The Ag Innovation Challenge is back and bigger than ever. On January 12 at the 2026 American Farm Bureau Convention in Anaheim, California, four promising agricultural technology teams will pitch their ideas in front of a live audience of farmers, investors, and industry leaders. The competition celebrates the entrepreneurial spirit in agriculture and offers funding to the winners. This year marks the twelfth edition of the Challenge, an event created by the American Farm Bureau Federation in partnership with Farm Credit to spotlight practical inventions that help farmers and ranchers solve real problems. The winner will walk away with $100,000, and the runner-up will receive $25,000, in addition to the $10,000 already awarded to each finalist for reaching this stage of the contest.

Here’s who made it to the final four:

CryoBio: Protecting Crops from Frost

CryoBio is a New York-based team focused on protecting crops from one of agriculture’s stealthiest threats. Frost events can devastate fields overnight and cost growers substantial yield and revenue. CryoBio’s solution is a biotechnology formula that strengthens a plant’s natural defense against freezing conditions. Their product is inspired by organisms that survive freezing temperatures and works by lowering the freezing point of water inside and around plant tissues by up to fourteen degrees Fahrenheit. This approach helps plants endure cold snaps and aims to reduce food waste by preserving more of the harvest before it leaves the farm.

FarmSmarter.ai: Intelligence for Everyday Farm Decisions

From Louisiana, FarmSmarter.ai is bringing artificial intelligence and data integration to everyday farm management. Their platform combines field notes, geographic information system (GIS) tools, regulatory compliance tracking, financial management, and real-time agronomic insights in one place. The system includes a conversational assistant powered by proprietary artificial intelligence that helps growers find answers fast. By fusing data from soil tests, weather, research, and government records, FarmSmarter.ai aims to help producers improve yields, cut mistakes, and save time while simplifying complicated record keeping. With the amount of data generated on modern farms, tools like this can help operators make smarter decisions without being overwhelmed by information.

KiposTech: Cleaner Air for Healthier Poultry

Air quality in livestock housing is more important than many people realize. Ammonia, dust, and airborne diseases pose ongoing health risks to birds and can reduce productivity. KiposTech, a Pennsylvania-based team, applies plasma technology and artificial intelligence to combat these issues. Their KiposPro device continuously disinfects barn air, removing harmful pathogens and reducing ammonia and dust. The system is paired with KiposEye, an Internet of Things monitoring platform that tracks air quality and provides real-time alerts and recommendations for ventilation, humidity, and environmental conditions. Better air quality helps protect animal health, lowers disease pressure, and ultimately can improve farm performance.

Vivid Machines: Precision Vision for Fruit Crops

Vivid Machines brings advanced computer vision and machine learning technologies to specialty crop production. Based in Washington, this team has developed a system that mounts on existing equipment and captures plant-level data beneath the canopy as growers conduct routine fieldwork. The technology provides real-time insights at the individual tree level, allowing growers to make data-driven decisions about labor allocation, pruning, thinning, and harvest timing. It also supports the precise application of inputs through variable-rate sprayers. Initially focused on apples and wine grapes, the company is expanding models for pears, cherries, and other fruit crops. This kind of precision intelligence can help producers cut labor costs and improve fruit quality and yield.

Why These Innovations Matter

What ties these four finalists together is their focus on solving problems that farmers face today. From protecting crops against unpredictable weather to giving growers powerful digital tools for decision making and environmental monitoring, the Ag Innovation Challenge highlights how technology and entrepreneurship can strengthen American agriculture. By bringing these ideas into the spotlight, the competition helps innovators turn promising concepts into real solutions that can be used on farms across the country. The winner and runner-up will earn funding that can accelerate product development, build partnerships, and expand reach. And all four teams benefit from the exposure and connections that come from pitching in front of a live audience at one of the largest farm gatherings in the nation.

Stay tuned for the results in January and join us in celebrating these innovators who are helping agriculture meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.