Tech Hub LIVE 2023  honored four industry leaders this week with the CropLife Ag Tech Awards of Excellence  , part of the Global Ag Tech Initiative . The awards program sheds light on some of the most important people and programs that have helped agriculture realize the full benefits of technology to improve agronomy, efficiency, and stewardship in crop production.

This year’s winners were Clark Bell, Aqua-Yield (Legacy in Ag Tech); Skip Klinefelter, Illinois (Precision Farmer of the Year); Erich Eller, ForeFront Ag Solutions (Precision Crop Advisor/Entrepreneur of the Year); and Simerjeet Virk, University of Georgia (Ag Tech Educator/Researcher of the Year).

Legacy in Ag Tech Award – Clark Bell, Aqua-Yield

Clark Bell of Aqua-Yield was presented with the Legacy in Ag Tech Award. Under his leadership, Aqua-Yield has developed a technology unlike anything else in the market, having created its own segment in the world of crop inputs. The company’s award-winning nanoliquid solutions leverage sophisticated nanoparticles to make liquid agricultural products more effective at plant absorption and dramatically increase crop-yield and profits for farmers while enhancing the sustainability of the soil.

Precision Farmer of the Year – Skip Klinefelter

Precision Farmer of the Year Skip Klinefelter is a lifetime farmer in central Illinois who entered the ag technology business with Precision Seeding Technologies. He then purchased Linco Equipment Company and merged the two companies that created Linco Precision, LLC. Skip has worked with industry leading innovators such as Precision Planting in its early days and Trimble as well as newer technology companies such as Sabanto Autonomy, LeafTech, Farmwave and Augmenta. All these technologies have either been tested, implemented or introduced on Skip’s own farm. Besides using these technologies to advance his own farming enterprise, he has always brought growers to his home farm to share these advances with anyone that has interest, either through group meetings or one-on-one consultation.

Precision Crop Advisor/Entrepreneur – Erich Eller, ForeFront Ag Solutions

The Precision Crop Advisor/Entrepreneur of the Year is Erich Eller. Erich has been involved with production agriculture for most of his life and he started ForeFront Ag Solutions with his wife Jennifer to share new ag technologies with growers to lower costs and improve yields. ForeFront Ag Solutions focuses on helping growers make informed business decisions by providing progressive, science-based data. Located in northeast Indiana, the team focuses on improving production at all points in the season to help lower costs and maximize yields.

Ag Tech Educator/Researcher of the Year Ag Tech Educator/Researcher of the Year – Simerjeet Virk, University of Georgia

Not present to receive his award in person was Simerjeet Virk with the University of Georgia, who was named Ag Tech Educator/Researcher of the Year. Assistant professor and Extension precision agriculture specialist at UGA, Simerjeet has been involved in research on ag tech in row crops since he arrived in the US in 2010 to pursue his MS at Auburn. His current research is evaluating performance of application technology on sprayers and VRT on fertilizer application equipment to improve application accuracy and placement of pesticides and nutrients.

View past winners of the CropLife Ag Tech Awards of Excellence.