Agriverse wins Rep. Tom Barrett’s 2025 Congressional App Challenge in Michigan’s Seventh District

When asked what inspired the creation of Agriverse, the students said, “The inspiration for creating this app came from each one of us coming from a lineage of farmers and understanding the struggles most farmers face on a day-to-day basis as they compete with larger farming corporations. We understand that smaller farms are often stuck using older technology and traditional methods, while larger farming corporations can use modern technology such as machinery and artificial intelligence models. As a result, smaller farms produce less, leading to less profit, making it hard for them to invest in modern equipment. Unfortunately, over time, this cycle only worsens the economic gap between the two, as smaller farms struggle to remain competitive while larger corporations continue to grow and become more efficient with greater profit margins. Because larger farms are able to grow food more efficiently, they can sell their products at lower prices. The lower price allows them to attract more consumers and expand their market dominance. Eventually, farmers who work on smaller farms can no longer compete and are forced to close their farms. This is supported by the American Farm Bureau Federation, which provides the information that from 2017 to 2024, the number of U.S. farms has decreased by 8% or 160,000. Most of these farms were smaller farms that filed for bankruptcy. 

“Our app attempts to fight this overlooked global challenge by providing farmers with not only applications that can help them with farming, but also artificial intelligence models that they have lacked. These implemented methods and advanced computer science models help not only those who try to compete in the agricultural business, but also farmers who try their best to produce healthy food, who do not know the risks of certain diseases, insects, and how their farming practices could be negatively impacting their crops. Therefore, AgriVerse is an essential tool for any harvester, even a middle-class person who has a garden in their backyard, because the app provides guidance and support for harvesting and agriculture to where the harmful factors can be limited and produce is of much higher quality.”