Future Farmer Magazine

Photo from Dr. Steven Mirsky’s LinkedIn Above rows of research plants, BenchBot moves, stopping, imaging, labeling, and moving again. At first glance, it may look like a simple rail-mounted robot gliding over crops, but for USDA’s Agricultural Research Service and its university partners, BenchBot represents a way to teach artificial intelligence how plants grow, struggle, and respond to the world around them.

Photos Provided by Spornado A field can look perfectly healthy while trouble is already moving through it. By the time a grower sees the first lesion, patch of mold, or dusting of rust, the best window for prevention may already be narrowing. Fungicides are most effective when applied before many fungal diseases become established, yet growers often have to make that investment before the crop provides a visible answer. Spornado was built for that gap.

Photos Provided by New West Genetics A new crop does not earn a place in a farmer’s rotation because it has a compelling story. It earns one because the agronomics work, the numbers pencil out, and somebody is prepared to buy what comes out of the combine. For Wendy Mosher, that is the line separating industrial hemp’s first wave from what she believes can come next. “The genetics are ready,” said Mosher, CEO of New West Genetics.

Photos Provided by Leaftech Ag For decades, farmers have been told to make decisions based on data. Soil tests. Yield maps. Weather models. Drone imagery. Satellite photos. Tissue samples. Application maps. The modern farm has no shortage of information. But John Mascoe believes agriculture has still been missing one of its most important signals. The plant itself.

Photos Provided by Wyatt Arnold Prospect Growth’s roots are in university research, its team is small, and its technology is still moving through field validation. But its target is better nutrient delivery, fewer losses, and a fertilizer product that solves real agronomic problems without asking growers to change the way they farm.

Photos Provided by Winterleap When Heidi Frost Eriksen arrived in Fargo for the first time, the Norwegian agtech founder found familiarity. She found Norwegian names, Norwegian ancestry, and a town that understands long winters, frozen ground, and short, high-pressure growing seasons. For many companies, that would be an obstacle. For Winterleap, it is the opportunity.

Photos Provided by Helical Solar When James McKinion talks about the future of Helical Solar, he does not start with panels, wires, or power purchase agreements. He starts with land. More specifically, he starts with the tension surrounding land. Across the country, the rapid rise of AI data centers is creating an enormous appetite for power.

By Brady Drake | Photo by J. Alan Paul Photography For generations, farmers have learned to work around water. They know the low spots that stay wet too long. They know the fields that are always the last to plant. They know the acres that look good from the road, but struggle year after year because the soil never quite dries out, the roots never get enough oxygen, or saline spots keep creeping farther across the field. Deep Roots Drainage was built to solve those problems.

By Ryan Green, Media Production Manager, Livewire | Photos by Livewire Video consumption is at an all-time high, and there are more platforms and formats than ever before. At Livewire, we provide the technical expertise and strategic planning necessary to execute video projects of any style or scale, from initial concept to final delivery.

By Tom Fry, agronomist and sales development manager for Ostara After more than 30 years helping growers across the Northern Corn Belt, I’ve learned that fertilizer performance isn’t determined the day it’s applied; it’s determined by what happens after it reaches the soil. Every growing season begins with the same goal of getting the most from every input dollar spent.