Bluegrass AgTech Development Corp

We had a fantastic visit to Northern Kentucky last week! 🤝

BADC Executive Director Jacob Ball visited Blue North Innovation and toured the SparkHaus Coworking and Entrepreneur Hub, and we came away genuinely impressed by the work Executive Director Dave Knox and the entire Blue North team are doing to support entrepreneurs in the region.

NKY has strong momentum, and the SparkHaus space makes it clear why. It is exactly the kind of hub that helps founders go from idea to impact.

We are excited about the potential to work together to bring more AgTech resources and connections to Northern Kentucky. Big thank you to Dave for the warm welcome and the tour! 🌱

📰 May BADC Brief is live!

Busy month for Kentucky AgTech. New programs, grant updates, and what's next for the ecosystem.

Read the brief: https://bit.ly/4dI1uLz

Subscribe for monthly updates: https://bluegrassagtech.org/contact/

Meet the companies in the UAccel: AgTech I-Corps program! A special thanks to Launch Blue for the opportunity to partner on this initiative!!

Meet the Summer 2026 UAccel: AgTech cohort.

This summer, 10 teams of researchers, founders and innovators are participating in UAccel: AgTech, a program designed to help participants better understand the needs of their customers and explore pathways to commercialization.

The cohort represents a diverse range of innovations spanning agriculture, animal health, biotechnology, sustainability and health care, showcasing the breadth of ideas emerging from Kentucky's innovation ecosystem.

We're proud to support these innovators and look forward to sharing their progress throughout the summer.

Learn more about the cohort: https://uknow.uky.edu/research/launch-blue-badc-announce-members-summer-2026-i-corps-cohort

Bluegrass AgTech Development Corp

Great day at the Kentucky legislature yesterday! 🏛️

Jacob Ball attended the Joint Interim Committee on Agriculture, where members heard important updates on the state of Kentucky’s agricultural economy froUK Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environmentnt Department of Agricultural Economics and a look at agricultural lending across the state from Mark Barker witFarm Credit Mid-Americaca .

Staying connected to Kentucky’s policymakers is a key part of how BADC serves the agricultural technology community. The legislators on this committee are working hard for Kentucky’s farmers and rural communities, and we’re glad to be in the room. 🌾

✨ From the Executive Director's Desk – May Highlights ✨

May was a month of momentum at Bluegrass AgTech Development Corp, with new partnerships forming and our flagship programs moving from planning into action across Kentucky.

🚀 Program Launch
We launched a new agtech accelerator cohort, opening with a board-led panel that connected founders to the people shaping Kentucky's ag innovation landscape, then settling into a weekly rhythm of hands-on support.

🌱 Ecosystem Building
From local food systems to economic development to the broader startup community, we showed up where Kentucky's innovators gather. The agriculture, food, and technology sectors are converging, and BADC is helping connect the dots.

🤝 Entrepreneurship Support
Behind the scenes, we worked to strengthen how we back founders, exploring better tools to track impact, sharper paths to capital, and connections that help young companies protect and grow their ideas.

🎤 Visibility and Voice
We carried BADC's mission into rooms across the state, sharing how a strong agtech ecosystem benefits Kentucky farmers and the state's agricultural economy.

🏛️ Looking Ahead
The Round 3 Challenge Grant announcement is taking shape, and our quarterly board meeting set the stage for what comes next.

Grateful for the partners, founders, and farmers who make this work possible. The best is ahead. 🌾

Happy Kentucky Statehood Day! 🇺🇸

Today we celebrate 235 years of Kentucky's history, culture, and identity. And at the heart of the Commonwealth's story is agriculture.

Nearly a 70,000 Kentucky farms. Billions in annual agricultural output. Communities built on land, livestock, and crops. This is who we are.

But agriculture is changing. The farmers of tomorrow will face new challenges and new opportunities, and they'll need new tools and innovation to succeed.

That's what BADC is all about. We're building an agricultural technology ecosystem right here in Kentucky—supporting entrepreneurs creating solutions that work for Kentucky farms, help farmers adapt and compete, and create opportunity in rural communities.

As we celebrate Kentucky's statehood, we're grateful for our agricultural heritage and focused on building its future.

Happy statehood, Kentucky. 🌾

We attended the UK Economic Development Collaborative's event on regional economic development perspectives from across Kentucky today. 🌍

Leaders from Northern Kentucky, South Central, Western Kentucky, and Eastern Kentucky shared honest perspectives on what's working and what still needs attention across the Commonwealth. The Blueprint Kentucky data showed real growth, and the panel discussion made clear there's more work ahead.

Agriculture and rural communities are a big part of that story, and it's why BADC's work matters. Connecting AgTech entrepreneurs with Kentucky farms creates jobs, drives investment, and builds on the agricultural strengths Kentucky already has.

Grateful to the University of Kentucky Economic Development Collaborative for a conversation worth having. 🌱

On Memorial Day, we pause to honor the men and women who gave their lives in service to this country. Many of them came from the farms and rural communities we work to strengthen every day. Their sacrifice made possible everything we build, grow, and protect. We are grateful for their service and humbled by their dedication. From the BADC team, Happy Memorial Day.

We built BADC to serve all of Kentucky, not just one corner of it. This map shows it's working.

🗺️ Challenge Grant applicants and award recipients span the Commonwealth, from western Kentucky to the eastern mountains and everywhere in between. Entrepreneurs across the state are developing AgTech solutions for Kentucky farms.

10 companies supported. 59 farms engaged. Counties across the map represented. 🌱

Kentucky agriculture is a statewide story, and our AgTech ecosystem should be too.