Members of the Farm Credit System are announcing a $1.1 million commitment to the Grand Farm Research and Education Initiative, which is located near Casselton, North Dakota. The Farm Credit participants include AgCountry Farm Credit Services (headquartered in Fargo, N.D.), CoBank (headquartered in Greenwood Village, Colo.), Compeer Financial (headquartered in Sun Prairie, Wis.) and Farm Credit Services of America (headquartered in Omaha, Neb.).
The contribution will go towards developing Grand Farm’s 140-acre Innovation Facility near Casselton. The investment in programs, which promotes ag innovation and technology to enable more efficient and productive farming, aligns with AgCountry’s mission to serve agriculture and rural America. The project hopes to have a transformative impact on the future of North Dakota and our nation’s agriculture. Additionally, in early 2022 North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum announced a $10 million matching grant to Grand Farm from the North Dakota Department of Commerce to advance agriculture technology, which will be applied in-part to match this commitment.
“As we continue to look for ways to serve farmers and ranchers, we have been impressed by Grand Farms’ vigor towards technology and innovation in agriculture,” said AgCountry President and CEO Marc Knisely. “We are excited about what the collaboration will bring to the Farm Credit System and the benefits that will accrue for farmers and ranchers.”
Grand Farm is a network of growers, technologists, corporations, startups, educators, policymakers and investors working together to solve problems in agriculture with applied technology. Grand Farms’ current focus in on serving the upper Midwest but aspires to provide solutions for agriculture worldwide.
“Grand Farm’s vision of creating an ecosystem whereby all stakeholders can come together to leverage advancements in technology and find sustainable solutions in our quest to feed a growing global population is inspiring to support. American farmers are the most innovative and productive in the world and it’s vital we continue to make foundational investments in this success,” said Preston Kranz, CoBank’s regional vice president.
