To shine light on the future of food, Land O’Lakes, Inc. is showing up in surprising ways. We’re engaging in new places, we’re cultivating new partnerships, digging deeper into our own network and reaching new people along the way.

Last year, we made a splash at South by Southwest (SXSW) with Teddy Bekele and the conversation around Uncharted Waters, to shine light on what farmers are doing to preserve available water resources for future generations. And just a short time ago in February as the Big Game descended on Minnesota, we shared more on the story of modern food and agriculture with the Land O’Lakes Farm Bowl, showcasing the hard-working, high-tech nature of what our farmers do each and every day to help put food on our tables.

This week in Austin, Texas, Land O’Lakes will launch an exciting platform at SXSW, The Food Effect, convening voices from academia, to tech back to the farm, to have an honest conversation about how food, agriculture and technology intersect – and the role we all play in determining how and what we eat in the future. The Food Effect will be an interactive exhibit experience and forum to facilitate transparent dialogue with some of the most advanced thinkers and do-ers in the world today.

SXSW, attended by over 100,000 people each year, is “a tool for creative people to develop their careers by bringing together people from around the globe to meet, learn and share ideas.” 2018 notable keynote speakers at SXSW include Melinda Gates, Jose Andres and many, many others. This year, SXSW hosts 24 tracks of programming from March 9-18 from Food to Film to Government and much more.

The Food Effect will engage leaders from National Geographic, Microsoft, MIT Media Lab, The George Washington University, the University of California at Davis, the University of Minnesota, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and more who will participate as speakers and panelists on topics such as:

• Science Can Save the World (But Only If We Let It): An honest conversation about why promoting food security matters, and the trade-offs we make when considering solutions.

• The Mathematical Age of Agriculture: Big data is revolutionizing agriculture. It’s also expensive. How do we ensure accessibility for all?

This venue will bring together some of the most advanced minds across nearly every industry and is the perfect opportunity to spark meaningful, challenging and honest dialogue around food.

The future of food security and efficient, sustainable food production requires a productive conversation and an understanding of many different perspectives. As a leader in the industry, Land O’Lakes recognizes that we must encourage dialogue and engage consumers and others in a conversation to identify and actualize the most effective solutions.

We’re just getting started. We hope you’ll join us.