A Grandfather. Two Boys. And the Stepdad Who Can't Drive a Tractor.
CropYield AI wasn't born in a boardroom. It was born at a kitchen table in Iowa, between a stepdad, two stepsons, and a problem worth solving.
There's a man in Iowa teaching two boys how to farm.
His name is Papa Randy. He's up before the sun. Pride in every row. Calloused hands and 40 years of knowing what the land needs. He's handing down something that takes a lifetime to build, the kind of knowledge that can't be googled.
His grandsons, Beckham and Maddox, are learning from the best.
I'm Dave. Their stepdad. I can't drive a tractor. I definitely can't tell you the difference between field grades by looking at them. And I couldn't tell you the local basis in Carroll County without looking it up.
But I can build technology. And I kept asking myself one question:
What happens when these boys are ready to run the business side?
Farming isn't just physical work. It's one of the most complex commodity businesses on the planet. Futures markets, USDA reports, basis levels, weather patterns, export demand, and most farmers are making those decisions with gut feel and a radio station.
The traders on the other side of every contract have teams of analysts and millions in data infrastructure.
That's not a fair fight.
I wanted something different for Beckham and Maddox. Not to replace Papa Randy, never that. But to give them every advantage when they're ready to take the wheel on the business side.
So I built it.
Dave, farmers are cheap and they don't like technology. That's a double whammy for you.
— Beckham (the honest one)
We have to design it so Papa Randy could use it. If Papa Randy can figure it out, anyone can.
— Maddox (the UX designer)
Beckham was right. Farmers are cost-conscious. And most ag-tech products feel like they were designed by someone who's never been on a farm.
So we made two promises:
Promise 1: Price it so cost is never the reason someone says no.
We originally thought $29 and $49 a month based on the feature set versus the competition. Then Beckham dropped his line about the double whammy, and we laughed, hard, and went back to the drawing board.
The Starter plan is $9/month. Pro is $19/month. And for the first 250 farmers who believe in what we're building, Lifetime Founding Member access is $199.99, one payment, forever.
One well-timed sale on 10,000 bushels can be $1,500 better than a bad one. That's 7 years of the Pro plan. For a single trade.
Promise 2: Build it so Papa Randy could use it.
Maddox set the design bar, and he set it perfectly. If Papa Randy, old school, no apps, earned every bit of his reputation the hard way, could pick it up and use it? Then anyone can.
Every screen, every feature, every alert was designed to that standard. Not to impress tech reviewers. To work for real farmers.
But here's the thing nobody talks about.
I also built this to show Beckham and Maddox something that matters more than the software:
You don't have to wait for the tools anymore.
You don't need a dev team. You don't need a Silicon Valley zip code. You don't need permission. You need a problem worth solving and the determination to figure it out.
I wanted them to see that with their own eyes.
The grandfather teaches them what no algorithm ever could.
The AI watches the market while they learn.
That's the deal.
What We Built
Daily AI Market Score
Sell. Hold. Wait. One number, every morning at 6 AM CT. Before you leave the house.
SMS Alerts in the Cab
Set your price. When it hits, your phone buzzes. Not an email. A text.
Break-Even on Every Screen
Know your number before you call the elevator. Never sell below cost.
5-Year Price History
Your break-even line drawn right on the chart. See exactly where you stand.
Your Fields, Your Weather
Carroll County. Your crops. Your soil. Not some regional average.
Morning Voice Brief
2 minutes. Your market. While you drive. Pro plan.
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Simple, Farmer-First Pricing
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