Southampton-based agricultural software and drone manufacturing company Agricision Inc. earned top honors in the Virginia Foundation for Agriculture, Innovation and Rural Sustainability Agricultural and Forestry Innovation Challenge.

The third annual competition, also known as the “Bull Pen,” was held during the 2024 Virginia Farm Bureau Federation Annual Convention in Hot Springs. Winners were announced Dec. 3 during the convention’s opening luncheon.

Agricision was awarded the competition’s grand prize of $10,000 in addition to $2,500 as one of five finalists.

Wilmer Stoneman, VFBF vice president of agriculture, development and innovation, described the Bull Pen as an entrepreneurial competition that aims to “encourage and facilitate agriculture and forestry entrepreneurship for the benefit of the industry and the commonwealth of Virginia.”

He added that a total of $30,000 will be awarded to all 2024 Bull Pen finalists.

Participants were asked to describe why their business proposals were innovative and, if executed, how they would benefit Virginia agriculture and forestry.

Richard Mansell of Agricision said that the “mainstream method” of spraying entire fields to manage pests is “coming at a price.” He noted that the cost for chemicals and operating equipment continues to rise, weeds are becoming more resistant to chemicals, and beneficial insects are being negatively impacted.

Founded by farmers Ken and Diana Warren, Agricision aims to provide farmers with innovative pest and crop management solutions.

“If you only have weeds and pests in 30% of the field, why not spray that 30% instead of the entire field?” Mansell said. “Agricision’s patented pest detection software and its uniquely designed agricultural drone can make this a reality.”

The software automatically identifies pests as the ScoutX2 drone flies over a field—geotagging the pests’ location in real time and sending data directly to spraying equipment.

“Currently, commercial sprayers have to wait between 48 hours and a week to get the analytics from the field to know where they need to spray,” Mansell explained. “In contrast, Agricision’s software and hardware allows real time data so that disease can be taken care of immediately before it spreads, or the winged insects can be taken care of before they move on to another part of the field.”

Agricision already has used the initial $2,500 contest prize money to begin expanding into cattle management—aiming to use its autonomous technology to help farmers find, identify, count and track their livestock in real time. They plan to use the additional $10,000 to add thermal imaging cameras to the drones, which would allow for scouting both day and night, providing immediate detection of disease or illness in a herd.

Edgewood Apiaries & Farm of Fluvanna County placed second in the Bull Pen challenge and received $5,000 for its premium, nectar-specific Virginia honey and hive-based products. The multi-generational farm also received $2,500 as a competition finalist.

Samurai Creatives of Orange County received $2,500 as the Bull Pen’s People’s Choice Award winner, as well as $2,500 for being a finalist. The company offers unique vessels and ikebana vases imported from Japan, locally grown floral arrangements, and professional development workshops.

Studley Farms in Hanover County and 10114 Pure Virginia Honey LLC in Prince George County also earned $2,500 as finalists.


With more than 135,000 members in 88 county Farm Bureaus, VFBF is Virginia’s largest farmers’ advocacy group. Farm Bureau is a non-governmental, nonpartisan, voluntary organization committed to supporting Virginia’s agriculture industry. View more convention news as it becomes available at vafb.com/convention, and follow us on social media via #VFBF24 #CultivatingConnections.
Contact Pam Wiley, vice president of communications, at 804-291-6315.