By Scout Nelson
Senator John Hoeven highlights a major step forward in agricultural innovation, as Grand Farm takes a leading role in a new national program focused on advancing farm technology. The initiative is launched by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to support the testing of precision agriculture tools in real-world conditions.
The program builds a strong partnership between Grand Farm, North Dakota State University, and the Agricultural Research Service. A total of $11 million has been secured to support this effort, helping develop research, infrastructure, and testing systems. Additional funding also supports the creation of a dedicated work site to manage operations for the national network.
This initiative, known as the National Proving Grounds for AgTech, focuses on testing new and emerging technologies used in farming. Initial work centers on weed control, with plans to expand into disease management, animal production, and water use in the future. The goal is to give farmers reliable data so they can make better decisions when investing in new tools.
Grand Farm serves as both the National Program Manager and the first testing location. It works with technology companies, research groups, and universities to manage testing activities. The organization provides facilities, equipment, and support needed to evaluate new innovations effectively.
The program allows companies to test products in real farming environments, ensuring that technologies perform well under practical conditions. This helps farmers gain confidence in new tools before adopting them on their farms.
“With Grand Farm serving as both the National Program Manager and the first proving ground for this USDA initiative, North Dakota’s technology ecosystem is front and center in efforts across the country to develop the next generation of precision ag technology,” said Senator Hoeven. “The cooperative agreement we established between Grand Farm, NDSU and ARS served as the genesis for the USDA National Proving Grounds for AgTech. When we provided an additional $2 million to establish an ARS work site at Grand Farm, USDA saw this as an opportunity to create a national network of businesses and land grant institutions, with Grand Farm managing the program. What this means for farmers is that new technologies will be tested and proven to work in real-world conditions, giving our producers certainty when they invest in the future of their operations.”
Overall, the initiative supports innovation, improves decision-making, and strengthens agriculture by ensuring new technologies are tested, trusted, and ready for farm use.
Photo Credit: usda
Categories: North Dakota, Government & Policy