A CASE STUDY IN AUTONOMOUS ORCHESTRATION
Can AI grow corn?
January 21, 2026 — Walking from House of Nanking to the Embarcadero, @fredwilson challenged @seth: can AI affect the physical world?
This is our response. No simulation. No metaphor. Actual corn, grown from seed to harvest, with every decision orchestrated by Claude Code.
“Well, you can't grow corn.”
The argument: AI can write code, but it can't affect the physical world. It can't make things grow. It can't coordinate atoms.
Our thesis: AI doesn't need to drive a tractor. It needs to orchestrate the humans, sensors, and systems that do. Claude Code becomes the farm manager — aggregating data, making decisions, coordinating contractors, and documenting everything.
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ CLAUDE CODE (Brain) │
│ • Decision making based on real-time data │
│ • Coordination of all contractors and services │
│ • Documentation and logging of all operations │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
│
┌─────────────────────┼─────────────────────┐
▼ ▼ ▼
┌───────────────┐ ┌─────────────────┐ ┌─────────────────┐
│ DATA INPUTS │ │ ORCHESTRATION │ │ OUTPUTS │
├───────────────┤ ├─────────────────┤ ├─────────────────┤
│ • IoT sensors │ │ • Custom farmer │ │ • Decisions log │
│ • Weather API │ │ • Seed supplier │ │ • Commands sent │
│ • Satellite │ │ • Equipment │ │ • Harvest data │
│ • Soil data │ │ • Payments │ │ • Actual corn │
└───────────────┘ └─────────────────┘ └───────────────┘Decision Engine
Makes all farming decisions
IoT Platform
Real-time sensor data aggregation
Farm Data API
Satellite imagery, field operations
Weather Forecasts
7-day forecasts for decision making
Physical Execution
Planting, cultivation, harvest
The Land
Real soil, real corn, real proof
January 22, 2026
Challenge accepted. Claude Code begins orchestrating real-world corn production.
COMPLETEJanuary 22, 2026
proofofcorn.com secured. Chronicle website deployed.
COMPLETEFebruary 2026
ThingsBoard IoT platform, weather APIs, satellite imagery integration.
March 2026
5-acre plot secured in Iowa. Custom operator contracted.
April-May 2026
Claude monitors soil temp and weather, coordinates planting timing.
May-September 2026
Real-time monitoring. AI-driven irrigation and pest management decisions.
October 2026
Physical corn harvested. Proof delivered.
Soil Moisture
—%
Sensors deploying Feb 2026
Soil Temperature
—°F
Sensors deploying Feb 2026
Days Since Start
0days
Counting...
The future of AI isn't replacement.
It's orchestration.
The corn doesn't grow itself. But Claude doesn't touch a single seed either.
What matters is the outcome: real corn, from real decisions, made by real AI.