A Washington state software company was named Entrepreneur of the Year at the American Farm Bureau Federation Virtual Annual Convention. Micheal Clements shares how the contest will help the company serve farmers.

Clements: Farm Bureau Wednesday announced Harvust, a Washington state software company, as the winner of the Ag Innovation Challenge. The company received a total of $50,000 in prize money to help grow the business. Harvust CEO and cofounder James Christopher Hall says the contest offers more than the title of Entrepreneur of the Year.

Hall: Well, it feels like a real accomplishment. We’ve had the opportunity to work with a lot of good folks through the competition process. So, it’s been a richly rewarding and learning experience and the pride and the title of Entrepreneur of the Year is kind of the cherry on top. Huge thankyou to the Farm Bureau staff who have helped shepherd us and the judges and mentors as well provoking us to really think more about our business.

Clements: Hall says Harvust is a human resources app for farms.

Hall: So, we help farms with the most critical HR tasks, like hiring new employees, doing their safety training, and keeping everyone on the farm on the same page. And we do that in a way that ‘s simple, that’s fast, that’s organized and that’s accessible to everyone on the farm.

Clements: The challenge is sponsored by Farm Credit, Bayer Crop Science, Farm Bureau Bank, Farm Bureau Financial Service, FMC Corporation and John Deere. With their support, Hall says the competition helps rural businesses become better.

Hall: When you go through the competition, the judges ask you a lot of questions, the application process asks you a lot of questions and it forces you to really think deeply about your business, what you offer to farmers in America, and where you want to go from there. And then you, of course, have the judges and mentors who are available to help you as well, and the promotional aspect from being in the competition has already helped us as we are looking to expand into states all across the country.

Clements: Find complete results from the competition at www.fb.org. Micheal Clements, Washington.