Bluegrass AgTech Development Corp

06/25/2026

Proud to be part of the Lexington startup community! 🙌

We attended the Awesome Inc 5 Across pitch competition last night and came away energized. Watching founders step up, make their pitch, and put themselves out there is exactly the kind of momentum that makes Kentucky's innovation ecosystem exciting.

Congrats to everyone who competed. The future is being built here. 🌱

06/23/2026

Kentucky agriculture by the numbers:

📊 **$8.3 billion** in annual cash receipts (2024 - near record high)
🌾 **69,425** farms across the Commonwealth
🐴 ** #1** in equine industry nationwide
🥃 **95%** of the world's bourbon
🚜 **12.4 million** acres of farmland

Behind these numbers are real families, real businesses, and real communities building their futures in agriculture.

At BADC, we see these statistics as both foundation and opportunity. Kentucky's agricultural economy is strong—and agricultural technology can make it stronger.

When we support ag innovators developing solutions for Kentucky farms, we're investing in an industry that already drives billions in economic activity and supports tens of thousands of families across the state.

That's why AgTech matters here. The foundation is solid. The opportunity is significant. And the entrepreneurs are ready.

06/19/2026

Big news for Kentucky AgTech! 🌱

We partnered with Launch Blue to select the Summer 2026 UAccel: AgTech I-Corps cohort, and we couldn't be more excited about this group.

Ten teams. Six weeks. Real-world customer discovery designed to move promising ag innovations closer to market.

This NSF-funded program gives founders the mentorship, market intelligence, and commercialization structure they need to build lasting companies, not just prototypes.

Full announcement: https://uknow.uky.edu/research/launch-blue-badc-announce-members-summer-2026-i-corps-cohort 🔗

06/17/2026

What a week at the Kentucky FFA Association State Convention in Lexington! 🌾

BADC attended and our Executive Director Jacob Ball had the honor of judging the Agriscience Fair. Seeing FFA members present hands-on research and design projects was genuinely inspiring — these students are already thinking like ag entrepreneurs.

We also had a great opportunity at the Kentucky Agricultural Council meeting to hear from Sheldon McKinney, Executive Director of the Kentucky FFA Foundation. The level of support for FFA members across Kentucky is incredible, and it shows in the talent and passion we saw on display.

The future of AgTech in Kentucky looks bright, and it's being built by the young leaders coming through organizations like FFA. 🚜💡

06/15/2026

Kentucky's AgTech ecosystem is growing, and we have the receipts. 📊

BADC just released its founding years impact report, and we are proud of what this community has built together:

🌱 $925K deployed through the Challenge Grant Program
💰 $7.4M in additional funding leveraged by portfolio companies
👩‍🌾 59 Kentucky farms engaged
💼 67 Kentucky jobs reported
💵 $622K+ paid directly to Kentucky farmers

This would not have been possible without the vision of our founding partners: City of Lexington, Ky - Government, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, UK Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, and Alltech They bet on Kentucky AgTech early, and that bet is paying off.

We also just updated our website. Head to bluegrassagtech.org to see the full scope of what we are working on across the Commonwealth.

Know someone who should be connected to this work? Tag them below or share this post. We are always looking to grow the network of people who believe Kentucky agriculture can lead nationally.

Read the full report: https://bluegrassagtech.org/full-impact-report/ 🔗

06/12/2026

BADC was honored to serve as a Leadership Visit Dinner Sponsor for this week's Commerce Lexington Inc. Leadership Visit to Des Moines, Iowa! 🌽🚀

About 150 community leaders attended the dinner at the World Food Prize Hall of Laureates, where Erica Rogers of City of Lexington, Ky - Government shared remarks on agricultural innovation as an economic development opportunity and BADC's role in advancing that work across Kentucky.

Des Moines is home to the America's Cultivation Corridor, one of the country's leading agtech ecosystems. The visit was a timely reminder of what's possible when a region invests strategically in connecting agricultural strengths with innovation infrastructure.

Kentucky has that same foundation. We're building toward that same future. 🌱

06/10/2026

We had a fantastic visit to Northern Kentucky last week! 🤝

BADC Executive Director Jacob Ball visited Blue North Innovation and toured the SparkHaus Coworking and Entrepreneur Hub, and we came away genuinely impressed by the work Executive Director Dave Knox and the entire Blue North team are doing to support entrepreneurs in the region.

NKY has strong momentum, and the SparkHaus space makes it clear why. It is exactly the kind of hub that helps founders go from idea to impact.

We are excited about the potential to work together to bring more AgTech resources and connections to Northern Kentucky. Big thank you to Dave for the warm welcome and the tour! 🌱

06/08/2026

📰 May BADC Brief is live!

Busy month for Kentucky AgTech. New programs, grant updates, and what's next for the ecosystem.

Read the brief: https://bit.ly/4dI1uLz

Subscribe for monthly updates: https://bluegrassagtech.org/contact/

06/05/2026

Meet the companies in the UAccel: AgTech I-Corps program! A special thanks to Launch Blue for the opportunity to partner on this initiative!!

Meet the Summer 2026 UAccel: AgTech cohort.

This summer, 10 teams of researchers, founders and innovators are participating in UAccel: AgTech, a program designed to help participants better understand the needs of their customers and explore pathways to commercialization.

The cohort represents a diverse range of innovations spanning agriculture, animal health, biotechnology, sustainability and health care, showcasing the breadth of ideas emerging from Kentucky's innovation ecosystem.

We're proud to support these innovators and look forward to sharing their progress throughout the summer.

Learn more about the cohort: https://uknow.uky.edu/research/launch-blue-badc-announce-members-summer-2026-i-corps-cohort

Bluegrass AgTech Development Corp

06/05/2026

Great day at the Kentucky legislature yesterday! 🏛️

Jacob Ball attended the Joint Interim Committee on Agriculture, where members heard important updates on the state of Kentucky’s agricultural economy froUK Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environmentnt Department of Agricultural Economics and a look at agricultural lending across the state from Mark Barker witFarm Credit Mid-Americaca .

Staying connected to Kentucky’s policymakers is a key part of how BADC serves the agricultural technology community. The legislators on this committee are working hard for Kentucky’s farmers and rural communities, and we’re glad to be in the room. 🌾