
2025 Agriculture Innovation Forum Highlights
Shaping a resilient future in Iowa’s agriculture industry
Since the 1830s, when settlers first arrived in Iowa, the state’s agriculture has transformed from family farms feeding individual households to a global powerhouse feeding the world.
On Wednesday, Jan. 22, TAI hosted a thought-provoking forum spotlighting this evolution and the transformative impact of AgTech on Iowa’s agriculture industry. The event focused on the next phase of that journey, navigating the intersection of innovation, policy, and resilience to build a sustainable future for Iowa’s agriculture.
Attendees — including AgTech innovators, state policymakers, industry leaders, and Iowa tech community members — collaborated on strategies to ensure Iowa remains a leader in agriculture.
The highlight of the forum was the panel discussion, featuring Matt Carstens (President and CEO, Landus), Colin Hurd (CEO, Mach), Liz Keehner (Principal, Next Level Ventures), and Mike Naig (Iowa Secretary of Agriculture).
Here’s a brief recap of their engaging discussion:

How is technology transforming agriculture in Iowa?
Technology has the potential to elevate the agriculture industry to new heights while reducing costs in current systems.
Matt Carstens shared that Landus recently launched software that automates data collection from satellites, drones, sensors, and machinery. Using algorithms initially designed for military intelligence, the system creates digital twins — virtual simulations of fields — to help farmers and agronomists optimize operations.
“The hard part of that is the word ‘change,’” Carstens said.
How do you change what’s happening in agriculture? Right now, much of the focus is on retail, Carstens explained, but moving forward requires reducing the barrier of risk that feels overwhelming for many farmers.
Everyone in this room is a part of this journey of helping our farmers and ag take this step. And if we do it, I think we can get back to way more prosperous days, even into the headwinds of today.
- Matt Carstens
Technology enables new opportunities for farmers, such as creating new revenue streams. But farmers often worry about whether the investment will pay off, Carstens said.
“We have to pave that path,” he added.

Colin Hurd pointed out that advancements like GPS were once revolutionary for agriculture, and today’s applications of AI, autonomy, and machine vision are on the verge of another significant transition.
“We have tons of data, and now we know what to do with it,” he said.
Liz Keehner agreed –
Data is fundamentally changing how farmers do their work.
- Liz Keehner
Mike Naig noted that every aspect of farming has been shaped by technology, sharing a recent example of a biosecurity company creating facial recognition software for pork facilities.
For as long as we’ve been farming, we’ve been innovating.
- Mike Naig

How does ag technology offer farmers an opportunity to earn more and do less?
Carstens shared that the technology Landus is launching is expected to forecast yields with 1.9% accuracy.
“That’s amazing,” he said. “For a farmer, think about what that means.”
Farmers can hedge risks, make more confident decisions, and even take long-overdue vacations while monitoring their fields remotely.
Carstens also predicted that drones will spray 300,000 acres this year, and by 2030, the number of traditional machines in the field will significantly decrease.
“In the end, this isn’t about what we like,” he said. “This is about what we have to do. How we can get back into that field and spray three hours after rain, instead of three days. We are increasing efficiency.”
What are some challenges in the industry that can be changed with innovation?
Hurd highlighted safety and labor efficiency as critical challenges. Contrary to popular belief, removing humans from machines can improve safety.
“The number one safety issue in ag is related to the human/machine proximity,” Hurd explained, noting that tractor rollovers cause 70% of injuries and fatalities.
“It’s completely unnecessary for someone to sit physically on a tractor and farm a field today with the technology that’s available,” Hurd said.
Keehner emphasized the growing global demand for food, protein, and biofuel, as well as the need to preserve soil. She added that consumers are increasingly aware of where their food comes from, creating new opportunities for farmers to grow specialty crops and generate additional revenue streams.

How can state policy help advance AgTech?
The government must avoid creating barriers for farmers adopting new technology and create an environment where businesses can thrive.
“If you can’t start things in the state of Iowa, if the tax code doesn’t recognize and reward innovation and investment and risk-taking, then we can’t legitimately call ourselves a place where we want innovators to come and invest,” Naig said. “We have to be a place where things can happen.”
That means having the proper infrastructure, connectivity, and workforce. Proving incentives for farmers to adopt technology, reducing regulation, and de-risking the R&D process are all critical steps.
Why does investing in AgTech innovation drive growth in Iowa?
The ag economy is Iowa.
- Colin Hurd
Creating low-risk, high-value solutions is necessary for the industry to grow. It’s important to remember that farmers are often risk-averse because of the pressure to sustain family farms.
“If I mess up, if I lose this farm … you don’t just get another shot at it next year,” Naig said. “The economics just have to work.”
Developing a skilled workforce is also key, starting in high school and continuing through college. Carstens shared an example of his own high school student setting up Starlink at their home in just nine minutes.
“That’s who’s leaving these high schools, junior colleges and colleges,” he said. “We have to continue to throw the effort back to funding.”

What’s one big idea for the ag industry?

Matt Carstens
“If we really want to get aggressive in this space, we’ve got to fund it. At the end of the day, this is Iowa. Helping reduce the risk for the farmer to adopt, bringing talent into the state, investing in our schools to ensure we’ve got the talent we need here … we’ve got to fund this thing and make sure this happens and divorce ourselves from the old stuff.”

Colin Hurd
“We’re in a tough downturn. Technology enables us to have way more diversity in our crop types than we’ve historically been able to. Let’s look at how we diversify and de-risk our corn and soybean market. We have the best ground in Iowa. We can grow more than corn and soybeans. Why don’t we?”

Liz Keehner
“There’s no reason Iowa shouldn’t be the place for innovation, from R&D to crop production to food processing. We have all the resources and stakeholders here to do that. Venture capital doesn’t create innovation; we find it. We need to do a better job of breaking down the barriers between all the stakeholders that can affect change … ask them to take on more risk and embrace a culture of innovation.”

Mike Naig
“We have the tools. We’re not so big we can’t know each other. It’s through those connections that things can get done. We can really lean into our strength, which is that we’re the epicenter of ag in the world. Let’s make the most of it.”