQuest and Marrone Bio Innovations (now called Profarm Group), all of which were sold to larger companies.  Pam's fourth and current company, the Invasive Species Corporation and its corresponding Invasive Species Foundation, aims to bring effective, environmentally friendly biological solutions to control destructive invasive species, in water, forestry and agriculture.

In this hugely informative podcast, Peter referred to Pam as being the 'Doyen' of biologicals. This was clearly a term based on his English heritage. Neither Dennis nor Pam had heard the expression before. So for those who have also not heard the expression before, its definition from the Oxford Dictionary; 'the most respected or prominent person in a particular field'.

In the case of Pam Marrone, entirely appropriate. This is one podcast you should not miss!

In this role, he leads successful venture campaigns for select companies that help farmers do more with less environmental impact. Since its launch, Ospraie Ag Science has invested over USD250M into its portfolio.

Carl's three decades of experience leading globally influential companies like CHS and Monsanto, where he was Chief Financial Officer. This experience provides unparalleled insight into the converging forces that will soon fundamentally transform global agricultural systems. From Congress to key industry events, Carl is a frequent and sought-after commentator on the future of farming and global ag infrastructure. A fourth-generation farmer himself, Carl remains deeply committed to “creating business models that ensure relevance over time”.

In this fascinating podcast, Carl talks about the role of 'BigAg' in biologicals, the opportunities for startups but also some of the challenges being faced in the current funding environment, together with his own experiences as a commercial blueberry farming operator in Oregon’s Willamette Valley.

It's an episode that should not be missed!

Before joining CDFA, Secretary Ross was chief of staff for U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, a position she accepted in 2009. Prior to that appointment, she served as President of the California Association of Winegrape Growers from 1996-2009, and as Vice-President of the Agricultural Council of California from 1989-1996. Her prior experience before moving to California included staff work for a United States Senator, a presidential candidate, and government relations for rural electric cooperatives and public power districts.

Secretary Ross is passionate about fostering the reconnection of consumers to the land and the people who produce their food, and improving the access of all California citizens to healthy, nutritious California-grown agricultural products, celebrated for their diversity and abundance in serving local, national and global markets.