Summary:
FarmSmarter is an AI-powered assistant for agriculture, identifying plants and diagnosing issues.
The startup aims to modernize agricultural consulting processes that have remained unchanged since the 1950s.
FarmSmarter has gained recognition in various pitch competitions, winning the 2024 J Terrell Brown Venture Challenge.
Future plans include expanding capabilities with a soil analysis tool and a historical data tracker.
Introduction
Artificial intelligence is making waves in health care, energy, and education across the Capital Region—but what about agriculture? This question was posed to FarmSmarter Growing Technologies co-founders Colin Raby and Grant Muslow during an honors large language model class at LSU in fall 2023.
The Founders
Raby, an LSU alumnus, and Muslow, a graduate student, teamed up with biological engineering student Julius Pallotta and fellow alumnus Cole Lacombe to create FarmSmarter—an AI-powered assistant designed to identify plants, diagnose issues, and deliver tailored recommendations to farmers and growers using the latest agricultural research.
Bridging the Gap
“It seemed like the worlds of agriculture and the cutting edge of AI weren’t really talking to each other,” Raby tells Daily Report. “The agricultural consulting process looks exactly like it looked in 1950, with people just going through best practices booklets and taking the advice of whoever pays to present their new pesticide or herbicide at an annual conference. We saw that there was a huge opportunity to use modern technology to make it all work better, faster, and save money to get high-quality answers.”
Features of FarmSmarter
The team launched the first version of FarmSmarter in late February. Available on desktop and as a mobile app, the virtual assistant can:
- Identify plants, insects, and fungi
- Diagnose crop diseases using user-submitted photos and descriptions
- Provide insight into environmental impacts
- Recommend safe practices for pesticide and herbicide use.
Growing Momentum
Though still in its early stages, FarmSmarter has gained momentum on the pitch competition circuit. The Baton Rouge startup:
- Won the 2024 J Terrell Brown Venture Challenge at LSU
- Was a top 10 finalist in the Baylor New Venture Competition
- Competed in the Louisiana Pelican Cup at the University of Louisiana at Monroe
- Advanced to the final round of the Arkansas Governor’s Cup
- Will pitch this month at the Rice Business Plan Competition in Houston.
Future Plans
With additional funding, the team plans to expand its capabilities, grow its staff, and roll out new features—including a soil analysis tool and a historical data tracker to monitor trends and performance over time.
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