This story appears in the May 31, 2019 issue of Forbes Magazine. Subscribe
With the world's population expected to reach almost 10 billion by 2050, experts predict that farmers will have to increase production by 70 percent to meet demand. To achieve this farmers are going to have to rapidly evolve growing techniques, capitalizing on new technologies like autonomous vehicles and robots. Below are some of today's most cutting edge innovations in farming from the Forbes 30 Under 30, in 30 words or less.
Aaron Sacco
ALLISON KOPF
Founder and CEO, Artemis | 29
This Brooklyn physicist’s software enables indoor growers to predict yield, units, revenue, and when to harvest. Artemis’ platform helps manage some $500 million of crops for a variety of companies.
Aaron Sacco
COLIN HURD
Founder and CEO, Smart Ag | 29
Backed by seed billionaire Harry Stine and $6.5 million, this Iowan brings self-driving tech to cornfields. One product: a plug-in that taps into tractors’ GPS to render them autonomous.
Aaron Sacco
RYAN KNOPF
Cofounder and CTO, Root AI | 28
The University of Pennsylvania graduate raised $2.3 million from First Round Capital and others to build a modern greenhouse with patent-pending robots trained via AI to pick produce at peak freshness.
Aaron Sacco
ABRAHAM ESPINOZA, MATTHEW ROODA
Cofounders, SwineTech | 25, 26
Former University of Iowa pals’ wearable sensors stop pigs from crushing their piglets, which kills 160 million annually. With John Deere and Quake Capital backing, they project $1.4 million in 2019 revenue.
Aaron Sacco
THOMAS PALOMARES, SÉBASTIEN BOYER
Cofounders, FarmWise | 27, 26
The French-immigrant duo raised $6.3 million to try to make herbicides obsolete. Instead of deploying powerful chemicals, large-scale farmers can use FarmWise’s roving robot, culling weeds while protecting crops.
Aaron Sacco
DANIEL HONIG
Founder, Happy Valley Meat | 29
New York University grad’s B-Corp helps small farmers connect with chefs at 120-plus Northeast restaurants, including David Chang’s Momofuku, buying wholesale and handling slaughtering, butchering, marketing and price negotiations.
