By Contributor,John Werner

Copyright forbes

A farm tractor sits in a field at sunset in the farm country
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There’s a lot happening in North Dakota when it comes to outfitting agriculture with new AI tools for incredible efficiencies. Now, many of the tractors that you’ll see humming along roads or hills or plains are driving themselves.

The autonomous agriculture program in Fargo and surrounding areas of North Dakota is making this a hub, the “farmer’s Silicon Valley,” where so many stakeholders come together to usher in a new age of farming.

Take a local initiative around autonomous tractor design: as a Grand Farm initiative, a North Dakota group called Emerging Prairie is testing, demoing, and promoting autonomous tractors in real farm settings in-state and beyond. Recently, a farming group called FamilyFarms bought nearly 500 of these John Deere models to farm 1.5 million acres.

In addition, local events are showcasing this kind of innovation, where the Autonomous Nation Conference, an annual Grand Farm event, was held September 11 featuring on-site autonomous-tractor demonstrations and sessions on deploying autonomy in agriculture. Events like this provide more opportunity for visitors to learn about what’s going on in North Dakota.

Other Innovations

That’s not all, either. Emerging Prairie also maintains resources showing how some of the members of Fargo Automation helped to innovate in the packaging of medical equipment, and how the founders of Construction Automation developed an AutoSaw tool that enhances construction processes.

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Opportunities for More

There’s a grant program for this kind of project – and there’s also something called the Emerging Prairie AgTech Venture Capital Fund to back new startups around farming.

“Founders have a chicken-and-egg problem: building a business costs money, but raising capital takes time and energy away from the business,” reads a resource page connected to some key data on funding. “The state of North Dakota is home to a growing community of entrepreneurs looking to make their mark in the business world. This is why North Dakota puts their money where their heart is: their people. Various funds and accelerator programs exist to energize, fund, and educate founders who are starting or growing their businesses. Entrepreneurship can be a rewarding and exciting journey, but it often requires substantial resources to get a business off the ground.”

The page also lists other programs: there’s the gener8or, an accelerator that invests in high-growth startups and uses what spokespersons call a “concierge experience” to support new companies for a combined total of more than $1.2B in follow-on financing. Homegrown Capital, located in Sioux Falls, SD, is another option.

All told, over a dozen funds are contributing to an environment where startup leader can feel they have choices to shop around projects.

Emerging Prairie’s newsletter has more information on capital summits, block parties and more – many chances for networking around a brighter future for AI-powered agriculture.

New Uses for Old Sites

A while ago, I was up in North Dakota, touring some of these places for myself. I was writing about how an autonomous tractor project has re-used an old plant where EV production had previously ground to a halt. Sometimes that process involves seeing what fits into a specific space and time, and thinking outside of the box to bring a solution to life.

In the green fields, self-driving tractors are showing us what’s possible, with the right funding and support for new ways of working, living and doing business worldwide.

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