By Andi Anderson
Iowa youth are gaining national attention for their leadership in agricultural innovation through the 2025 Fall National 4-H AI in Agriculture Challenge.
The program encourages young people to design artificial intelligence based solutions that address real world agricultural challenges and support farmers and food systems.
The challenge brings together youth from across the United States to apply technology in meaningful ways. Iowa participants stood out this year by earning top awards in the senior division.
Henry Zou of Johnston and a Polk County Four H member earned first place in the Ages 16 to 18 Division for his project titled DeGLS Automated Detection System for Gray Leaf Spot. A team from Johnston including David Shi Srihari Kumaresan and Syon Aggarwal earned second place for their project CropFlow.
Zou’s DeGLS system allows users to take a photo of a corn leaf and receive an immediate disease diagnosis severity level and recommended management steps. The goal of the project is to make expert crop scouting easier and more accessible for farmers and researchers while helping reduce crop losses caused by disease.
The CropFlow project focuses on helping farmers respond to climate related challenges. The AI based application analyzes soil and weather data to predict crop yields and provide useful insights that support smarter and more resilient farm management decisions.
Together these projects show how Iowa youth are applying advanced technology to agriculture in practical ways.
“AI in agriculture isn't just the future — it's the present. Our 4-H youth are proving that young people have the creativity, talent and drive to solve some of the most pressing challenges facing our world,” said Alexa Groff, Iowa 4-H STEM education specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, who also is the National 4-H AI specialist. “These students are not only learning advanced technologies; they are applying them with purpose, impact and hope for the future of food production.”
The challenge also recognized winners from other states including Pennsylvania Ohio North Carolina Florida and more across both age divisions. All submitted projects are available through an online national showcase.
Looking ahead the Spring 2026 4-H AI Challenge will focus on AI and community needs. Youth will be invited to design solutions related to agriculture public health energy education and environmental well being.
Photo Credit: gettyimages-shotbydave
Categories: Iowa, Education