|
A
Future
in
Ancient
Grains
|
|
Q&A
with
Kim
Stackhouse-Lawson
|
|
From
Crop
Fields
to
Classrooms
|
|
Carbon
and
Sustainable
Farming
Lessons
from
Danish
Agriculture
|
|
Going,
Going,
Gone...Local
|
|
Getting
Under
the
Covers
|
|
Losing
Ground,
Gaining
Ground
|
|
Leading
the
Field
|
|
Pressured
into
Planting
|
Blog: A Day in the Life of
an Accelerator
July 2018
An Accelerator office is
one of the most unique
places to work.
Five agtech startups are headquartered in Des Moines, IA for the 2018 Accelerator program, and if you were to visit, you would step right into conversations about financial projections, product testing, customer discovery, and market potential. Business model canvases hang on the walls; whiteboards are covered in brainstorm session notes, bookshelves are stacked with resources like Venture Deals and The Lean Startup, and the kitchen is stocked with coffee and snacks to fuel the entrepreneurs.
In addition to focused, individual business discussions, the Accelerator hosts programming to enrich all areas of the startups’ development: sales workshops, panels of ag marketing professionals, morning coffees with experienced startup founders, pitch practices, communication and etiquette coaching, etc.
Mentors are the key to success in any accelerator and our volunteer mentors have committed to the AgTech industry through their professional, personal, and volunteer roles. You may find them on the phone or in the conference rooms lending their knowledge and advice.
Founders of startups are driven to solve problems. They bring energy and determination to the atmosphere.
If you’d like to experience a “day in the life” yourself, we invite you to the Farm Progress Show August 28-30 in Boone, IA where we will set up the office in Booth 1120.
Five agtech startups are headquartered in Des Moines, IA for the 2018 Accelerator program, and if you were to visit, you would step right into conversations about financial projections, product testing, customer discovery, and market potential. Business model canvases hang on the walls; whiteboards are covered in brainstorm session notes, bookshelves are stacked with resources like Venture Deals and The Lean Startup, and the kitchen is stocked with coffee and snacks to fuel the entrepreneurs.
In addition to focused, individual business discussions, the Accelerator hosts programming to enrich all areas of the startups’ development: sales workshops, panels of ag marketing professionals, morning coffees with experienced startup founders, pitch practices, communication and etiquette coaching, etc.
Mentors are the key to success in any accelerator and our volunteer mentors have committed to the AgTech industry through their professional, personal, and volunteer roles. You may find them on the phone or in the conference rooms lending their knowledge and advice.
Founders of startups are driven to solve problems. They bring energy and determination to the atmosphere.
If you’d like to experience a “day in the life” yourself, we invite you to the Farm Progress Show August 28-30 in Boone, IA where we will set up the office in Booth 1120.
Blog: Workiva Intranet
Feature
April 2017
What does a pun, a car, and
food have in common?
Answer: they're best when new! And with that perspective, last week and this week, I have committed to trying every new dish served in the Atrium.
Sounds like a reasonable commitment – but why? For me, it's important to celebrate the culinary creativity of my coworkers and to share with you a complete story on sustainability at Workiva.
You might not know that Jacob Schroeder of the Café team has planned two weeks of meals based around pork since he had the opportunity to break down a whole hog (butchered and cleaned) on site; something that hasn't been done at Workiva before, but that Jacob has executed many times.
What's the sustainability angle to this? Jacob's strategy has been to use every part of the hog possible, which results in a mere six ounces of unusable waste (eyes and glands). As he explains:
Nose to tail, each part of the pig serves a purpose: roasted bones result in a heady, chili pepper-laced broth for pozole; boiled and ground skin adds an unctuous, almost-fat-drippling-down-your-chin mouth feel to cotechino, a traditional Italian sausage. Pork chops look and taste like the pork loin we are all familiar with, but in fact come from a less-used tender group of muscles, the leg. Pork Belly lends itself to two preparations: wrapped around a whole pork loin to be slow cooked for a home-wrecking sized roast "porchetta" and fried into little nuggets for tacos that are all at once crispy, crunchy, and chewy, prompting a sizable part of the IT team to gather outside the atrium servery before lunch and demand that any passerby "try these tacos!" which, by the way, were served on homemade flour tortillas that were made with lard rendered from the pig.
Just check out this past week's menu and the photos and see what's so unique. Can you tell that pork shoulder, skin, and fatback is in the cotechino? Can you tell that pork belly and stock made from roasted bones is in the pozole and chicharon tacos? No. And regardless, it all tastes amazing.
