Stories of Technology, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship in the Southeast

Those selected to advance in both groups will participate in a 12-week accelerator with opportunities to showcase at tradeshows including the Mid-South Farm and Gin Show in Memphis, Tennessee. They will also be able to deploy on-farm trials with AgLaunch farmers. During these trials, AgLaunch farmers will work hand-in-hand with start-ups to trial, provide feedback, share data and ultimately aid in the success of the company.

The six teams in this year’s Livestock Challenge are:

• AgButler, a digital marketplace, bringing the gig economy to agriculture. The start-up connects farmers and ranchers with high-quality laborers in rural communities through anonline application. AgButler is addressing the growing labor challenges across rural America.
• eCow which is helps dairy farmers increase milk yield, profitability, and decrease methane emissions by using insights and an internal sensor.
• GenoTwin that is revolutionizing biosurveillance and sustainability for livestock with advanced omics insights into infectious diseases.
• Motion Grazer AI that is using artificial intelligence and deep learning to develop an inexpensive and effective method to use camera, computer, and proprietary algorithms to quantitatively evaluate animal gait, posture and condition. With an initial focus on breeding swine, real-time health data and productivity predictions for individual animals is provided. The outcome is increased farm efficiency and profitability as well as improved animal health, welfare and productivity.
• ReproHealth that uses embryology and engineering to create devices to improve cattle production. Its patented intravaginal embryo culture device creates embryos in the cow, rather than the lab, and brings the “Lab to the Farm.”
• TrackerSled’s that has the patent-pending SunFarmor modules to stabilize farmers’ and ranchers’ energy and fertilizer costs while affording a path to carbon-free farming, increased profits, and rural economic renewal.

The eight teams in this years Row Crop Challenge include:

• Benanova Inc. that commercializes novel proprietary platform technology for next generation delivery systems of agricultural actives for economical, efficacious, and sustainable crop protection.
• Bioverse, a techology company delivering species identification to assist farmers and governments in monitoring insect populations in the field. Bioverse provides a low-cost subscription to a mobile app that can be integrated with Internet of Things sensors designed to monitor population dynamics autonomously and help farmers to reduce crop loss risk, reduce the use of inputs, and manage biological control with precision.
• EVOIA Inc. that is focused on bringing simple solutions inspired by nature to farmers. The start-up’s goal is to be an innovative leader in climate-smart agriculture resulting in a world where the growing population is sustained by profitable growers who use less resources.
• Farmpost that is an agriculture marketplace making the connection between farm owners and farm employees. This service helps hire, track, and manage employment and farm services to make the farm operation more profitable and efficient.
• Field Pocket is a harvest solutions software that organizes, manages, and links all harvest paperwork in one easy to use platform. Clients simply upload photos of documents and the data will be transcribed and linked automatically.
• LiveGrow Bio is a microbial fermentation and formulation company capable of manufacturing microbes into agricultural biopesticides and biostimulants at a cost of goods sold on par with chemical products and with a shelf life of more than two years at room temperature. Its patented LiveGrow^TM technology is a game-changer for biological products commercialization and is the long awaited missing link between all effective spore forming and non-spore forming microorganisms and their successful utilization as highly profitable solutions in every crop market.
• Sensegrass is a digital agronomist platform for soil management. It uses a combination of artificial intelligence-based recommendations and soil sensors to deliver real-time soil health analyses and targeted nutrient management.
• Sentinel Fertigation leverages modern technology to empower precision fertigation through crop monitoring and nitrogen management solutions built especially for farmers who fertigate. Sentinel’s core product, the N-Time software platform, delivers image-based nitrogen application scheduling recommendations shown to increase yield per unit of nitrogen applied by 25 percent versus current farmer management.

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