Hoeven Announces $5 Million EDA Grant to Support Phase II of Grand Farm Innovation Campus

WHEATLAND, N.D. – Senator John Hoeven today announced that the Economic Development Administration (EDA) will award $5 million to support the second phase of Grand Farm’s Innovation Campus. The funding will be used to construct an Indoor AgTech Test Track, which will enable the year-round testing, validation and commercialization of agricultural equipment, autonomous systems, robotics, implements and other AgTech. Hoeven worked with the EDA to advance Grand Farm’s project and spoke with EDA Deputy Assistant Secretary Ben Page last week to secure the award’s approval. Grand Farm will also use the funding to acquire a tracked tractor and a high-clearance sprayer for use in field operations, research trials and cold-weather demonstration plots. The project is currently in the design phase, with the building expected to be 15,000 sq. ft., providing a wide area for the testing of large, full-size agricultural machinery throughout the year. Hoeven stressed that this facility and equipment will give producers confidence when investing in new autonomous technologies, as they have been proven to work in real-world conditions, ultimately strengthening the resilience of the U.S. food supply chain. The track, along with the broader phase II expansion, supports Grand Farm’s role as the National Program Manager and first proving ground under the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Proving Grounds Network for AgTech (NPG-Ag). “With this $5 million in funding and today’s groundbreaking, we’re entering a new phase in Grand Farm’s history by providing a massive expansion of facilities and equipment so its work as an AgTech proving ground can continue on a year-round basis,” said Hoeven “The Indoor Test Track will be a central piece of Grand Farm’s cold-weather testing and demonstration work, giving their partner companies the support needed to prove these technologies can operate in severe, real-world conditions. On top of that, they are building a new Field Operations Facility, have nearly quadrupled their acreage and have even more ambitious plans in the works. Today is a marker showing that North Dakota has real momentum in AgTech.” This funding comes as part of a planned $33.7 million expansion of the Innovation Campus. To date, Grand Farm has secured $12 million in funding for the initiative, including the $5 million federal grant and $7 million in state funding. In addition to the indoor track, the phase II expansion includes: The construction of a new 8,500 sq. ft. Field Operations Facility, which Hoeven helped break ground on today. Increasing the campus footprint by 450 acres, up to a total of 590 acres. The installation of the BenchBot test platform, which was developed through the cooperative agreement with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) that Hoeven worked to establish and fund. As Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee, Hoeven has secured a total of $11 million for the cooperative agreement to date. This includes $2 million of additional funding provided this year to create an ARS work site at Grand Farm. BenchBot is an autonomous, rail-based imaging system that will be used to support Grand Farm’s work as a proving ground to research weed control. Developing a Center for Electromagnetic Resilience and Autonomous Systems. Securing AGCO as an anchor tenant. The company will operate the Precision Technology Institute – North Dakota (PTI – ND) from Grand Farm. Enhancements to the existing Innovation Shop and improvements to infrastructure and accessibility across the campus. A rendering of Grand Farm’s Field Operations Facility. -###-