10 teams vie for $100K in Ag Innovation Challenge

Ten start-up companies offering agricultural innovations are now vying for a top prize of $100,000 in the 2025 Farm Bureau Ag Innovation Challenge. The American Farm Bureau Federation, in partnership with Farm Credit, continues to elevate the importance of entrepreneurship in agriculture through the contest.

“New ideas and innovative businesses have continually pushed the boundaries of what’s possible in farming,” said AFBF President Zippy Duvall. “We doubled the prize and the impact for this competition, which helps entrepreneurs grow their ideas into products that support farmers and ranchers in their mission to provide the food, fuel, and fiber we all rely on.”

The competition provides an opportunity for individuals to showcase ideas and business innovations in agriculture. This is the 11th year of the Challenge, which was the first national business competition focused exclusively on rural entrepreneurs launching agriculture- and food-related businesses. Farm Bureau is offering $145,000 in start-up funds throughout the course of the competition.

The 10 semi-finalist teams will participate in a virtual pitch round with three judges representing various sectors of the agricultural supply chain. The 10 semi-finalist teams are:

• Gripp Inc., Indiana
• GSR Solutions, Vermont
• Halio, Utah
• Just-In Traps, Texas
• Labby, New York
• Northstar Lime LLC, Minnesota
• Padma Agrobotics LLC, Arizona
• Poultry Patrol, Iowa
• ReEnvision Ag, Iowa
• Rhize Bio Inc., North Carolina

The four finalist teams advancing to the final round each receive $10,000 and will be announced Oct. 17. The finalist teams will compete at the AFBF Convention on Sunday, Jan. 26, in front of a live audience of Farm Bureau members, investors and industry representatives, competing for top titles and prizes:

• Farm Bureau Ag Innovation Challenge Winner, total of $100,000
• Farm Bureau Ag Innovation Challenge Runner-up, total of $25,000