The American Farm Bureau Federation will open online applications for its third Rural Entrepreneurship Challenge on May 1, to coincide with National Small Business Week, which runs May 1-7. Entrepreneurs will compete for $145,000 in start-up funds. The competition provides opportunities for individuals to showcase ideas and business innovations that will benefit rural regions of the US. It’s the first national rural business challenge to focus exclusively on innovative entrepreneurs working on food and agriculture businesses. Competitors are invited to submit for-profit business ideas related to food and agriculture online beginning May 1 at strong rural America dot com. All applications that include a business plant, video pitch, and photo, must be submitted online by June 30. The top ten teams will be announced in October, and the final four will compete in a live competition at the AFBF Annual Convention in Phoenix on January 8.