SWIIM is proud to announce that Forbes Magazine ranked SWIIM as one of the top 25 most innovative ag-tech companies of 2017. With SWIIM’s growing list of marquee clients and its partnership with Western Growers Association, it is in a position to help growers of all sizes combat challenges associated with their water supplies.
When our nation was founded 241 years ago, farming was the economy’s primary driver. By 1870, nearly half of the employed population held jobs in agriculture. Today, it’s a $3 trillion industry – but only 2% of Americans hold a farm-oriented job.
This is, in many ways, thanks to technology. Tractors and other automation advances in the 20th century let large farms shift management to only a handful of people. But this, paradoxically, has also slowed things down in the 21st. With only a few people working every farm, there’s not a lot of time – or incentive – to innovate.
“The ag tech space right now is in a very unique position. You can’t ignore the fundamentals,” says vice president of Business Development at AgTech Accelerator Corp., Corey Huck. “You have to produce a lot more crop on limited acres, and 70% of fresh water is already being used in agriculture. We have to do more with less at the end of the day and the only way you can do that is with technology.”
To find the 25 ag-tech startups that carry the most potential, Forbes surveyed the agricultural technology landscape by speaking with experts, venture capitalists and accelerators; then, they examined financials and each company’s agricultural credentials. A special thanks goes to Seana Day at the Mixing Bowl for her comprehensive research on the ag-tech environment.
From Forbes, “The 25 Most Innovative Ag-Tech Startups,” by Chloe Sorvino, Forbes Staff
Original URL: https://www.forbes.com/sites/maggiemcgrath/2017/06/28/the-25-most-innovative-ag-tech-startups/