Ripley, TN - August 18, 2025 -Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, Assistant Commissioner of Community and Rural Development Brooxie Carlton, and dozens of business leaders joined farmers, entrepreneurs, and community partners on Friday, August 15, for a showcase of the AgLaunch Tennessee Farmer Innovation Model.
Representing The Mill Workspace at the event were CEO Chris Donaldson and Community Manager Rachel Townsend.
AgLaunch is a national platform of innovative farmers working together to shape the future of agriculture. Through a unique model that combines crowdsourced due diligence, shared data, field trials, and investment capital, AgLaunch helps agtech startups grow from idea to scale. Farmers in the AgLaunch network even hold ownership stakes in the companies they collaborate with, ensuring that the technology developed not only reaches the field but directly benefits the people using it.
The platform is designed to bridge today’s farming practices with the way agriculture will look tomorrow—envisioning nutrient-dense crops, carbon-neutral farms, and more equitable ownership across the value chain.
Friday’s event was hosted at Mid-South Family Farms in Ripley, TN, where one acre of corn is currently serving as a live test site for a startup in the AgLaunch network. Similar trials are happening with partner farmers across Tennessee, as well as in Iowa, Oregon, and North Carolina.
Attendees saw firsthand how robotics and on-farm technology are being designed to improve efficiency and quality in agriculture. More than a dozen startups showcased their innovations, including Grain Weevil and Bopa, with demonstrations ranging from silo-cleaning robots to weed eradication systems and autonomous equipment capable of hauling seed or farm supplies.
Governor Lee and Carlton both highlighted how these types of partnerships attract businesses and families to Tennessee. AgLaunch President Pete Nelson recognized the team behind the work—including Rebecca Kaufman, V.P. of Regional Innovation Clusters; Margaret Oldham, V.P. of Innovation; Senior Advisor Tom Womack; and Director of Farm Innovation Thomas Greenlee, and others. Nelson also thanked Mid-South Family Farms owner Scott Fullen for years of collaboration, pointing to other ongoing projects with Tennessee farmers.
