The solution to the increasingly urgent issue of crop loss has landed in the hands of farmers in the form of an app, Field Prophet. This app is designed to revolutionize crop disease management for corn and soybean growers across the United States. The visionaries behind this innovation are Damon Smith, Roger Schmidt, and Teryl Schmidt, researchers who met as graduate students in the UW Nutrient and Pest Management program. Farmers worldwide face devastating crop losses due to diseases and limited genetic resistance. This team recognized the critical need for accurate predictive tools to guide growers in applying plant protection strategies effectively and timely. After researching the biology and epidemiology of major diseases in corn and soybeans, the team felt their work was falling short of directly reaching farmers. Through Field Prophet, they engineered a way to put this technology straight into growers’ pockets.
Field Prophet’s impact extends beyond individual farms, influencing the entire nation’s agriculture sector’s environmental efficiency and economic competitiveness. The app balances efficiency and return on investment (ROI) for chemical interventions through targeted disease management, addressing global efforts to make farming practices more sustainable. By leveraging scientific insights through accessible technology, U.S. farmers can enhance productivity and viability, transforming the unpredictable nature of weather into a strategic advantage. We asked Damon Smith and Roger Schmidt to share their insights on their work for Field Prophet:
Where did the idea for your company come from initially?
Roger: Field Prophet was spun off from UW-Madison to commercialize disease prediction innovations. Research labs in agriculture at the university level are often too quick to move on to the next grant opportunity before exploring business or industry partnerships. Research grants simply run out, and labs move on from one innovation to the next without fully exploring their current investments.
Damon: The idea initially came from my frustration that the work I was doing wasn’t finding its way into the hands of farmers.
How has D2P helped you, and what have you learned?
Roger: D2P helped us form a business plan, connect with startup business support groups, and promote our new business.
Damon: D2P supported us in developing the startup. Our mentors helped us find an accelerator program (G Beta) and provided early funding through the SEED program.
What other entrepreneurial resources/programs have guided you?
Roger: UW Law and Entrepreneurship Program, UW Draper Technology Innovation Fund, UW Center for Technology Commercialization, and WARF.
What’s your current focus with the company?
Roger: Field Prophet produces software that helps farmers grow more corn and soybeans in a profitable and environmentally sustainable way. Field Prophet also consults
with large agriculture businesses to adopt Field Prophet software to help their farming clients. The software protects the environment by stopping the overuse of fungicide chemicals on farms.
Damon: We are currently operating under a consulting contract with a large agricultural company to develop white-label products using our technology that can be integrated into their proprietary platforms.
What are your hopes for the company moving forward?
Roger: We have already had a successful start at commercializing this innovation. Field Prophet’s iPhone app is widely distributed in the Apple app store. This app is a tool any farmer can use in their office or in the field. The app instantly shows a farmer the disease risk levels for their fields. In addition, Field Prophet Inc. is making revenue from a consulting contract with one of the largest international farming companies involved with crop disease protection.
What drives you/why is this project important to you personally?
Roger: Crop diseases affecting farm grain crops result in a loss of nearly $15 billion annually for America’s farmers. That means less money to sustain farming and less food being produced. I want to be part of the solution.
Damon: I love seeing our research make a real impact. I can show farmers these tools, then hear about the money they saved and how well the program worked. We need to develop more tools to support farmers so we can continue to feed our growing population sustainably.
What advice would you give to other campus innovators who are just starting with exploring the potential of their ideas?
Roger: Have patience, optimism, and dedication. Be personally resourceful and accept advice. Try new things you didn’t expect you could do.
Damon: Don’t give up! It is a good idea, keep pitching it until you find the right person who will listen.
How do you balance the time you must spend on your project with other work and life responsibilities?
Damon: This part is hard. I often spend my free time in the evenings and on the weekends pursuing this. I do have a supportive family, so that helps. When you are leading a startup, you do have to want to hustle and spend extra time to make a project like this work.