A growing global population, economic and environmental challenges, and an escalating domestic demand local, high-quality food – never has the climate been more conducive to entrepreneurism and innovation in agriculture, says Mark Gagnon.
Gagnon leads Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences’ Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program, which just got a big boost with a $200,000 gift from donors Earl and Kay Harbaugh.
Started in 2006, mostly to support agricultural extension projects, the program has grown to support research, development and commercialization of projects by students and faculty, says Gagnon.
The program consists of entrepreneurship-focused classes, competitions including the Ag Business Springboard student competition, the Harbaugh Entrepreneurship Forum, which brings entrepreneurial leaders to campus to inspire students and faculty, mentoring and more.
Undergrads are actively developing innovative products and services, often working across disciplines. At the most recent Ag Springboard in November 2012, a student team won $5,000 to continue work on a mobile aquaponic greenhouse suitable for restaurant kitchens. The second place team won $1,000 for its work on a new type of poultry feeder, soon to be tested on live birds.
Other student work includes specialized greenhouses for microgreens and new food products (including one being worked on in Brazil this summer). A faculty team is at work on a new approach to feeding cover crops, used to build more organic content in the soil.
Looking ahead, Gagnon sees continued growth for the program; “There is such a demand for what we do in ag science. We have the challenge of feeding the world and boosting living standards.”
Source: Mark Gagnon, Harbaugh Entrepreneurship Scholar, College of Agricultural Sciences’ Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program, Penn State
Writer: Elise Vider