$100,000 Available for Your Ag Innovation

With an application period now open, the American Farm Bureau's 2026 Ag Innovation Challenge is a national business pitch competition that seeks to elevate and support entrepreneurs from across the country who are developing solutions to the challenges that farmers and ranchers face every day.

Sound a little vague? Fair enough, but the challenges out there are diverse and, at the end of the day, the money available to help you meet them is a pretty sweet chunk of change.

Let’s get the details! Chase Heineman, director of industry relations for the American Farm Bureau Federation, gives a few examples of pitches past…

“The 2022 Ag Innovation Challenge winner, Grain Weevil, is now planning on launching their grain bin safety and management robot later this fall, nationwide. Another previous winner, SwineTech, which is a developer of pig management products, including a piglet crushing-prevention technology, has secured dozens of patents and raised millions more.”

Did your ears perk when I said “sweet chunk of change”?

“The biggest benefit of the program is the financing. The winner of the 2026 Ag Innovation Challenge will take home $100,000 in non-diluted funding. That's straight to their pocket. The runner up receives $25,000, and two other final four teams will both receive $10,000, so there's a lot of money at stake here.”

Applications are open right now at fb.org/challenge.