A Louisiana-based ag-tech startup focused on artificial intelligence took top honors this year at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Ag Innovation Challenge, earning $100,000 to expand its platform designed to help farmers manage operations more efficiently.
FarmMind was named the winner of the 12th annual Farm Bureau Ag Innovation Challenge during the 2026 American Farm Bureau Convention. The competition, hosted by the American Farm Bureau Federation in partnership with Farm Credit, highlights Farm Bureau member-led startups developing new tools and technologies for agriculture.
FarmMind brings multiple agricultural workflows into a single platform, including field notes, GIS management, regulatory compliance, financial tracking, and real-time agronomic insights. The company is led by Colin Raby, a Louisiana Farm Bureau member, who said the goal is to make advanced technology practical and accessible for farmers and agricultural professionals.
“Me and one of our co-founders, Grant Muslow, helped to start one of the first classes in the nation on building economically valuable large language model systems,” Raby said. “So, the whole idea is, what if we could use AI to build a bit of a virtual agronomist, a virtual assistant that could help agricultural professionals in everything they do? So, around this AI, we built an all-in-one agricultural management platform.”
Raby said participating in the Ag Innovation Challenge provided valuable exposure and validation for FarmMind’s approach.
“We really thrive off the idea of taking modern technology and making it useful to agricultural professionals, because so often, those furthest from the frontier don’t see the benefits of modern technology until someone makes it in a way that’s useful to them,” he said. “When we saw this opportunity to apply to the Ag Innovation Challenge, we were excited, and we submitted an application, just like everyone else.”
American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall said the challenge continues to showcase how innovation is shaping the future of agriculture.
“Innovation isn’t just an option, it’s the path forward for agriculture in today’s fast-changing world,” Duvall said. “The entrepreneurs we’re celebrating today are driving the future of agriculture by creating innovative solutions to the challenges farmers and ranchers face.”
The runner-up in this year’s competition was KiposTech, which received $25,000. The Pennsylvania-based company is led by Hema Ravindran, a Pennsylvania Farm Bureau member, and focuses on improving poultry production through plasma-based air disinfection and AI-powered monitoring to protect birds from airborne diseases, dust, and ammonia.
Two additional finalists: CryoBio of New York and Vivid Machines of Washington also competed in the final round and received $10,000 each.
The final four teams were selected from 10 semifinalists who participated in a virtual pitch competition in September. Judges represented multiple sectors of the agricultural supply chain.
The 2026 Ag Innovation Challenge judging panel included Mark McHargue, president of Nebraska Farm Bureau; Joe Waddell, director of market innovation for Horizon Farm Credit; and Frank Wong, director of stakeholder relations at Bayer.
Raby said the challenge highlights the need for agriculture to remain at the forefront of innovation.
“Technology and innovation should not be relegated to other industries, to high finance, or to health care,” he said. “It should be accessible to those furthest from the technological frontier, and that’s exactly what we’re making. We are making these advanced AI technologies and automation technologies accessible, useful, and easy to use.”
