Dive Brief:
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Agco Corp. plans to build a "smart farm" in North Dakota for developing sustainable agricultural practices and new technology, the farm equipment producer said Wednesday.
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The 300-acre research facility will focus primarily on precision agriculture technologies and high-value retrofit solutions, according to Agco. It is slated to anchor the Grand Farm Innovation Campus in Casselton, a tech hub for industry stakeholders.
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Appareo, an Agco subsidiary based in Fargo, will lead the test farm with agronomists, scientists, engineers and agricultural experts to conduct studies and host tours that educate farmers on sustainable and precision agriculture practices. Financial details about the project were not disclosed.
Dive Insight:
As growers look to adopt farm practices that reduce their environmental impact without compromising crop yields and quality, companies are racing to meet that demand through investments in regenerative and precision agriculture.
Industry giants such as Cargill, Nestle, PepsiCo and ADM are encouraging farmers to implement more eco-friendly farm practices through incentives and educational resources. Over the summer, John Deere acquired a maker of spray kits that can help farmers better manage chemical use on their land, underscoring the importance of precision agriculture.
In its latest project, AGCO said it will create a "truly sustainable farm" by developing and refining technologies that enhance crop production, resource usage and overall farm management. The “Smart Farm” will focus, partly, on retrofit technologies, which allow farmers to upgrade existing machinery without entirely replacing it.
Through investments in retrofit technologies, such as intelligent sensing, autonomous capabilities and data connectivity, Agco said it hopes to make sustainable farming practices more accessible and affordable to a broad range of farmers.
"AGCO is excited to build the Dakota Smart Farm and dedicate resources to developing sustainable agricultural practices and new technology," Seth Crawford, senior vice president and general manager of Agco’s precision ag and digital division, said in a statement.
"By combining the power of precision agriculture with retrofit technologies, we can enable more farmers to achieve higher productivity, profitability and sustainability,” he added.
