Bluegrass AgTech Development Corp

Bluegrass AgTech Development Corp Cultivating agricultural innovation in Kentucky

The UK Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment announced The Bill Gatton Foundation 2026 Grand Challe...
09/03/2026

The UK Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment announced The Bill Gatton Foundation 2026 Grand Challenges last Friday. The number that matters: $5.6 million invested across five interdisciplinary projects.

Look at what got funded. Three of the five projects put artificial intelligence directly to work on Kentucky agriculture:

An AI-enabled self-driving laboratory for chemical discovery in Kentucky's agriculture and food systems, led by Michael Montross in Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering with the Pigman College of Engineering.

A Cross-Campus Center on Epigenetic Biomarkers, led by Carlos Rodríguez López, combining epigenetics and AI to build diagnostic and decision-support tools for crop productivity and livestock health.

KY-WAP, an AI-powered woodland analysis platform led by Jian Yang, translating LiDAR, satellite imagery, and forest inventories into parcel-level information for Kentucky landowners.

This is the research pipeline that agtech companies commercialize five and ten years out. Kentucky is not waiting for that capability to arrive from somewhere else. We are building it here, at a land-grant institution that is also one of BADC's founding partners.

The Grand Challenges get introduced at The Bill Gatton Foundation Annual Symposium at UK on September 2.

For our partners and funders: the research base is strengthening.

Link: https://news.mgcafe.uky.edu/article/bill-gatton-foundation-2026-grand-challenges-announced-advance-kentucky

We were at the University of Kentucky Economic Development Collaborative August convening last week—a great reminder of ...
09/01/2026

We were at the University of Kentucky Economic Development Collaborative August convening last week—a great reminder of why we built BADC as a partnership, not a standalone nonprofit. 🤝

The event brought UK AI researchers together with industry partners to talk about what Kentucky companies need and what the university can offer. Pretty straightforward idea: ask questions, listen, then build partnerships that work.

For our agricultural technology companies, this kind of collaboration is everything. Access to university research. Connections with other innovators. Resources and expertise that help them solve real problems for Kentucky farmers.

That's the work—showing up, connecting people, and building the infrastructure that lets innovation happen.

📍 Thanks to the UK EDC team for creating a space where that kind of conversation can happen.

BADC at the Kentucky State Fair, the state's premier agriculture gathering. 🚜We were there for three important events:Co...
08/26/2026

BADC at the Kentucky State Fair, the state's premier agriculture gathering. 🚜

We were there for three important events:

Commissioner's Farm to Fork Dinner: Supporting Kentucky CASA and the work they do building stronger rural communities. Agriculture is about community, not just economics.

Commodity Breakfast: Agriculture organizations across Kentucky gathered to talk about their sector's role in the state's economy. Agriculture is an economic driver—69,000+ farms, $8.3 billion economic impact. That matters. 💪

Kentucky Agricultural Council: Heard from Commissioner Jonathan Shell on KDA policy initiatives, and from Dr. Ryan Quarles (KCTCS president) on the role of education in agriculture. KCTCS is reimagining adult agricultural education to help farmers access training when and where they need it.

Three events, one consistent message: agriculture is central to Kentucky's future. Policy, education, innovation, partnerships—they all matter. They all work together.

We're honored to be part of this ecosystem and to support the entrepreneurs and innovations making Kentucky agriculture stronger. 🌱

air

Great opportunity last week connecting with Lexington's startup community. Started the day at the Startup Breakfast, the...
08/24/2026

Great opportunity last week connecting with Lexington's startup community. Started the day at the Startup Breakfast, then joined the Tech Association of the Bluegrass All Community meeting to learn about upcoming events and resources. 🤝

One thing stood out: growing a strong tech ecosystem isn't just about funding or buildings. It's about people. It's about connecting entrepreneurs with talent, established businesses with emerging innovators, and communities with opportunities.

We heard from Erica Rogers about the Tech Internship Pilot Program, LFUCG's new initiative to help local tech companies connect with college students and build the talent pipeline our region needs.

If you're working in tech or startups in Kentucky, TAB is a great resource for staying connected, learning about what's coming, and building relationships in the community.

Check out TAB and get involved: https://tabky.org/ 🚀

Building an agtech ecosystem requires more than a grant program.Over BADC's founding years, we engaged more than 50 exte...
08/18/2026

Building an agtech ecosystem requires more than a grant program.

Over BADC's founding years, we engaged more than 50 external organizations across state government, higher education, capital markets, and national agtech networks, including the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development, Farm Credit Mid-America, and AgLaunch.

More than 81,500 social media impressions placed BADC in front of audiences ranging from national economic development publications to Kentucky's agricultural leadership community.

That network doesn't show up in a grant ledger, but it's what makes the grant program work.

Round 3 is in the books.Six Kentucky agtech companies. $550,000 awarded. More than 30 applications reviewed. Winners rec...
08/13/2026

Round 3 is in the books.

Six Kentucky agtech companies. $550,000 awarded. More than 30 applications reviewed. Winners recognized at the University of Kentucky's new Martin-Gatton Agricultural Sciences Building on July 29.

The 2026 cohort spans all five of our focus areas: Future-Proof Animal Protein, Food is Health, Sustainable Food Systems, Solutions for Mid-Size Farming, and Kentucky Traditions.

