Future Farmer Sept/Oct 2022

Future Farmer

A FROM THE

Story Farm

Keeping farm tradition alive while cultivating

Verna

Future

Meet The Team

MIKE

BRADY KIM

LEVI

TY GENEVA GRANT BEN JOSIAH

JENNY MEAGAN

NICK

PAUL DEVAN

TORI

KACEY

JESSICA

KODI

TARA

TOMMY

KELLEN

KELLAN

JONATHAN

JOHN

Meet the Region’s Ag Experts

Jordan Creviston

VP, Ag Officer

Greenbush, MN jordan.creviston@border.bank 218-782-4105

Niki Groshong

VP, Branch Manager Clearbrook, MN niki.groshong@border.bank 218-776-3090

Brent Olson

VP, Business Officer

Baudette, MN brent.olson@border.bank 218-634-4200

Tim Loven

President

Roseau, MN tim.loven@border.bank 218-463-3500

Brian Bertilrud

VP, Ag/Business Officer

Thief River Falls, MN brian.bertilrud@border.bank 218-683-3014

Ulrik Aaskov

Ag Officer

Roseau, MN ulrik.aaskov@border.bank 218-463-3592

Joe Ulwelling

Chief Lending Officer Roseau, MN joseph.ulwelling@border.bank 218-463-0786

Josh Smith President

Middle River, MN josh.smith@border.bank 218-222-4741

Tony McLean

President

Thief River Falls, MN tony.mclean@border.bank 218-683-3019

Derek Olson

President

Baudette, MN derek.olson@border.bank 218-634-4201

What aspects of Ag Lending do you find most enjoyable?

Jordan: I find getting to know my customers and their stories the most enjoyable. You come in each day; and it is always a new challenge or project to start and dive into. The continued growth of knowledge in the industry is quite intriguing.

Niki: Most farms are operated by family; it’s most enjoyable seeing families work hard together and get a good return for their efforts.

Brent: Hands down, it’s working with the people. Ag producers are of the highest character; they are honest, hardworking, but they like to play as hard as they work! Most of all, farmers are eternal optimists and nearly always look at things from a ‘glass half full’ perspective. I appreciate the positivity they bring to every situation.

Joe: Working with producers is very rewarding. They tend to be people that think of others; they are critical to our food supply. Their success is our food security.

Derek: The thing I enjoy the most is working with the individual people to help them strategically and effectively navigate their operation’s financial situations.

Which commodity or livestock is your favorite?

Tim: Wheat continues to be a favorite crop,  always works well in crop rotations.  Also, the view of a golden wheat field at harvest has always been a favorite view for me.

Brian: Corn, it’s an amazing crop as far as how fast it grows and the upside yield potential it gives to farmers.

Josh: I enjoy combining ryegrass because it gives my children the opportunity to join me in the driver’s seat and have them take the reins and directly contribute, which creates memories for them on the farm much like when I was their age.

Joe: Small grains – Wheat and Oats. I can recall memories as a kid in a stubble field watching or helping my grandfather and father with harvest.

Tony: I enjoy the grain side of farming the most.  I worked in High School and College on a grain farm, and harvest was always my favorite time of the year.

Do you have any livestock or crops?

Niki: I have four horses that are now just pets. At one time my husband and I had the idea to raise paints and we were up to 26 horses/foals – and we forked hay over the fence for them all winter!

Brent: Along with my dad and brother-inlaw, we help my father-in-law on his farm in Northern Minnesota. We farm 1,000 acres a season, rotating between soybeans, wheat, corn, sunflowers, etc. Being able to work with those guys and make good memories is time well spent and time I treasure. The hands on farming gives me great information and perspective as an Ag lender.

Ulrik: I grow 130 acres of crop and have 80 acres of CRP. While it isn’t considered much in farming today, it helps me stay up-to-date with farm programs, changes to Ag policy, etc.

How does Border Bank best serve the Ag Community?

Jordan: Border Bank offers flexibility with financing options, including leasing and traditional products. The Annual

Ag Conference we host helps inform customers about new trends and market conditions.

Niki: I think we serve them best just because we live where they are – where their crops are growing, and where their animals are raised.

