North Dakota Innovation Acceleration Day Lineup Announced

Grand Farm, energized by Emerging Prairie, announces an exciting lineup of speakers and demonstrations on Thursday, July 22, 2021, at the Grand Farm Innovation Site south of Fargo, North Dakota. The event will celebrate Intelligent Ag’s 10th anniversary and feature recent innovations from Bobcat Company. North Dakota Department of Commerce Commissioner James Leiman and 50 South Capital, an investment firm, will share new programs to support and accelerate innovation in North Dakota.

This event is open to the public. Starting at 11 a.m., the Bobcat innovation team at Bobcat Company will present recent innovations in advanced machine controls, remote control capabilities, and machine autonomy. Headquartered in West Fargo, Bobcat Company is a leading global manufacturer of construction, agriculture, landscaping and grounds maintenance equipment, attachments and services.

Commissioner Leiman will give an update at 12:30 p.m. on the Innovation Technology Loan Fund (LIFT), which supports technology advancement. LIFT is a loan fund established for the purpose of providing financing for commercialization of intellectual property within the State of North Dakota. Commissioner Leiman will highlight North Dakota companies making use of these loan funds to accelerate their commercialization of technologies into the marketplace. Learn more about LIFT at https://www.business.nd.gov/lift/.

Intelligent Ag, a Fargo-based company focused on cutting-edge technology upgrades for agricultural machinery, will announce an exciting new precision agriculture technology.

Partnering with Appareo, also of Fargo, Intelligent Ag made use of LIFT loan funding to accelerate this exciting new innovation.

Joe Heilman, general manager of Intelligent Ag, will debut this new technology for
agricultural sprayers at 1:30 p.m. This upgrade will help operators monitor and improve spray quality at levels not previously possible. This portion of the day’s activities will include interactive equipment demonstrations and crop plot tours showing the impacts of poor spray quality. Visit www.SprayOnTarget.com to learn more about Intelligent Ag’s announcement event and register to attend this portion of the day virtually.

To continue the theme of innovation acceleration in North Dakota, 50 South Capital will speak at 3:00 p.m. about the recently formed North Dakota Growth Fund. This fund is an exciting new multi-stage investment vehicle focused on investing in North Dakota businesses and entrepreneurs made possible by the recent enactment of H.B. 1425. 50 South Capital will share about its strategies to further accelerate innovation and entrepreneurship in North Dakota.

To conclude North Dakota Innovation Acceleration Day, Grand Farm’s Harvest Hour at 4:00 p.m. will feature remarks from U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Stuart Munsh, offer additional opportunities to learn more from the day’s speakers and celebrate Intelligent Ag’s 10th anniversary.

The North Dakota Innovation Acceleration Day is hosted at the Grand Farm Innovation Site located just south of Fargo, on I-29 at 2549 124th Ave S, Horace, North Dakota 58047. Visitors are encouraged to park in the Grand Farm designated spaces. The activities will be held in the white tent.