By Emmy Powell
Communications Specialist

A Texas agricultural technology startup is among the top 10 semi-finalists in the 2027 Farm Bureau Ag Innovation Challenge.

Animal Deterrent Solutions, Inc. is developing an autonomous laser system to help farmers, ranchers and other agricultural operations manage nuisance birds.

The company was founded in 2023 by Harrison County Farm Bureau member Michael DeSa, Johnson County Farm Bureau member Bruce Benteman and Barrett Sydnor. The trio considered several approaches to animal deterrence before focusing on laser technology.

“We’ve settled on a few initial target markets,” DeSa said. “Those would be beef and dairy feedlot operations, high-value crops, aquaculture, parks and recreation, and golf courses. We see these as having both identifiable needs and enough commonality to ensure that our development efforts work in multiple areas.”

The company’s technology is initially focused on nuisance flocking birds that can cause significant damage and economic losses.

DeSa said existing deterrent methods become less effective over time as birds become accustomed to them.

Animal Deterrent Solutions aims to provide a solution that operations more autonomously—lowering labor costs—which also keeps birds from getting used to it.

For aquaculture operations, predatory birds can result in more than $100,000 in annual losses from fish consumed from ponds, DeSa said.

In dairy and beef feedlot operations, nuisance birds can contaminate water and feed or even consume feed intended for livestock. DeSa noted the feed losses can reach up to $55 annually per head of cattle.

Birds also damage high-value crops or eat fruit before harvest. DeSa said losses for some high-value crop operations can exceed $1,000 annually per acre.

The Animal Deterrent Solutions system uses a visible laser as its primary deterrent. A device monitors an area, and an onboard computer system uses artificial intelligence to recognize the nuisance animal it needs to identify and target. It doesn’t target humans or benign or beneficial species.

Once a nuisance bird is detected, the system directs the laser toward it.

“It is recognizing the nuisance animal we’ve directed it to recognize,” DeSa said. “And then it is applying that visible laser towards that nuisance animal in a way that is not predictable, so the birds don’t get used to it.”

The company is working with Kansas State University’s Technology Development Institute to develop the next version of the laser and move to a minimum viable product.

DeSa has a background in agricultural engineering from Texas A&M University and experience in agricultural technology. Benteman brings experience in financial services and intellectual property transfer in the animal health industry, and Sydnor has more than four decades of experience in strategic communications, market development and messaging.

DeSa said the technology could eventually be adapted to target other nuisance species and incorporate different deterrent methods.

As one of the 10 semi-finalist teams in the Ag Innovation Challenge, Animal Deterrent Solutions will compete in a virtual pitch competition for a spot in the final round.

The top four teams selected to advance from the virtual round will each receive $10,000 and compete at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The final pitch competition will be held in January in front of a live audience of Farm Bureau members and industry representatives. The winning team will receive an additional $90,000 prize for a total of $100,000. The runner-up will receive an additional prize of $15,000 for a total of $25,000.

“Farmers and ranchers count on innovation to produce the safe and sustainable food, fuel and fiber our country relies on,” AFBF President Zippy Duvall said. “Farm Bureau takes great pride in offering outstanding entrepreneurs an opportunity to showcase their technology and services that will help sow the seeds of a better, brighter future for all of agriculture.”

The Ag Innovation Challenge, now in its 13th year, is an opportunity for entrepreneurs to showcase their solutions to the challenges facing American agriculture.

More information about the contest is available at fb.org/challenge.