HORACE, N.D. — Grand Farm and Emerging Prairie will host North Dakota Innovation Acceleration Day activities at the Grand Farm Innovation Site, 2549 124th Ave. S. near Horace.
The event will kick off at 11 a.m. with the Bobcat innovation team at Bobcat Company presenting recent innovations in advanced machine controls, remote control capabilities, and machine autonomy.
At 12:30 p.m., James Leiman, North Dakota's commerce commissioner, will update attendees 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. Leiman will highlight North Dakota companies making use of these loan funds to accelerate their commercialization of technologies into the marketplace.
Intelligent Ag, a Fargo-based company focused on cutting-edge technology upgrades for agricultural machinery, is expected to announce a new precision agriculture technology. Partnering with Appareo, also of Fargo, Intelligent Ag made use of LIFT loan funding to accelerate this innovation.
At 1:30 p.m., Joe Heilman, general manager of Intelligent Ag, will debut new technology for agricultural sprayers. 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.
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At 3 p.m., a representative of 50 South Capital will speak about the recently formed North Dakota Growth Fund. This fund is a new multi-stage investment vehicle focused on investing in North Dakota businesses and entrepreneurs made possible by the recent enactment of H.B. 1425.
Grand Farm's Harvest Hour will begin at 4 p.m. with remarks from U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Stuart Munsh and a celebration of Intelligent Ag’s 10th anniversary.
The event is free and open to the public.
