We’re looking for students who have innovative ag ideas to participate in the fourth annual UFA Student Pitch Competition. This is your chance to work with Olds College to develop your idea, and then present this innovative idea to UFA.
Wendy Muise, serial entrepreneur, is the dedicated Student Mentor for the 2023 Student Pitch Competition. She wants to talk to students about the competition and how she can help support your ideas! Wendy is passionate about getting students engaged in entrepreneurial thinking and entrepreneurship as a potential pathway. If you’d like to talk with Wendy, please email her directly at wendy@groundfloorlabs.com.
A pitch deck includes a quick overview of the business and the market. The pitch deck will be built in PowerPoint or a similar program. Notes can be made in the note section so that your idea can get across. The pitch deck will include a max of 10 slides that describe your idea, the market, and the customer.
These slides should include:
Title
Your Name(s)
Problem (What problem are you solving?)
Value proposition (how are you going to solve it/diagrams or drawings can be included)
Pitch Deck Template (Google Slides) Pitch Deck Template (PPT)
Helpful sites for design help!
A business model canvas is a one-page document that helps you to define and communicate your business proposition. There are nine building blocks in the business model canvas: customer value proposition, customer segments, channels, customer relationships, revenue streams, key resources, key partners, key activities, and cost structure.
Watch this short video on how to use a business model canvas here.
There is increasing concern about plastics used in agriculture (silage poly, twine, grain bags, feed tubs) and them ending up burnt or in landfills. There are some initial programs to collect these, however, currently there are no effective solutions for how to recycle these or turn into other products. One of the challenges is they come back ‘dirty’. An innovative idea on using less plastic in the initial products, or finding better ways to reuse them, would be welcomed by the industry.
Equipment (handling systems), improvements in safety of workers/vets/service people is always a concern. Safety of the animals themselves when they are handled is also a concern. An innovative idea on how to ensure the safety of handlers and animals would be a great starting point.
Some of the issues that the government feel are ‘trending’ in agriculture can be seen by what they are funding under the Canadian Agriculture Partnership (CAP) program. While these trends are high level and non-specific, they do provide an indication of how the government and industry feel about where innovative improvements are needed.
Skilled labour is always an issue, from feedlots to ranches, good help is hard to find and especially during a pandemic. An innovative idea on how to automate the process of retaining skilled labour will get an ear.
Food safety and traceability is always an issue and will remain so. Being able to build transparency in the supply chain is fast becoming necessary to ensure consumers are happy.
Animal welfare is important and early diagnosing tools and individual animal management help ensure the wellbeing and profitability of livestock. Early detection of health events should require earlier, less invasive treatment, therefore reducing pharmaceutical usage. Individual management also lowers the need to mass treat further that we’ve been able to do as an industry directive.
There is an increasing use of technology within the ag industry. Return-on-investment (ROI) needs to be considered when implementing technology into an operation. A feedlot operator can spend $100 on a piece of technology, but must have a return of $101 or more for it to make financial sense.
Email Wendy at wendy@groundfloorlabs.com to learn more about the competition and ask questions, or for more information about the UFA Student Pitch Competition or Entrepreneurship at Olds College.
The competition is open to current students and 2022 graduates as long as the competitor was or is previously enrolled in a full-time program in the 2022-23 calendar years.