FarmMind Announced as Farm Bureau Ag Innovation Challenge Winner

Smith: Innovation is at the heart of everything farmers and ranchers do, and this year's Ag Innovation Challenge winner is the first to bring AI, or artificial intelligence, to the fields. FarmMind, winner of the 12^th annual American Farm Bureau Ag Innovation Challenge, was founded by Colin Raby, who says the company's goal is to help farmers work smarter.

Raby: 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. 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.

Smith: He said the chance to compete in the Ag Innovation Challenge has been a huge opportunity.

Raby: 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. And so, when we saw this opportunity to apply to the Ag Innovation Challenge, we were excited, and we submitted an application, just like everyone else.

Smith: He said it's never been so important for agriculture to push the boundaries of what's possible, and the Ag Innovation Challenge proves that every year.

Raby: Technology and innovation should not be relegated to other industries, to high finance, or to health care, to these other industries. 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.

Smith: For more information on this year's winner, go to fb.org/news. Chad Smith, Washington.