Grand Farm broke ground Oct. 5 on the second phase of its Innovation Campus near Casselton and announced $5 million in federal funding for a year-round indoor AgTech testing facility, according to the organization’s announcement.
Grand Farm said Phase II is a projected $33.7 million investment intended to expand year-round applied research and real-world technology testing. The campus has added 450 acres, bringing its total to 590 acres, and AGCO’s Precision Technology Institute – North Dakota is its inaugural anchor tenant, according to the announcement.
The groundbreaking marks construction of an 8,500-square-foot Field Operations Facility. Grand Farm said the facility is funded through a 2025 $7 million North Dakota Autonomous Agriculture Grant and will expand testing of autonomous equipment in real field conditions.
The U.S. Economic Development Administration grant for the indoor test track is matched with $1.25 million from the North Dakota Autonomous Agriculture Grant, according to Grand Farm. The facility is planned for year-round testing and demonstrations, including cold-weather work.
Grand Farm also said grant-funded campus improvements include a paved parking lot, a low-water gravel crossing, upgraded air conditioning and audiovisual equipment at the Innovation Shop, and a BenchBot autonomous imaging platform developed with the USDA Agricultural Research Service.
The organization said it is also proposing a Center for Electromagnetic Resilience and Autonomous Systems. Phase I began in 2022; since the Innovation Shop opened in June 2024, it has hosted more than 300 events and tours and welcomed 15,000 visitors, while the campus has supported 83 field trials and 24 startup plots, according to the announcement.