Brent: Border Bank is blessed in the Ag industry as several of our own employees, board members, and shareholders are Ag producers.  This perspective, knowledge and understanding affords us the ability to better work with our Ag customers through the good times and the bad.  Whether it’s setting up a 5-year capital/equipment purchase plan, adjusting the annual Line of Credit due to increased input costs, sweeping out a bin or eating dinner on a tail gate – we get it, and we’re right there with you.

Tim: Our Ag Team has seasoned Ag lenders that have solutions to all agricultural operational lending needs.  Border Bank’s Ag Team consists of lenders, some who farm themselves, have years of Ag lending experience and care greatly about the operations of each Ag producer we work with.

Brian: In my opinion, Border best serves our Ag community by offering quick answers even on very complex credits. We have many options as far as financing is concerned which allows us to be flexible with our producers.

Josh: We live, work, and in many cases have grown up around agriculture, so it helps give us the background and focused perspective on the financing and support it takes to help our producers and their operations succeed.

Ulrik: We strive to serve our local community, so we have a vested interest in seeing our customers succeed. We provide traditional financing but also work closely with FSA and other loan providers to best meet the borrower’s needs.

Joe: Farming requires significant capital. Costs for land, equipment and operating have all seen significant increases in recent years. Border Bank has grown to a size, and continues to grow, so that it may facilitate the financing needs of today’s farmer.

Tony: We are large enough to serve the needs of all farm sizes, with lenders who have backgrounds in Ag that helps understand the farmers’ needs.

Derek: We best serve the Ag community by working with all types of producers.  We help everyone, from the first time farmers getting started and established, to the very large, experienced operations which have been established and around for multiple generations.  Border is open and willing to help throughout the entire life of an Ag operation.

Do you have any childhood farm memories?

Niki: As a kid we used to put up square bales every summer! I have two brothers and it was a whole family deal – my mom and dad and us three kids. Sometimes I drove the old John Deere A and tried so hard to “not pop” the clutch so the bales and my mom who was stacking on the

wagon wouldn’t go flying! Other times, I was on food service which consisted of fried egg sandwiches wrapped in wax paper and mason jars filled with water.

Josh: While we were growing up, my brother and I spent a lot of time around the farm where my dad worked so there are a lot of fond memories and lessons we learned that helped us get to where we are today. We learned from the ground up, starting with mowing the farmyard, picking rocks by hand, and hauling them with a three wheeler and trailer, walking the canola fields and spraying weeds by hand and loading scrap metal one cultivator shovel at a time.

Joe: My grandfather raised beef cattle. Every spring he would calve them out. I have memories helping him clean the barns, pull calves, and give shots. One time in particular, my grandpa took me to the pasture to get a calf that was born early. While he drove his farm truck, I sat on the tailgate waiting for his instructions. When he located the calf, he instructed me to jump from the moving vehicle and wrestle this 200 pound calf to the ground. I did exactly that and hoped and prayed my Gpa would be fast enough to fend off the calf’s mother. That was the day I learned why my Gpa always had an old broken goalie stick in the back of his farm truck. He smacked that cow right in the nose with the stick to keep her off of me.

Derek: I have a specific memory of throwing bales in a hot field one summer and the Pepsi truck stopped on the highway and a guy ran us out a 12 pack of Pepsi. We were all very thankful for the refreshing drinks.

Jordan: I personally do not have a preference but find it interesting that with customers it rarely changes; they are very brand loyal and have been for a long time.

Tim: I grew up with Massey Ferguson and Allis Chambers, they were very dependable and fun to drive. These I would select as my favorites; I still drive a few of them today.

Joe: My Gpa and dad always had green (John Deere) equipment. For no other reason, I tend to favor that color as well.

Brian: I think in the next 10 years we will start to see more autonomous farm equipment in the fields. I also think, with the positive outlook in farming, we will see more younger people either coming back to the family farms or not leaving after high school or college.

Tony: There continues to be consolidation on the family farm with farms getting larger, but the opportunity for the next generation to stay on the farm is there with today’s Ag environment and a good financial plan.

Ulrik: Globalization continues to have a larger impact on the way we farm. As global demand changes over time, we have to be able and willing to analyze the demand for our products and change accordingly. Price fluctuations in inputs and commodities can cause hardship for many borrowers without proper planning, which makes it challenging to always make the right decisions on the farm.