Sure, you might be intimidated by some of the names, but don't let that stop you. In fact, don't let that stop you anywhere you go. I challenge you to experience something new to expand your palate – either in the Ames office, exotic locations, or in your hometown. If you let that pass you by, you might miss your new favorite dish and you'll certainly miss a greater appreciation for your food.
Answer: they're best when new! And with that perspective, last week and this week, I have committed to trying every new dish served in the Atrium.
Sounds like a reasonable commitment – but why? For me, it's important to celebrate the culinary creativity of my coworkers and to share with you a complete story on sustainability at Workiva.
You might not know that Jacob Schroeder of the Café team has planned two weeks of meals based around pork since he had the opportunity to break down a whole hog (butchered and cleaned) on site; something that hasn't been done at Workiva before, but that Jacob has executed many times.
What's the sustainability angle to this? Jacob's strategy has been to use every part of the hog possible, which results in a mere six ounces of unusable waste (eyes and glands). As he explains:
Nose to tail, each part of the pig serves a purpose: roasted bones result in a heady, chili pepper-laced broth for pozole; boiled and ground skin adds an unctuous, almost-fat-drippling-down-your-chin mouth feel to cotechino, a traditional Italian sausage. Pork chops look and taste like the pork loin we are all familiar with, but in fact come from a less-used tender group of muscles, the leg. Pork Belly lends itself to two preparations: wrapped around a whole pork loin to be slow cooked for a home-wrecking sized roast "porchetta" and fried into little nuggets for tacos that are all at once crispy, crunchy, and chewy, prompting a sizable part of the IT team to gather outside the atrium servery before lunch and demand that any passerby "try these tacos!" which, by the way, were served on homemade flour tortillas that were made with lard rendered from the pig.
Just check out this past week's menu and the photos and see what's so unique. Can you tell that pork shoulder, skin, and fatback is in the cotechino? Can you tell that pork belly and stock made from roasted bones is in the pozole and chicharon tacos? No. And regardless, it all tastes amazing.
Sure, you might be intimidated by some of the names, but don't let that stop you. In fact, don't let that stop you anywhere you go. I challenge you to experience something new to expand your palate – either in the Ames office, exotic locations, or in your hometown. If you let that pass you by, you might miss your new favorite dish and you'll certainly miss a greater appreciation for your food.
Blog: Books and Me
August 2015
I once read a quirky story
about a psychiatrist. His
name is Hector and he went
on a quest for happiness. I
happened upon a copy of
Hector and the Search for
Happiness by François
Lelord at a closeout sale. I
thought, "A character
searching for a formula of
what makes us happy? All
documented neatly in a
book?" I was sold.
This story found me as I anticipated the closing of my life as a student and the beginning of the giant rest of my life. My heart and mind were open but I was feeling down and anxious about managing my future. I'm not unlike anyone else in this struggle. Sometimes, even when I have stability, I just need confirmation that I'm doing all right. Sometimes I just need a book that picks me up.
Turning the pages felt like a light hug of a warm summer breeze. Some of Hector's findings I knew in my heart right away: "Making comparisons can spoil your happiness" and "Happiness is being with the people you love."
Some took me by surprise: "Sometimes happiness is not knowing the whole story" and "Happiness comes when you feel truly alive." Hector speaks matter-of-factly of the basic truths he's found, all 23 of them.
I believe in the power of stories. I want to collect my own to share and find others' to relate to. This is why Hector and the Search for Happiness was especially touching. Hector's experiences while traveling around the world seeking wisdom from fellow souls is something I highly value.
No one has all the answers and so we often experience an anxiety-induced grapple for a sense of security and control. When I begin to doubt that I know how to find happiness, I revisit this lovely little book for Hector's heartfelt lessons.
This story found me as I anticipated the closing of my life as a student and the beginning of the giant rest of my life. My heart and mind were open but I was feeling down and anxious about managing my future. I'm not unlike anyone else in this struggle. Sometimes, even when I have stability, I just need confirmation that I'm doing all right. Sometimes I just need a book that picks me up.
Turning the pages felt like a light hug of a warm summer breeze. Some of Hector's findings I knew in my heart right away: "Making comparisons can spoil your happiness" and "Happiness is being with the people you love."
Some took me by surprise: "Sometimes happiness is not knowing the whole story" and "Happiness comes when you feel truly alive." Hector speaks matter-of-factly of the basic truths he's found, all 23 of them.
I believe in the power of stories. I want to collect my own to share and find others' to relate to. This is why Hector and the Search for Happiness was especially touching. Hector's experiences while traveling around the world seeking wisdom from fellow souls is something I highly value.
No one has all the answers and so we often experience an anxiety-induced grapple for a sense of security and control. When I begin to doubt that I know how to find happiness, I revisit this lovely little book for Hector's heartfelt lessons.