Agricultural technology companies are developing new tools to address challenges on the farm, but getting producers to adopt those innovations remains a significant hurdle.
A University of Nebraska–Lincoln initiative is working to change that by giving farmers a greater say in which technologies are developed and whether they make economic sense.
Spur AgConverge 2026, scheduled for Nov. 17-18 at Raising Nebraska in Grand Island, will bring together farmers, ranchers, entrepreneurs, researchers and investors for two days of discussions about agricultural innovation.
Ankit Chandra, director and lecturer of entrepreneurship in UNL’s Department of Biological Systems Engineering, said the conference is designed to close a gap between technology development and practical use on the farm.
“I think a lot of value should come from the farmers perspective in the first place. And that’s where there’s a real barrier to adoption of these technologies. So we have been thinking all wrong,” Chandra said.
Reverse Shark Tank: Farmers evaluate the technology
One of the conference’s central events, the Farmers Tech Adoption Challenge, will put that philosophy into practice.
Eight selected startup companies will pitch their technologies before sitting down with producers for roundtable evaluations. Farmers will assess potential returns on investment, identify barriers to adoption and indicate whether they would consider using the technology.
An external judging panel will then evaluate the feedback and commitments, with prize money available to farmers who commit to investing in the technologies.
“You can think of it as a reverse shark tank where farmers are the shark and giving feedback to the technology companies,” Chandra said.
When promising technology falls short
Chandra said the challenge reflects a broader need for technology developers to understand the conditions producers face, particularly as robotics, artificial intelligence and precision agriculture tools become more common.
He pointed to an example from a Nebraska farmer who had a robotic machine deployed on his operation. The robot became stuck in clay soil because it had not been designed for those field conditions. According to Chandra, it remained there for weeks without assistance from the company.
The experience illustrates how even promising technology can lose a producer’s confidence when developers fail to account for real-world operating conditions.
“Technology is great, but you have to really think about think through the farmers perspective or design the solution from that perspective,” Chandra said.
He said robotics could eventually help address labor shortages in Nebraska agriculture, but developers still face questions about affordability, reliability and profitability, particularly in large-scale corn and soybean production.
Industry leaders, producers and researchers to gather
Beyond the adoption challenge, Spur AgConverge will feature live robotics demonstrations, discussions about agricultural investment and panels examining the relationship between industry and university research.
Other sessions will focus on Midwest women working in agricultural technology, biomanufacturing and the emerging bioeconomy, and regional innovation initiatives supported by the National Science Foundation.
The conference will also feature two keynote speakers representing different sides of agricultural innovation.
Nebraska producer Ben Steffen of Humboldt will deliver the producer keynote, addressing challenges farmers face and opportunities for technology to help solve them.
Connie Bowen, general partner at Farmhand Ventures, will deliver the industry keynote, examining investment trends and where agricultural technology markets may be headed.
Students will also have an opportunity to present research in agricultural technology, precision agriculture, robotics and the bioeconomy through a poster competition offering cash prizes.
Registration and event details
The conference is presented by Spur Ventures, a UNL initiative focused on agricultural innovation and commercialization. It is the second year for the event.
Spur AgConverge 2026 will take place Nov. 17-18 at Raising Nebraska in Grand Island.
Registration information is available at thespur.org/converge.