Idea Farming 2026 brings ag producers, startups together in Sterling

A Logan County cattle producer trying to cut fly-control labor and a corn grower hoping to save water had the same question in Sterling Thursday: which startup could actually work on the ground before next season?

Idea Farming 2026, the Logan County Economic Development Corporation’s new take on its entrepreneur pitch competition, was built around that practicality test. Executive Director Trae Miller wanted local ag producers in the room when ag-tech companies arrived, so the event focused on tools, services and technologies that farmers and ranchers could test under real-world conditions rather than polished sales pitches.

The free event ran from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Sterling and asked producers what problems they wanted solved and which month would be least intrusive for attending. It also invited interest in cattle production, feedlots, corn, wheat, sugarbeets, millet, sorghum, forage and alfalfa, and dairy. That lineup matched Logan County’s economy, which LCEDC describes as deeply rooted in wheat, corn, alfalfa, organic millet, edible beans, beef cattle, sheep and dairy replacement heifers.

The numbers show why the county is treating ag innovation as more than a side project. USDA’s 2022 Census of Agriculture profile for Logan County counted 901 farms on 1,126,091 acres, with agricultural sales of $732.7 million. Livestock, poultry and products made up 84% of those sales, while crops accounted for 16%. The same county profile showed 81% of farms had internet access, a key piece of infrastructure for precision tools, satellite-based services and software platforms.

LCEDC has also been building an entrepreneurship program around Sterling’s role as the region’s primary hub. The organization says Sterling reaches a market of more than 70,000 people within a 45-minute drive, and it notes that Northeastern Junior College can help train workers for employers and graduates more than 500 students each year. That local pipeline matters in a county where agriculture still drives the economy but producers are looking for ways to manage labor strain, water use and input costs.

The pitch competition is not a one-off. In late 2024, RCAC said LCEDC raised $11,000 for the earlier entrepreneur contest, which drew 29 applicants, including five youth entrepreneurs, and awarded a $6,000 top prize. RCAC later said LCEDC received an $80,000 anonymous donation to keep the program going in 2025. Idea Farming 2026 carried that work into a more specialized format, with example field-trial partners and winners including Weed-It, Halter, Bovijet and Agroptics. Weed-It targets Palmer amaranth with see-and-spray technology, Halter offers virtual fencing, Bovijet is developing autonomous back-pour and fly-control systems, and Agroptics focuses on satellite irrigation.

For Logan County, the test is no longer whether ag-tech can be discussed in Sterling. It is whether the right tools can be adopted there soon enough to matter in the next season’s balance sheet.