Disruptive Innovation: Not Just for Silicon Valley was the second panel discussion during the Rural Infrastructure Summit in Ames, Iowa. From left to right: Bert Farrish, Kevin Kimble, Darryl Matthews, John Engelen, Andrew Jacob and Sara Wyant.
When many people hear the term disruptive innovation, they think of Silicon Valley start-ups in the 90s that changed the way we deliver information and communicate. But like many things born in California, disruptive innovation is just not limited to Silicon Valley and technology parks. Coined in 1995 by Clayton M. Christensen, disruptive innovation describes a process by which a product or service takes root initially in simple applications at the bottom of a market and then relentlessly moves up market, eventually displacing established competitors. An example: precision ag.
But how will disruptive innovation change the rural infrastructure landscape? This was the topic of the second panel discussion during the inaugural Rural Infrastructure Summit – an event that really kicked off a long-term discussion about how agricultural products will be moved in the future. “Disruptive Innovation: Not Just for Silicon Valley,” was moderated by Agri-Pulse Communications Editor Sara Wyant. Each panelist gave a brief presentation on what disruptive innovations he thought were on the horizon and how they may change rural infrastructure and rural communities as we know them today.
Panelists included:
- Andrew Jacob, Chief Vice President, Regulatory, Legislative and Compliance Officer, CoBank
- John Engelen, Vice President, Government Affairs, CHS Inc.
- Darryl Matthews, Senior Vice President and Sector Head, Agriculture, Forestry, Positioning Services and HarvestMark Divisions, Trimble Navigation, LTD
- Kevin Kimle, Director, Agricultural Entrepreneurship Initiative, Iowa State University
- Bert Farrish, CEO, Big River Rice & Grain, Pioneer, LA
Listen to the panelist’s thoughts on Disruptive Innovation: Disruptive Innovation Panelist Remarks