AgTech Forum is Start Something's new paid internship, year-long program that puts Iowa State students inside real ag companies to work on the technologies changing the industry. You're hired in the fall, and you stay hired through the spring. Each year, the program takes on a different frontier of agricultural technology.
This year's focus: artificial intelligence in agriculture.
How it works
Fall semester — get sharp, get paid. You're hired into the program starting in the fall. Every week, you'll meet with Steve Goodhue, Assistant Professor of Practice and director of AgTech Forum, in a class-style seminar. Together the group investigates how AI is actually being used across agriculture — what's working, what's hype, where the real opportunities sit. You're paid for this work. By December you'll speak the language of ag AI more fluently than most people in the industry.
Spring semester — put it to work, still getting paid. You'll be matched in a team of two to a partner company and assigned a manager inside that company who serves as your first point of contact. Your project: audit how that company is using — or could be using — agricultural technology, then deliver a presentation or pitch back to the company with real recommendations.
Real project. Real stakes. Real company leadership in the room. Same paycheck, deeper work.
What you walk away with
Two semesters of paid work experience on a live ag-tech project
A presentation to company leadership — the kind of resume line most students don't get until years into their career
A working knowledge of AI in agriculture — the fastest-moving space in the industry right now
A network of ag-tech operators, executives, and AgTech Forum alumni
A team partner you'll build something with — and probably keep working with long after the semester ends
Who this is for
Any Iowa State student who wants to work at the intersection of technology and agriculture. You need to be curious, willing to explore ideas, meet new people, companies, and ideas, and be ready to show up for a company that's paying you to think hard about their business.
Apply
Fill out the application at the link in this newsletter or on our social media. Deadline: September 15th.
Questions?
Steve Goodhue, Assistant Professor of Practice and Program Director — sgoodhue@iastate.edu
Kevin Kimle — kimle@iastate.edu
Technology is the future of agriculture. AgTech Forum is how Start Something students get there first.