Meet them: FarmSense, Lepidext, Need More Acres Farm, Pascal Tags, Silver Fern, and Sunnyside Egg Co.

Full announcement here: https://bluegrassagtech.org/bluegrass-agtech-development-corp-awards-challenge-grants-to-6-agtech-innovators/

Bluegrass AgTech is a partnership of Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, the UK Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, and Alltech.

Kentucky farmers, two funding doors are open right now. Both are worth a look before harvest gets busy.Kentucky State Un...
08/11/2026

Kentucky farmers, two funding doors are open right now. Both are worth a look before harvest gets busy.

Kentucky State University Small-Scale Farm Grant. Up to $5,000 per application, with a $10,000 lifetime maximum per farm household or business. It is open to Kentucky farms with gross annual agricultural sales above $1,000 and below $250,000 over the previous two years. Five categories: Value-Added Enterprise, Certified Organic Agriculture, Agroforestry and Specialty Crops, Food Systems Resiliency, and Emerging Agricultural Technologies. That last one covers controlled environment agriculture and precision ag for established operations. Applications are reviewed on a quarterly cycle, with the next deadline October 1.

Program details and applications: https://www.kysu.edu/academics/college-ahnr/school-of-anr/co-op/small-scale-farm-grant-program.php

Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund. Applications are due the last Friday of every month, which makes the next cutoff Friday, August 28. Projects need to benefit multiple producers. The Kentucky Agricultural Development Board approved more than $1.7 million in projects at its July meeting alone.

Application information: https://www.kyagr.com/agpolicy/Kentucky-Agricultural-Development-Fund-Applicants.html

If you are not sure which fits your operation, your county Extension office and the Kentucky Center for Agriculture and Rural Development can both help you sort it out. KCARD keeps a running list of open grants here: https://www.kcard.info/active-grants

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✨ From the Executive Director's Desk – July Highlights ✨July was another impactful month for Kentucky agtech, with momen...
08/09/2026

✨ From the Executive Director's Desk – July Highlights ✨

July was another impactful month for Kentucky agtech, with momentum stretching from the mountains of eastern Kentucky to the western edge of the Commonwealth. 🌱🚜

🏆 Challenge Grant Awardees Announced
We proudly unveiled our newest Challenge Grant awardees at a celebration that brought together more than 75 leaders from across the agtech ecosystem. Our partners, our board, and our awardees shared the stage to spotlight the Kentucky innovators building the future of food and farming.

📣 Statewide Visibility
The announcement earned coverage across Kentucky media, helping tell the story of homegrown agricultural technology and the founders driving it forward.

🌾 Across the Commonwealth
From leadership seminars touring eastern Kentucky operations to agtech showcases in the west, we connected with farmers, founders, and stakeholders in every corner of the state to grow the pipeline for Kentucky innovation.

🤝 Building the Ecosystem
We deepened ties across agriculture, technology, sustainability, and the startup community, and opened new conversations with founders and institutions ready to invest in Kentucky's agricultural economy.

🎤 Telling the Story
We shared BADC's mission and impact through a interviews, public events, and community forums, elevating the role agtech plays for Kentucky farmers.

The momentum from July sets up an exciting stretch ahead as we support our newest awardees and expand what is possible for Kentucky agriculture. Grateful for the partners, founders, and champions who make this work possible. 🌱

What a great day at the Green Business Innovation Forum! 🌱On July 24 we joined Bluegrass Greensource at Transylvania Uni...
08/07/2026

What a great day at the Green Business Innovation Forum! 🌱

On July 24 we joined Bluegrass Greensource at Transylvania University alongside business leaders, sustainability pros, and community changemakers from across Central Kentucky.

BADC was there as an exhibitor, and Executive Director Jacob Ball took the stage for the forum's pecha kucha session (20 slides, 20 seconds each, one fast and fun story). His take: agricultural technology is one of Kentucky's clearest paths to a more sustainable, resilient economy.

Big thanks to the Bluegrass Greensource team for building a space where sustainability and innovation meet. This is where partnerships start. 🤝

Learn more: https://bggreensource.org/what-we-do/green-business-innovation-forum/

One week ago, we celebrated six Kentucky agtech innovators at UK's new Martin-Gatton Agricultural Sciences Building. 🌱Th...
08/05/2026

One week ago, we celebrated six Kentucky agtech innovators at UK's new Martin-Gatton Agricultural Sciences Building. 🌱Thank you to everyone who attended to make this an amazing event!

$550,000 in Round 3 Challenge Grant funding went to six companies solving real problems for Kentucky farms and food systems:

FarmSense, affordable soil moisture sensors built with Kentucky farmers
Lepidext, species-specific biopesticides made in Lexington
Need More Acres Farm, connecting local food to healthcare and schools
Pascal Tags, durable tracking for farm inputs and equipment
Silver Fern, AI demand forecasting for greenhouse and nursery growers
Sunnyside Egg Co., a lower-cost path into pasture-raised eggs

More than 30 companies applied. These six reflect what Kentucky agriculture can build next. 👏

Read the full story: https://bluegrassagtech.org/bluegrass-agtech-development-corp-awards-challenge-grants-to-6-agtech-innovators/

📸 Photo: Sabrina Hounshell | Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food & Environment

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40511

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