Forging the Future of Digital Agriculture

When the Wabash Heartland Innovation Network (WHIN) launched in late 2017 to develop north-central Indiana into a global epicenter for digital agriculture and the Internet of Things (IoT), it turned to Dr. Johnny Park for leadership. Since 2018, Park has served as CEO of WHIN and its pacesetting efforts in a 10-county area of the Hoosier state. Park joined WHIN from Spensa, a successful IoT agtech startup he founded. Named by Forbes as one of the Top 25 Most Innovative Ag-Tech Startups of 2017, Spensa used IoT devices and data analytics to help growers better manage agronomic pests such as insects, weeds, and disease. His early career was spent on the engineering faculty of his alma mater, Purdue University, and he also served on the Advisory Council on Agriculture, Small Business and Labor of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. Recently, under Park’s leadership, the Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) awarded WHIN a $1.7 million grant to expand broadband connectivity in rural Indiana. This initiative is expected to create or retain more than 200 jobs and generate more than $10 million in private investment.