Lt. Gov. Tammy Miller today announced that AGCO, a global leader in agricultural machinery and precision ag technology, will be an anchor tenant for the Grand Farm Innovation Campus near Casselton.
Duluth, Georgia-based AGCO plans to build a 300-acre operation dubbed Dakota Smart Farm at Grand Farm. The initiative aims to develop innovative farming practices to create a sustainable farm, focusing on precision ag technologies and retrofit solutions for existing machinery.
Fargo-based Appareo Systems, which is owned by AGCO, will lead the Dakota Smart Farm with a team of agronomists, scientists, engineers and ag experts who will conduct agronomy studies and host tours to educate farmers on sustainable and precision ag farming practices. Among those attending today’s announcement was Seth Crawford, AGCO’s senior vice president and general manager, Precision Ag and Digital.
“The Dakota Smart Farm will further cement North Dakota’s reputation as a global leader in cutting-edge ag technology, as AGCO brings its considerable expertise and strong track record of innovation to Grand Farm to create the farm of the future,” Miller said. “We’re grateful for the company’s investment in our state and excited for its potential to help our farmers improve their productivity and profitability while also helping to address our workforce shortage through autonomous technology.”
Miller served as a founding member of Grand Farm’s steering committee prior to joining state government as chief operating officer in April 2020 and being appointed lieutenant governor last December. Two weeks ago, she joined Grand Farm officials in Fargo to announce that Grand Farm had reached its Phase I fundraising goal, raising over $15.1 million. In February 2022, the state announced a $10 million matching grant to support the Grand Farm Education and Research Initiative, as recommended in Gov. Doug Burgum’s Accelerate ND plan and approved by the legislature.