Plowing AI, Startup Retrofits Tractors with Autonomy

Smart Ag is developing autonomy and robotics for tractors in a region more notable for its corn and soybeans than software or silicon. Hurd, Barglof and Milloy, all Iowa natives, founded Smart Ag in 2015 and landed a total of $6 million in seed funding, $5 million of which came from Stine Seed Farm, an affiliate of Stine Seed Co. Other key investors included Ag Startup Engine, which backs Iowa State University startups. The company is in widespread pilot tests with its autonomy for tractors and plans to commercialize its technology for row crops by 2020.