The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) has announced the 10 semi-finalist teams in the 2020 Farm Bureau Ag Innovation Challenge. Insulights, an Akron, Iowa-based company that has created a flashing insulator that helps farmers and ranchers manage their electric fences, is one of the semi-finalists.
The ten semi-finalist teams were announced on Oct. 5 and awarded $7,500 each.
The 10 semi-finalist teams will compete at the AFBF Convention on Friday, Jan. 8, to advance to the final round where the four finalist teams will receive an additional $7,500 for a total of $15,000. The final four teams will compete live in front of Farm Bureau members, investors and industry representatives on Tuesday, Jan. 12 to win one of two awards:
- Farm Bureau Entrepreneur of the Year, for a total of $50,000
- People’s Choice Award, for a total of $20,000
“The hard-working entrepreneurs recognized today are committed to providing solutions for some of the biggest challenges facing agriculture,” said AFBF President Zippy Duvall. “This includes supporting farms, ranches and rural economies affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Iowa companies have had success at this competition in the past. Last year, three of the ten companies to make the semifinals—Rantizo, Swine Sentinal and Tractor Zoom—were based in Iowa. FarmlandFinder won the competition in 2018, taking home $30,000. Iowa-based companies have won the competition four times now since it first began seven years ago.
This is the seventh year of the Ag Innovation Challenge, the first national business competition focused exclusively on rural entrepreneurs launching food and agriculture businesses. Click here to see all ten of the semi-finalists.