Florida got semiconductors, New York energy storage, North Carolina advanced textiles, Louisiana alternative fuels, Texas got defense and aerospace, among a few.
North Dakota, beating out 179 other proposals from around the country, got advanced agriculture.
On farms across North Dakota, researchers and startups are testing autonomous equipment, precision agriculture systems and new ways to use data to boost productivity.
Behind many of those efforts is a larger federal experiment: the NSF AgTech Engine, a program designed to transform the region into a national center for agricultural technology with global reach.
When the National Science Foundation selected North Dakota two years ago as one of its 10 inaugural “tech engine” locations, the news came with little fanfare and possibly even less awareness statewide regarding the importance of the selection.
Now in its second phase in utilizing what could amount to a $160 million grant over 10 years, the ND AgTech Engine is building out advanced ag tech programs with a special focus on workforce development that connect universities, startups, industry and investors.
“Our goal is to show there are tangible outcomes and effects that you can demonstrate exactly what you’ve done and how that improves farmers’ businesses,” said Hollie Mackey, CEO of the engine.
The engine is driven by researchers at North Dakota State University, and partners with Grand Farm, the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber, and the Fargo Moorhead Economic Development Corporation.
“It’s a reflection of how NDSU is really leading the way forward in innovation in agriculture at the national level in so many ways,” U.S. Senator John Hoeven said of North Dakota being awarded the engine.
The focus, Mackey said, is to concentrate on technologies that address the biggest challenges for growers, farm producers and livestock producers.
Agronomist Michael Frank, who works as a consultant for the engine, said there’s an eagerness for growers in North Dakota to try different things since they have some of the most challenging conditions in maintaining profitability and continuing their family operations.
Engine advisory board member Josh Gelinske, a chief technology officer at NDeavor, said the mission revolves around solving local food security issues and working with producers to drive local economic development.
Project Whitewater
One program developed so far does just that.
Called Project Whitewater, the effort focused on developing a product using satellite images and weather data to create daily soil moisture maps to help farmers use precision irrigation techniques on their fields.
The project first conducted a field trial last year at a farm near Oakes, with the data being used to decide when the farmer should run his irrigator and how many inches of water on specific areas of the field.
That quickly expanded to five testing spots throughout the state and off of that, Aperture Earth, the startup, was able to leverage $3 million in venture capital funding to quickly accelerate its product.
“Now he’s all over the place,” Mackey said of Aperture Earth founder Dr. Zachary Kabelac, an MIT-educated engineer, who has started branching out to areas in the country like Nebraska where drought and water pressure issues are severe.
What was learned from the Oakes and other trials was that using the data for precision irrigation saves growers hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in irrigation costs and really improves profitability, Mackey said.
Workforce development
Another critical component of what the engine hopes to do is accelerate workforce development and foster the jobs that will be on the cutting edge for the next technology wave.
That included creating a workforce team that held community events across the state, and the creation of the AgTech Workforce Innovation and Industry Center (AGWIIC), which will be a main focus of the second phase of the engine’s work over the next few years.
“What’s really interesting to us is how we can invest in workforce development and rural economic development, where we put our money into communities, and then the money stays in a community and has a return on investment,” Mackey said.
Both direct and indirect jobs could be spurred by increased technological development in rural areas, Gelinske said, mentioning the need for field service technicians, installers, front-line support and salespeople for these future products.
Competitive edge
One of the most exciting aspects of the rollout of the 10 NSF tech engines across the country for Mackey so far has been how collaborative the leaders have been with each other, she said. Each Friday they gather virtually to talk about the shared challenges and shared ideas.
“The NSF didn’t design it this way, we’ve designed it this way,” Mackey said. “When we started, we immediately stepped in and say, we’re collaborators, not competitors, and we’re going to build this together or we’re not going to build it at all.”
And while not competing against each other, initiatives like this do compete with countries across the world also attempting to advance their own cutting-edge technology programs.
For example, since 2010 one of China’s core development policies has been a key strategic emerging industries program that has funneled money, research and expertise into developing industries.
“North Dakota is an ag powerhouse for this nation, and our farmers and ranchers compete globally, not just competing against China, but many other countries,” Hoeven said.
Mackey sees the strategic nature of what they’re building here as important for national security as well as building the next generation of great American companies.
“I think a lot of (the idea for the NSF engines) was this investment in national security, through topical areas that fit into this bucket of what we need to have a secure nation,” Mackey said.
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