437. ISDA’s Don Lamb on convening the corners of the agbioscience industry to drive impact + meaningful change

From Indiana’s rich agricultural story to the cross-sector innovation taking place in BioHeartland, the state’s economy tells more than one story about what it does well; the growing story, however, is how its innovation domains come together to share an identity with much more power. This week, Director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) Don Lamb joins the show to talk about the farmer, the future and BioHeartland’s positive momentum. 

Highlights include: 

• Don’s perspective as a farmer and how becoming the Director of ISDA has evolved his view of the industry 
• The opportunity for Indiana to innovate at the intersection of farming, food, animal health and plant science 
• USDA’s announcement of Indianapolis as a hub for their relocation initiative and what he believe it signals about Indiana 
• Why Indiana is a fit and the advantage our ecosystem brings 
• The impact of a USDA hub on the farmer here in Indiana 
• Updates on the future of Indiana and USDA, including the announcement of SNAP to Indianapolis 
• Don’s thoughts on BioHeartland and why an identity for our region matters more than ever 
• How he hopes the brand grows and evolves both inside and outside perspectives on production agriculture and agbioscience’s impact on the state 
• Farmers, agribusinesses and community leaders’ roles in sharing the BioHeartland story 
• Don answers the question: “Is Indiana having a moment?” 
• ISDA’s plans for seizing the opportunity to connect the farming and innovation communities 
• What’s coming up for ISDA that has Don most excited