American Farm Bureau Ag Innovation Challenge Runner Up: Birds Eye Robotics, Nebraska
Nebraska’s Grain Weevil took top honors at the American Farm Bureau Ag Innovation Challenge and will receive $50,000 in startup funds. Nebraska’s Birds Eye Robotics received runner-up in the challenge and will be awarded $20,000.
The Grain Weevil is a small robot designed to maintain grain, eliminating the need for farmers to enter bins, which can be dangerous and even fatal.
The idea for the Grain Weevil came from a conversation between Johnson’s father, Chad, and an Aurora farmer. Ben Johnson was an underclassman at the time and had just completed his first major robotics project. Chad Johnson was talking about it with one of his friends from church.
The team at Birds Eye Robotics created an autonomous robot, Birds Eye, that removes bird mortality, tills up caked bedding and improves overall animal welfare by stimulating bird movement for the poultry industry.
The People’s Choice Team winner was Caravan Technologies, LLC from Alabama. Caravan Tech is an innovative company that has developed a tool for the real time tracing of livestock and a multitude of other farm management applications. Caravan Tech’s three flagship products working in unison are the Smart Ear Tags, intraruminal bolus and Caravan Chat system.
In total, Farm Bureau will award $165,000 to ten businesses:
- $50,000 will be awarded to the 2022 Ag Innovation Challenge Winner
- $20,000 will be awarded to the 2022 Ag Innovation Challenge Runner-Up
- $15,000 will be awarded to two finalist teams
- $10,000 will be awarded to six semi-finalist teams
Additional $5,000 to the People’s Choice Team (chosen by public vote; all ten teams are eligible)
