CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (Feb. 17, 2026) — Founders of Frenzy Ag, Ken Paige and Chris Harbourt, joined the Innovations at Research Park podcast to speak about their innovative agricultural tech company. This episode, hosted by Tanmay Shah, explores the origins and mission of Frenzy Ag.
Discussing Frenzy Ag’s core product, Harbourt highlighted the large commercial potential of crop growth in the United States.
“When we think about all of agriculture in the U.S., for example, there’s about 300 million acres of crops that are tilled and planted every year, and 90 million of those are soybeans…so about two-thirds of the land in the U.S. that is in agriculture production is either in soybean that year or will be in soybean the following year,” Harbourt said.
When asked how EnterpriseWorks and Research Park have benefitted Frenzy Ag, Paige discussed the community they’ve built.
“We have a lab in EnterpriseWorks, and we have a full-time chemist who works in that lab. They’ve kind of been central and key to a lot of what we’re currently doing,” Paige said.
To hear the full conversation about Frenzy Ag, as well as Paige and Harbourt’s advice for other agricultural tech entrepreneurs, tune in to the Innovations at Research Park podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your preferred podcast network.
The Innovations at Research Park podcast highlights Champaign’s thriving entrepreneurial and corporate innovation culture. It is hosted by Tanmay Shah, a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumnus.
Is there something you want to know about Research Park? Do you have an idea for a guest for the show or a story we should pursue? Contact Laura Bleill at lwbleill@illinois.edu.