Source: Lisa M. Keefe, MEATINGPLACE, 10/24/16


Richard Kottmeyer stands at the intersection of data and anecdote.

The stories the numbers tell him about the meat industry often run counter to conventional wisdom.

To hear him tell it, there are only three ways to meet the skyrocketing demand for food by the 2050: grow more, waste less and/or get more out of the resources already being used. Two of the three, he says, rely increasingly on complex software platforms and lots and lots of data.

Some of that perspective is a personal sales pitch for the vice president of agriculture and food for the Swiss software consulting firm Luxoft. But then, he’s spent decades analyzing data and how to use it to improve agriculture, food security, food and beverage marketing and distribution, and general understanding of consumer behavior in more than 100 countries.

But he also has a point. With criticism mounting of Western-style concentrated ag systems, but demand growing – particularly in developing countries and particularly for meat – the pressure is on to improve the U.S. sector’s “sustainability” and environmental footprint. Data analysis and technology can improve these ratios across the supply chain.

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