An Iowa-based agricultural technology startup, Rantizo, won the $20,000 grand prize in the AgTech Innovation Competition at the recent 2019 Iowa Power Farming Show in Des Moines. The company is creating a targeted drone spraying system that uses electrostatic technology to safely and precisely apply ag chemicals when and where they are needed.

Founded by chemist and venture capitalist Michael Ott in early 2018, Rantizo has quickly become known as one of the most innovative companies in the precision ag industry. Industry analysts described Rantizo as “revolutionizing the spraying market.”

“People are beginning to see just how viable the Rantizo solution is for agrichemical spraying,” says Ott, the firm’s CEO, who spoke with visitors at the Iowa show. “Our drone sprayer is moving from being a toy to a tool, and that’s definitely a win for us.”

The Rantizo business model is to sell drones, cartridge-dispensed chemicals, and data to farmers and custom applicators. He says automation is the key to improving efficiency in agriculture, and that led to his idea to develop a drone sprayer.

Apply ag chemicals more precisely
“We are developing drone spraying for agriculture, using imagery to understand where chemicals need to be applied in the field,” Ott says. “Rather than spraying the entire field and having to do it with a big spray rig, the drone system is much more cost-effective.”

Most drone companies perform diagnostics, “but we are an end-to-end solution applying chemicals more precisely, right where they need to go,” he says. “We have a real advantage for spot-spraying. The drone system limits the use of labor, and farmers can use drones to get to locations traditional sprayers can’t reach, especially in wet field conditions.”

Ott says the drones his company will offer for sale will be mainly plug-and-play for ease of use, but operators will need to be licensed.

This was the second year for the AgTech Innovation Competition at the Iowa Power Farming Show. Five ag tech startups were each given five minutes to pitch their business to a panel of three judges. In the end, Rantizo took first place and the grand prize of $20,000. A company named AgVend captured the Peoples’ Choice Award and a $5,000 prize.

AgVend has a website portal for buying crop production inputs and services. It gained audience interest at the pitch competition by offering farmers a way “to conveniently purchase inputs and services online,” says CEO Alex Reichert. “We work with a network of retailers, partnering with them throughout the country. Some are large retail accounts with hundreds of locations; some are local retailers with maybe only a few locations. Retailers post their products on our website and farmers can compare them.

“You can place your order online, and all products and services are delivered directly to you by trusted retailers,” he says.

Rantizo is based in Iowa City. For more information, visit rantizo.com. AgVend is based in Minneapolis; visit agvend.com.

Other startups competing in 2019
The other companies participating in the pitch contest at the Iowa Power Farming Show were:

• FarrPro, based in Iowa City, uses the Haven system to help keep baby pigs safe, warm and healthy from farrowing to weaning. The product replaces heat lamps and separates the piglets’ warm environment from the cooler ambient environment a sow needs. The result is an energy-efficient, safe, healthy, productive micro-climate shared by two neighboring baby pig areas in farrowing stalls.

“We’re introducing this new product into a market where swine producers have for decades used cheap, inefficient and sometimes deadly heat lamps to keep pigs warm,” says Chris Hanson, co-founder of FarrPro. The firm has signed a product representation agreement with Ag Environmental Resources to sell FarrPro’s Haven product. For information, visit farrpro.com.

• SwineTech, based in Cedar Rapids, uses artificial intelligence and sensor-based technology to reduce piglet deaths. The SmartGuard system reduces piglet crushing by sows, reduces pre-weaning mortality and monitors sow health. Visit swinetechnologies.com.

• Rabbit Tractors, based in Crown Point, Ind., produces an autonomous, multipurpose, compact robot that works in a swarm. It’s designed to outproduce larger equipment, minimize soil compaction and cost significantly less than a big tractor. The first Rabbit implements are an automated soil sampler and a precision sprayer. Visit rabbittractors.com.