The Agricultural Entrepreneurship Initiative hosted their third annual Ag Innovation and Value Creation competition, Monday, February 28^th.  Fifty-five undergraduate students participated in teams of 3 to 4, and were challenged to create new value for an existing technology.

Teams were asked to find a new agricultural use for optimal sensor technology, a beam of light commonly used in security systems and in measuring grain. The winning team developed a way to use the technology to open and close of gates in a feed lot. Members of that team included Stuart McCulloh, Holden Nyhus (both presenting in photo), Michael Koenig, and Alyssa Louwsma.

Students were awarded their choice of scholarships, cash awards, or networking opportunities with individuals working in the ag industry.

Stacey Noe, program coordinator with the Agricultural Entrepreneur Initiative, says that the focus of the competition is to provide students with "experiential learning" opportunities that go beyond the classroom.

"These are opportunities for students to take key skills and apply them to real-life situations," she says. "The competition is designed to be challenging and mind opening. Students learn to apply the knowledge base they’ve gained in the classroom to real life situations in the agriculture industry."