Al Tank, ag and food entrepreneur, investor and consultant based in Bethesda, Maryland, earned his bachelor’s degree in animal science from Iowa State in 1981. He has held several positions within the agricultural field over the years, serving in Iowa and Washington, D.C. This includes serving as a previous CEO of the National Pork Producers Council.

He also founded and was chief executive officer of two companies – AgCert International Plc and Revolution Energy Solutions LLC. AgCert has become a leader in producing and selling agriculturally derived greenhouse gas emission reductions used to meet Kyoto Protocol and European Union Emission Trading Scheme requirements. Revolution Energy Solutions LLC developed, owned and operated renewable energy projects on agricultural platforms in the United States.

According to Tank, innovation in agriculture is omnipresent. Yet the agricultural sector in the United States and the rest of the world faces unprecedented challenges and risks to meet the global demand for food, fiber and energy. During his presentation, Tank will address how we can: 

• innovate the innovation required to address these challenges in our supply chain infrastructure; 
• meaningfully mitigate climate change; 
• enhance productivity; 
• improve water quality, water use and water availability; 
• increase biodiversity; and 
• mitigate labor shortages while ensuring food security.