What are the biggest opportunities farmers have today?

Tim: Transferring family farm operations to the next generations will continue to be a very important estate planning item. Working with family members and their trusted professional advisors (tax, legal & lending) will need to be an on-going planning effort.

Brian: Labor- finding experienced help who want to put in long hours on the farm is the biggest challenge I see to growing operations. I would also say the cost of land and acquiring additional acres to growing their farms.

Josh: Agriculture has become much more globally connected than in the past. There are plenty of other factors that have made the Ag economy and commodity prices much more volatile in recent years as well. Trying to navigate that volatility (on top of the weather) has made it challenging to consistently sell your crops and livestock at premium prices.

Jordan: One of the biggest opportunities is adopting new technologies and viewing what they have to offer. Today’s technology allows us to do so much more. Price of it is up, but the rewards and cost savings are also great. Marketing applications are available to help assist selling grain and livestock. There are so many different tools we need to try and see what best fits your operation.

Brent: The greatest opportunities will come to those Ag producers who have the strongest financial support and backing.  Whether it’s effectively contracting/ marketing product, being able to pre-buy inputs, moving quickly on quality equipment or land purchases – financial flexibility is critical to a farmer’s profitability.  Having a trusted financial partner opens the door to

Farmers are loyal to brands of equipment; do you have a favorite?

Do you anticipate any major changes to the family farm in the next 10 years?

What are the biggest risks or challenges farmers face today?

A STORY FARMFROM THE

WITH VERNA KRAGNES

ByBradyDrake PhotosbyGeneva Nodland

In an agriculture world that is becoming increasingly focused on technology and automation—which, yes, is the focus of this magazine—the most important cog in the farmstead is being forgotten, the farmer.

Because of this, we want to make a concerted effort to step away from our usual scope of content and highlight some of the everyday people working to nourish our communities by shining a light on the mundane yet beautiful stories they have to tell us from their quiet lives on the farm.

In our first feature, we are highlighting Verna Kragnes, a force in Red River agriculture. Kragnes is one of the founders of New Roots Farm Incubator, a cooperative of farmers from Burundi, Congo, Bhutan and Moorhead working to help empower new Americans in finding a way to contribute towards local food production and grow their own farm enterprises She is a champion of sustainability and building bridges within the farming community. Here is her story from an average day at Prairie Rose Farm.

"WE ARE WORKING ACTIVELY FOR THE FINANCIAL VIABILITY AND FOR THE SUCCESS OF THE SMALLER-SCALE FARM. KNOWING THAT THIS IS PART OF THE WAY THAT WEWANT TO HELP—WITH THE RENEWAL OF THE COUNTRYSIDE." -VERNA KRAGNES

Kragnes poses with a row of corn planted by a Caliton Ntahompagaze, a New Roots co-op member.

The Story

Like many beginning farmers who are taking over the tumbledown infrastructure of a farmstead, we have been rehabbing buildings to our purposes. The barn on this farmstead was taken by a tornado a long time ago and was never replaced. One of the remaining buildings was actually two corn cribs that had a roof over the top and a drive-thru between them.

Fast forward to when we brought a cow-calf and a bull as the beginning of our small herd of Dexter cows to the farm, and we essentially made a little barn out of the corn cribs. We were able to put the set of three in the space in between by fencing off the ends until it was time to get them out on pasture. That was a temporary fix this spring, but as winter approaches, and since Dexters are a hardy breed, not needing much protection, we decided to use the space this winter too. The cribs had been used for storage, and as we were cleaning out the two sides of the corn cribs more thoroughly getting ready to load it with straw, we found a nest of kittens!

I just had to smile, my heart opened up with joy and I said, 'this building must now be officially called “the barn”, because we have this nest of kittens established here.' We had been talking about bringing cats onto the land and into the farm but we hadn’t done that yet. Instead, we were adopted by a mama cat that needed a place for her kittens.

In my work and my life, I try to find balance. I like the term appropriate technology. I do use technology, even on our 71-acre farm, in varying

ways. But I also remember that part of my task as a small-scale farmer is to be re-enlivening some of those homey elements that were and remain archetypally part of what makes the heart and hearth of a farm. This includes having a place for the kittens to live. And in our case, as a community-supported farm (CSA) we'll have lots of children out interested in playing with them.

