First launched in 2014, the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) is now partnering with the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center to promote sustainable agriculture technologies, Wells Fargo announced on Tuesday. The expansion will support technology developing and commercializing technology that reduce agriculture’s carbon, energy and water impact, said Mary Wenzel,…
The National Science Foundation awarded a five-year, $2 million grant to researchers at Iowa State University who developed a new machine-learning and mathematical modeling to plant breeding and farm management practices. Researchers plan to focus on three areas: harnessing mathematical models to better predict traits of crops; genomic selection, or…
TRACTOR ZOOM: Completed $1 million seed investment round. Participated: Innova Memphis, Ag Startup Engine, angel investors. Based in West Des Moines.
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…
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…
Inside the Varied Industries Building this week at the Iowa State Fairgrounds, visitors will find hundreds of exhibitors showcasing the latest in pork production – including FarrPro founder and CEO Amos Petersen. FarrPro is preparing to manufacture 300 units of its piglet-saving farrowing technology and enter the commercial market in…
By the end of May, the Iowa AgriTech Accelerator welcomes six new startups fresh on the agriculture field to Des Moines. Each of those startups selected to participate receives $40,000 in seed funding, subsidized housing throughout the 94 days, and time to build mentorships, partnerships and a broader agritech network…
Co-founder and CEO Arsalan Lodhi likes to compare agtech startup Wisran to public utilities metering. Without water or gas meters, Lodhi said, communities would have no way to track the waste of resources incurred by residents, and costs would look much different. “The same concept and principles we are bringing…
Highway Equipment company of Cedar Rapids has become the first Platinum Harvester Sponsor for the Ag Startup Engine at Iowa State University. The Ag Startup Engine effort was launched two years ago to help with seed-stage investment and organized mentorship. “Now more than ever, we need entrepreneurs and innovators in…
Agriculture and its related industries pump $112.2 billion a year into Iowa’s economy — accounting for one-third of the dollars driving Iowa’s economy — and create one out of every five jobs in the state. Iowa farms grow more corn, raise more pigs and produce more eggs than any state…
As part of a refresh of the Business Record’s Innovation Iowa brand, we have created a new landing page on the Business Record website to house all Innovation Iowa coverage and more stories from the Business Record covering innovation and technology.
Visit www.businessrecord.com/innovation-iowa to view all Innovation Iowa stories, including the 2026 Innovation Iowa Magazine, out now.
-Sarah Diehn, Business Record Editor