AI and blockchain platform turning agricultural data overload into trustworthy insight
Written by Charlie Reed, for the Tennessee Technology Advancement Consortium
Company: Agri-Smart Analytics
Founder: Dr. Michael Nattrass
Research home: Department of Agronomy and Soils | Shipley Farm
Farming technology keeps getting smarter, but the massive amounts of data it produces often leave farmers guessing. As a soil scientist, tech enthusiast, and professor, Dr. Michael Nattrass saw the problem clearly, then built a system to fix it.
His platform, AgriSmart Analytics, pairs AI-driven insights with blockchain security so farmers get real-time, actionable information that stays protected and under their control. He and his students at Tennessee Tech University are doing pilot testing with the people who would benefit most, from multigenerational family farmers and independent co-ops to large-scale producers.
“If the tool isn’t easy to use, it won’t get used,” he said. “That’s the difference between data and progress. And in agriculture, progress feeds people.”
Guided by TTAC and Tech’s Research & Economic Development office, Nattrass is refining both AgriSmart’s core technology and its user interface, advancing the proof of concept while making it practical and intuitive for the people who will use it.
For Nattrass, the ultimate goal is simple: make complex technology feel like second nature in the field.
This story was made possible with support from TTAC and Launch Tennessee.