There was also the special moment of finding our first pullet egg. It's been a long time since there were chickens on this land and the other day, we found the first egg. Honoring these little moments are part of bringing alive this particular farmstead again to what it represented in the past as a place that generated good healthy food for those who lived and worked here, and for those in the surrounding neighborhood. I believe that's the heart and soul of what we do as farmers—to share all that we do with others. And the fact that we find ourselves at this point where technology is replacing the human being feels to me like a real sad place to be in for rural communities. We are working actively for the financial viability and for the success of the smaller-scale farm,. Knowing that this is part of the way that we want to help—with the renewal of the countryside.

To learn more about the Prairie Rose Farm Incubator head to prairieinstitute.net and

PrairieRoots Farm is located a half mile from where Kragnes grew up.

Kragnes sits and looks at the spot in the corn crib where she found the kittens.

Did you know?

Verna Kragnes is part of the Grand Farm's Grower Advisory Board, a collection of 10 innovative growers selected to provide advice, critical feedback and recommendations to the Grand Farm management team.

The original idea for this program can be attributed to conversations between Jack Wood, one of the founders/ organizers for Growing Together (local non-profit managing a series of F/M gardens), and Verna Kragnes during the fall of 2015. Jack expressed a wish for an “economic development component” to be added to the gardens that were farmed communally by F/M area residents including many who had come to Fargo/Moorhead from other countries as refugees.

After further researching the local need, Verna found that local families owning ethnic groceries were traveling weekly to the Twin Cities to purchase produce because specific things they desired were not available currently from local markets. Verna wrote a USDA grant that provided Farm Beginnings© training to the area's beginning farmers, including many of the founding members of New Roots. Thanks to the support of many, including Partnership4Health, UM RSDP, West Central Initiative, and NPSAS, New Roots is thriving. Last year, the cooperative board voted to have a new non-profit, PRAIRIE (Prairie Rose Agricultural Institute for Research, Innovation & Education) become their fiscal sponsor and as of this summer has launched a capital campaign to co-locate with a permanent home near Prairie Rose Farm/PRAIRIE. www.prairieinstitute.net

PSAS served as a fiscal sponsor for New Roots Co-op from 2018-2021while Verna raised funds for the start-up phase. In 2021, the New Roots Co-op board voted to move this relationship to a new Minnesota nonprofit, PRAIRIE (Prairie Rose Agricultural Institute for Research, Innovation & Education), and relocate to Prairie Rose Farm, an education and demonstration LLC north of Moorhead.

A STORY FARMFROM THE

WITH SARAH LOVAS

ByBradyDrake

PhotoprovidedbyEmergingPrairie

Sarah Lovas is a part of North Dakota's very farming fabric. The Lovas family has been farming the Red River Valley for more than 93 years. As a third of the wheel that composes the Lovas Farms team, Sarah brings with her a bachelor's degree in agricultural systems management from North Dakota State University and over 18 years of experience in the agronomist field.

Because of the breadth of her experience in the industry, Sarah is armed with a unique viewpoint that is worthy of a story from the farm.

The Story

"I'm going to talk about the spring of 2020 and I'm actually going to talk about it from an agronomist standpoint, which I know sounds kind of different. But one of the things that we overlook sometimes is the human side of some of the big decisions that farmers have to make all the time and how big and impactful those decisions are. This is especially true when margins are really tight or when it's a tough year. Both of those things were definitely true in the spring of 2020. I think in my agronomy career, the spring of 2020 was one of the toughest springs that I could possibly imagine.

If you think back to the spring of 2020, the commodity prices were pretty low. So, every time that we would try to pencil something out on a spreadsheet, it was really hard to make crops look profitable. And this was coming after a couple of years of downturn in the economy. It was really tough to try to figure out how to make anything work economically. On top of that, it had been an incredibly wet year up here. And when we freeze up with wet soils, as we did in 2019, that wet soil

is still there when it thaws out in the spring. This created a very difficult planting situation.

So, everybody has got these wet saturated fields that they just can't make a seedbed out of. There was no fall work done in the fall of 2019 because they were lucky if they got the crop out. As a matter of fact, if you remember fall 2019, most of the sugar beets did not get harvested that fall. That's like a first-ever historical situation for that particular crop. Also, there was still actually lots of corn in the field in the spring of 2020 that had not been harvested from 2019. So, when we went into the situation, again, economically nothing was penciled on the spreadsheet and the planting conditions were incredibly difficult.

