Driverless tractor technology debuts at Farm Progress Show

A John Deere tractor fitted with Smart Ag’s AutoCart driverless technology trucks through a demonstration field during the 2018 Farm Progress Show. Photo by Kate Hayden Driverless cars may take over most of the national headlines these days, but an Iowa software company is betting that autonomous vehicles can make…

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IEDA board approves appropriation to implement bioscience development center

The Iowa Economic Development Authority board today approved $4.5 million in funding over three years for creation of the Iowa Bioscience Development Center (IBDC). At last month’s meeting, the board heard an update on the existing Iowa Innovation Corporation, the state’s public-private partnership for economic development that is transitioning to…

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Artificial intelligence begins diagnosing patients in eastern Iowa

The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics will be the first in the state to employ a Coralville company’s artificial intelligence diagnostics when scanning for diabetic retinopathy, the Cedar Rapids Gazette reports. The device, called IDx-DR and developed by IDx, received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in…

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Ag Startup Engine makes second $25,000 investment in FarmlandFinder

Ag Startup Engine has announced a second investment of $25,000 in FarmlandFinder, a search software that allows clients to buy, search for and sell agricultural land and property information, reports Clay & Milk. FarmlandFinder, formerly known as Terva, serves land owners and buyers in Iowa but will expand into 12 states…

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Pork plants use new tech to cut down on hog confinement odors

The largest pork producer in Iowa is taking new steps to beautify and cut down on confinement odors, reports Radio Iowa. Iowa Falls-based Iowa Select Farms will be installing an electrostatic precipitator fence around all company-owned farms built in 2018, environment project manager John Stinn said. The system requires high-voltage…

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Gross-Wen Technologies receives $2M for algae wastewater treatment

Gross-Wen Technologies Inc., which commercializes an algal wastewater treatment developed at Iowa State University, accepted a $2 million investment from engineering firm Doerfer Corporation, GWT announced on Wednesday. The company expects to hire up to four more positions with the funds, including a vice president of operations, and sales and…

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Iowa billionaire invests $5M in Ames startup Smart Ag

Iowa billionaire Harry Stine, founder of Stine Seed Co., announced an investment of $5 million into an Ames startup focusing on driverless tractors, the Des Moines Register reports. Founded by 28-year-old Colin Hurd, Smart Ag aims to solve critical labor shortages in agriculture with a software system that automates tractors…

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