Grand Farm lands $5M federal grant for year-round indoor AgTech test track
What's the deal? Grand Farm has won a $5 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development AdministrationDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → to build a year-round Indoor AgTech Test Track at its Innovation Campus near Casselton, North Dakota. A $1.25 million match from the North Dakota Autonomous Agriculture GrantDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → supports the project. The award coincided with the groundbreaking on Phase II of the campus.
Why now? The grant caps a multi-year effort championed by U.S. Senator John Hoeven, who in April helped designate Grand Farm as National Program Manager for the USDA National Proving Grounds Network for AgTech. The indoor facility lets Grand Farm run cold-weather testing through the winter rather than only in-season.
What's the endgame? Grand Farm tests and validates agricultural technology under real field conditions. The $33.7 million Phase II build has already added 450 acres — expanding the campus to 590 — and secured AGCO's Precision Technology InstituteDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → as anchor tenant.
The expansion: Today's groundbreaking starts an 8,500 square foot field operations facility, funded by a 2025 $7 million North Dakota Autonomous Agriculture Grant. That same grant paved a parking lot, upgraded the Innovation Shop, and installed a BenchBot autonomous imaging platform built with the USDA Agricultural Research ServiceDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →.
Why it matters: The indoor track targets a specific gap. "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," Hoeven said.
The signal: At $5 million, the grant sits in the top 10% of energy-sector grants recorded in the US. Paired with state money and private tenants, it marks North Dakota's push to anchor AgTech testing — and keep more companies putting down roots in the state.
Read more: newsdakota.com
Image credit: USDAgov
