Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering, Department of
Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Presentations and White Papers
Date of this Version
3-17-2026
Document Type
Report
Citation
Department of Biological Systems Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2026
Abstract
The Farm Tech Adoption Challenge (FTAC) examined how farmers evaluate emerging agricultural technologies through structured interactions with startups. Farmers assessed solutions based on their on-farm challenges and indicated adoption decisions. Results showed that adoption was driven by how well technologies addressed economic pressure, risk reduction, and operational simplicity. Startups aligned with these priorities were more likely to gain traction, with five out of nine receiving farmer commitments for adoption. However, adoption also depended on clear economic value, field validation, and system integration. Overall, the findings suggest that the primary bottleneck in agtech is not the lack of relevant technologies, but the gap between promising solutions and on-farm readiness.
Included in
Agribusiness Commons, Agricultural and Resource Economics Commons, Bioresource and Agricultural Engineering Commons, Technology and Innovation Commons
Comments
Open access
License: CC BY-NC 4.0