Brooke Bode is banking on her stock tank monitoring device to go out to pasture – and that’s a good thing – as her startup, Cattle Kettle, is bringing innovation to Nebraska’s agricultural landscape.
In 2025, Cattle Kettle won the $3,000 grand prize at the 2025 Engineering Pitch Competition in April and that same month, Bode was honored with the 2025 Student Entrepreneur Award at the 38th Annual New Venture Competition, adding to a growing list of honors for the Hershey, Nebraska native. Bode is CEO and co-founder of Cattle Kettle along with COO and actuarial science major Madelyn Craft. Together, they have presented their stock-tank monitoring device designed to keep cattle hydrated in remote pasture settings at several pitch competitions with a focus on a persistent challenge in livestock management.
“The cattle out in the feedlot really aren’t the problem,” Bode said. “The much bigger problem is the cattle out in the pasture.”
The Cattle Kettle Monitor addresses that challenge with a rugged hardware-software solution intended to automate water management in harsh field environments. The device garnered attention as one of Nebraska Innovation Studio’s inaugural Robotics Fellowship Program cohorts receiving expert advice from a panel of mentors; $2,500 to purchase supplies to build out a prototype; and access to cutting-edge tools and resources at Nebraska Innovation Studio.
Bode has spent the opportunity as a Robotics Fellow refining the Cattle Kettle Monitor for small-batch manufacturing. Using tools like robotic welding, additive manufacturing and “feels-like” prototyping, she is enhancing the durability and functionality of the device and meeting critical steps toward commercial readiness. This complements Cattle Kettle’s continued software development through the Raikes School Startup Studio, where she is part of the Honors Program and has served as Lead Teaching Assistant for two courses.
Bode’s accomplishments extend well beyond the lab. A senior mechanical engineering major with minors in computer science and business, she has secured more than $250,000 in non-dilutive funding for her Cattle Kettle. As Miss Tri-Cities 2024 and Miss Hastings 2023, Bode champions her initiative, Cultivating the Silicon Prairie, which advocates for bringing essential technology skills into agriculture education. She also co-hosts “Candid Crowns,” a podcast aimed at empowering young women through open conversation and mentorship.
Since founding Cattle Kettle in 2021, Bode continues to grow the company at its location in Nebraska Innovation Studio and also stays busy serving as an entrepreneurship ambassador and mentor for the UNL Center for Entrepreneurship doing her part to expand entrepreneurship opportunities for students and helping them network with leaders who can support their unique ideas.