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Great Lakes Tek Flex demonstrates practicality of new ag tech

Business and Extension collaborators are trying to bring more ag technology startups to the Great Lakes.

Mark Ledebuhr with Application Insight Consulting says specialty crop innovations developed on the West Coast haven’t been able to break into the Great Lakes region.

“This is a very difficult place to market because of all these small states and all the entities that live within those states, so we’re creating a regional opportunity for ag tech to come and interface with us.”

He tells Brownfield different growing conditions, farm sizes, and labor costs have created distinct challenges.

“In arid environments, the pressure isn’t there like it is here in the Great Lakes region, where our spray windows are much closer, we have a lot higher disease and weed pressure,” he explains.

MSU is finalizing plans for an Extension-focused Farm Tech Hub that brings together producers and entrepreneurs to evaluate innovations, accelerate development, and increase adoption.

“We should absolutely be growing a lot more food here than we do, and instead we’re contracting,” he says.

Ledebuhr says farmer leadership cohorts are also coming together to help discern how technology can be more usable for producers.

Brownfield interviewed Ledebuhr as part of the recent Great Lakes Tek Flex event in southwest Michigan.