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AgriNovus Indiana: AI and farmer-led innovation is helping shape the future of agriculture

The CEO of AgriNovus Indiana says farmer-led innovations are creating new opportunities for the state’s agbioscience economy.

Christy Wright says the organization’s Velocity accelerator program is helping farmers address production challenges.

“Farms generate an enormous amount of data,” she says. “We’re starting to see the first effects of how AI is reorganizing systems to capture additional value. It’s all about how we can help ensure that it will bring the ROI and productivity gains that growers are looking for.”

Presented by the Indiana Soybean Alliance and the Indiana Corn Marketing Council, Velocity accelerator 2026 is a competition for 12 startup companies focused in the areas of bio innovation, farmer-focused innovation, and food is health.

She tells Brownfield it’s helping position Indiana as a hub for agbioscience.

“Velocity is giving companies another reason to build here,” she says. “They already have access to Indiana’s farmers and commodity organizations. We have a very rich pool of companies here with a research base that most states can’t match.”

Wright says the startups will compete during the 2026 Velocity Accelerator program in November. More than $25,000 will be awarded in each of the three categories during the competition this fall.

AUDIO: Christy Wright, AgriNovus Indiana