Last year’s winner, Vertical Harvest Hydroponics from Anchorage, took home $30,000 in prize money.
(Anchorage, AK) May 3, 2017 – The American Farm Bureau Federation announces the 2018 National Rural Entrepreneurship Challenge.
Vertical Harvest Hydroponics won the Rural Entrepreneurship Challenge in 2016.
The Farm Bureau Rural Entrepreneurship Challenge is a “Shark Tank” like competition exclusively focused on food and agriculture businesses. This provides a way for rural entrepreneurs to get assistance with start-up funding which helps improve economies in rural communities and builds a stronger agriculture industry.
Rural entrepreneurs will be competing for $145,000 in startup funds as well as:
- Opportunity to pitch to multimillion dollar investors
- Feedback from national business experts
- Education on venture capital and expanding their businesses
What: 2018 Farm Bureau Rural Entrepreneurship Challenge
When: Online entries will be accepted May 1, 2017, – June 30th, 2017
Who: Open to all for-profit agricultural related business in the US. Must be Farm Bureau members.
Cost: There is no cost to enter, however you must be a Farm Bureau member. Membership in the Alaska Farm Bureau is only $40 per year. Find out more at AlaskaFB.org.
Last year’s winner, Vertical Harvest Hydroponics from Anchorage, beat over 350 agriculture-related businesses and three other finalists who competed during the live competition at the America Farm Bureau’s annual convention in Phoenix.
“Alaska agriculture entrepreneurs have to overcome so many challenges to growing local, sustainable and affordable products,” says Bryce Wrigley, president of the Alaska Farm Bureau.
“Their innovations are not only valuable to other agriculture producers in Alaska, but to producers all over the world!” Wrigley continues.
Vertical Harvest Hydroponics designs and builds turnkey, hydroponic vegetable production facilities inside of 40’ insulated shipping containers. Engineered for the remote arctic environments, these systems allow produce to be grown 365 days a year, virtually eliminating the expensive and lengthy supply chain.
To find out more and to enter the Challenge go to: http://www.strongruralamerica.com/challenge/
About the Alaska Farm Bureau:
The Alaska Farm Bureau is a chapter of the America Farm Bureau Federation, an independent, non-governmental, voluntary organization governed by and representing farm and ranch families united for the purpose of analyzing their problems and formulating action to achieve educational improvement, economic opportunity and social advancement and, thereby, to promote the national well-being.
The Alaska Farm Bureau’s mission is to improve the economic well-being and expansion of agriculture and to enrich the quality of life for all Alaskans.