The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced the creation of a National Proving Grounds Network for AgTech to help evaluate ag technology under real-world ranching and farming conditions. The initiative was designed to test and validate tools, existing and emerging, to provide farmers and ranchers with insights when choosing technology for their operations.
Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics Dr. Scott Hutchins said, “Agricultural research in the United States has long supported the development of practical solutions that improve farm and ranch productivity while strengthening rural economies; indeed, innovation has been our competitive edge and ensured food security since the nation’s founding 250 years ago. By establishing a coordinated national research network to objectively validate new and emerging technologies, especially digital and AI-driven technologies, we are helping ensure row crop, specialty crop, and livestock producers all have access to reliable performance data for their investment decisions with a goal to accelerate adoption of AgTech innovations. Moreover, we fully expect that NPG-Ag will expand and facilitate the development and application of emerging technologies across the public and private sector to uniquely benefit U.S. agriculture.”
According to the Department, “The initiative will be spearheaded by USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS), working in coordination with other USDA research agencies. Grand Farm, a North Dakota-headquartered AgTech ecosystem and innovation testbed, will serve as the USDA’s National Program Manager, alongside land-grant universities across the country that will serve as primary research and testing partners.”
Audio Reporting by Dale Sandlin for Southeast AgNet.