Grand Farm has announced its plans to build its new innovation center in the city of Casselton.
Grand Farm partners growers with research and technology to collaborate on ways to automate farming, from field sensors, connectivity and drone use.
Jake Joraanstad is CEO of Bushel, which has been involved with Grand Farm since it began a couple years ago. He says a lot of challenges lay ahead in agriculture – and no one company can fix them.
"You know, Farmer John is out in the tractor - maybe the combine during harvest. The combine is driving itself, it's been doing that since the 90s. But they've got a grain cart, and a truck. They've got to get that delivery to Tharaldson Ethanol. Today, that takes three, four, maybe five people if someone is bringing lunch. In the future, that can't take three or four or five people. It's not going to work. We can't feed the world to the tune of ten billion people with three or four people per field trying to operate and harvest. Especially as our farms get bigger, it becomes a harder challenge to solve. Our dream is that the Grand Farm puts a collaboration like that together."
Grand Farm Director Brian Carroll says the farming community of Casselton is a perfect spot for its new innovation center.