Iowa is known as a global leader for crop and livestock production.
That base of forward thinking and progressive producers also make it a top location for founders and global companies alike looking to test, conduct field research and gather feedback on technologies and products to improve sustainability, productivity or efficiency of crops and animals.
“There’s no substitute for real-world, on-the-ground testing and feedback from a customer base,” said Billi Hunt, executive director of America’s Cultivation Corridor. “Across Iowa, entrepreneurs are nearly always in proximity to a field or livestock barn with opportunities to gather insights from farmers and livestock producers.”
Collaborations with farmers are especially critical for startups to understand current challenges and how their product or technology can help overcome hurdles or capture new opportunities.
Continuum Ag was founded by Mitchel Hora in 2015 as an agricultural consulting company specializing in the Haney Soil Health Test. Today, it is a soil health data intelligence company that uses a proprietary tool called TopSoil to enable farmers to profit from improving their soil health.
“Our primary goal is to help farmers manage their sustainability and soil health data, understand the value, navigate, manage and monetize it to benefit their operations, but also connect them to the food and fuel supply chain that is looking to achieve sustainability goals,” said Hora.
Continuum Ag provides a variety of services, including the ability for farmers to generate a carbon intensity score for free to gauge their own carbon footprint and determine what practices could reduce that footprint.
The company’s Iowa location provides valuable access and insights, said Hora.
“Here in Washington County, Iowa, we are surrounded by a tremendous amount of innovative famers who have adopted no-till, cover crops and more, so when we talk about soil health, we don’t have to educate or convince them,” he said. “We’ve also found that we are our own customers. We built the system for our own family farm then leverage that experience to work with other farmers through feedback sessions, surveys and listening and the development process.”
Continuum Ag works with customers in 40 U.S. states and 20 countries.
Iowa’s startup ecosystem is also fueling a new generation of ideas and technologies through a growing network of resources and programs.
The team at Salin 247 is working to develop a lightweight, fully autonomous equipment toolbar that customizable implements can be attached to, such as a planter, cultivator, dry applicator, post-emerge liquid sprayer and sidedress nitrogen applicator.
The Ames-based company was founded in 2021 by Dave Krog, Saeed Arabi and Benjamin Krog. They have developed several prototypes and have conducted field tests on about 50 farms in Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Kentucky and Tennessee and continue to adjust equipment size and functionality based on farmer feedback and economic assessments.
“There are a number of unique things you can do with smaller, lighter equipment, and there are benefits in terms of soil compaction and soil health and getting into fields during wet conditions,” said Dave Krog. They are developing and testing equipment for multiple applications such as planting corn and soybeans, planting cover crops, applying in-season fertilizer, and cultivation for organic crops. The systems developed by Salin 247 can also be used in research and small plot scenarios.
“There is an impressive network of entrepreneurs and startups that has been built around Iowa State and central Iowa, which has been helpful as we develop and test prototypes,” said Krog. “We have also been able to engage with projects like the Iowa Nitrogen Initiative, which is focused on optimizing nitrogen fertilizer use in the state.”
Dakota Belling and Eugene Meyer founded Bovi-Jet in 2023. The Granger-based businesses, which started as a student project at Iowa State, makes devices for cattle producers to apply liquid pour-on treatments to protect cattle from fleas, lice and other pests.
The Bovi-Jet system overcomes the time and manual labor currently required to use these products by using sensors to detect movement of cattle and pour a stream of medicine along the backs with precision and accuracy.
“Each application can save 5 to 10 seconds in processing time, which adds up to more than an hour of labor time when a farmer is processing 500 animals,” said Belling. “It also provides a consistent application each time to ensure that label recommendations are being followed.”
The business is currently testing prototypes and moving into the commercialization phase.
“As a young company with a new product, it can be difficult to gain trust with producers,” he said. “We go to farms and set up our device to provide live demonstrations while they are working cattle to build relationships and trust and gather feedback and insights.”
Belling and Meyer have worked with mentors and resources at Iowa State’s CyStarters, ISU Startup Factory and Iowa Small Business Development Center to develop the business concept and initial phases, and recently received a Proof of Commercial Relevance loan from Iowa Economic Development Authority and funding from Ag Startup Engine for IP development and evaluation, proof of concept work, product refinement, key personnel and equipment, and market planning and entry activities.
“It is exciting to see the wide range of work underway from both established companies and a new generation of entrepreneurs and innovators across the state,” said Hunt. “The momentum continues to build as the industry’s brightest minds are tapping into Iowa’s resources and agricultural expertise to develop new solutions that will make the industry more productive, efficient and sustainable.”
Published March 2025.