Event description

Food | Ag | Ideas, led by Naturally MN and partners, is an annual multi-day series of speakers, events, tours, and demo showcases to highlight innovative ideas, make connections across the sectors, invite leaders to join Minnesota’s entrepreneur and innovation ecosystem, and move our industry forward,

In 2023, the theme of FAI is focused on the Future of Food + Ag Innovation: Healthy People, Planet. Centering the ways in which the food system operates is critical to ensure the future and sustainability of our value chain.

Come ready to learn and network on October 9th and 10th for the two days of panels at the Minnesota History Center, and don’t miss out on the array of pre-conference events and experiences starting on October 3rd.

Meet the speaker

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Priera Panescu, Ph.D.

LEAD SCIENTIST, PLANT-BASED
GFI

Priera’s role at GFI focuses on accelerating the plant-based meat industry through analyzing their plant-based protein landscape, identifying emerging technological solutions and bottlenecks, and communicating with other scientists about advancing alternative protein research. Priera has bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and math from the University of California, Santa Cruz as well as a master’s and a doctorate in organic chemistry from the University of California, Los Angeles. Prior to joining GFI, Priera spent almost a decade focusing on polymer, formulation, and materials chemistry research. Particularly, she honed these skills for food security applications by creating novel sustainable agriculture materials and compounds.

Upcoming events

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Cell growth modeling review for cultivated meat production
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Cell growth modeling review for cultivated meat production: Recommendations to improve techno-economic models

Join report authors to learn what current data reveal, where critical gaps remain, and the research priorities shaping more accurate and scalable techno-economic models for cultivated meat production.

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California State University, Stanislaus

California Circular Bioeconomy Summit (BioCirCA)

Join GFI’s Jeremy Eltz at BioCirCA for forward-looking conversations on transforming waste into opportunity—and unlocking the power of bio-based innovation.

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COP30: United Nations Climate Change Conference

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Supporting growers and rural communities: resilience through protein diversification

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Virtual Event

Growing the Future: How New Farming Frontiers Are Transforming Protein

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The Science of Alt Protein: Application-driven design of plant protein gels

Discover how application-driven design of plant protein gels can unlock new possibilities in texture, mouthfeel, and nutrition.

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New Proteins webinar

Join GFI’s Abby Sewell for a look at how hybrid and diversified protein strategies are shaping the future of food.

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Tuskegee University

Future of Food: Engaging Agriculture and Education in the Protein Transition

GFI’s Jeremy Eltz and Janie Butler are heading to Tuskegee to lead a dynamic workshop at the Professional Agricultural Workers Conference.