I can remember having so many conversations with farmers that spring, talking through the scenarios with them, trying to take the emotion out of it. Every farmer had their backs up against the wall with how their farms could go backward from any wrong decisions made. It was huge. You sit there on the phone with these guys and you talk through each field-byfield situation about how they can, how they can make good decisions. You talk through what the field looks like and what crops you think you can get planted in there, how we think we should manage that and go through all the logistics of what can work. I think there were some farmers I was working with that I gave five different fertilizer recommendations for five different crops for the same fields because they changed their minds that much based on what could get planted in that field and what should get planted in that field and what made the most economic sense to get planted in that field.

Normally, every year, a farmer starts out with a crop rotation and they follow it pretty closely. I might have one or two fields that get changed around, but to have five different cropping ideas for the same field within a two-week period—that's, that's a lot of changing. And, as I said, you try to take the emotion out of things, but, eventually, the emotional side comes out.

In the agronomy industry, sometimes we joke about being therapists, but that really is true. Sometimes we just have to sit there and listen to what that farmer is going through and what he's thinking about and how he's making decisions. And, as agronomists, we're really quite confidential. There's nothing that says that we have to be confidential about what we know about different farmers, it's just a respect thing that we have that exists.

We get to know them and their farms so well—we scout that field over and over and over again. I was in those fields every week that year and I got to see how things changed. I got to see how things grew and developed and how every farmer made and managed decisions. Every farmer is completely different from the next one. It's our job, as agronomists to understand those fields really well and how the farmer manages their farm. It's a pretty special thing. It really is. They trust you to help them make really good decisions. I personally feel every single victory that we have out there and every single thing that maybe doesn't turn out quite the way we want it to. I feel like I end up carrying that as an agronomist as much as the next guy does.

I hope that everybody that buys food at the grocery store, can gain a little bit of an

appreciation for the decisions that have to get made in those scenarios. That was one of the most challenging springs that I ever went through. It was really stressful. But now that we're finally through it, I actually think about how special it was to be a part of that situation, working with those farmers in that scenario, and having the opportunity to hopefully help them through what was really a tough time.

In addition to my perspective on the spring of 2020 as an agronomist, I'd also like to say that all of the talk about rural mental health is actually a really big deal.

You've got these farmers that have got all this pressure on their shoulders, and they're trying to make really good decisions. I think it's important for farmers to feel like it's okay to talk to someone about what's going on. It's okay to have conversations with someone and be human about what's going on. Because if you think about every decision that a farmer is making, I don't think the world truly understands what it's like to be in those shoes, making those really big decisions that are millions of dollars worth of decisions in this day and age. I think that deserves respect. If you ever worry about your neighbor, I hope that you reach out to your neighbor and make sure that they're okay.

Farms

To Be Aware Of

By Brady Drake With

xploding Topics, found at explodingtopics.com, is a trend research company that "analyzes millions of searches, conversations and mentions across the internet" to provide insights into the next big trends.

Below you will find a list of the 20 fastest-growing Agtech companies in 2022 according to Exploding Topics. Maybe you'll utilize their tech one day. Maybe you'll invest in them, but one thing is sure, knowledge is power.

1.

Twitter: @GreenLightBio1 Website: greenlightbiosciences. com

5-year search growth: 516%

Year founded: 2008

Location: Medford, MA

Funding: $340.5M (Post-IPO Equity)

Using RNA, or ribonucleic acid, improves the health of plants and GreenLight Biosciences's technology has allowed them to create quality sustainable RNA. In turn, farmers can avoid chemical pesticides in their farming processes.

"We must grow more food with the same amount of land while honoring the need and demands to replace chemical pesticides. Even as many pesticides face increasing consumer opposition—and threat of outright bans—due to environmental damage, many are losing their effectiveness.

GreenLight’s pipeline includes solutions to protect bees and stop fungal pathogens that often rot fruit like strawberries and grapes. We have a pipeline of 13 more products for human, plant, and animal health."

- From the GreenLight Biosciences website

2.

Website: rootwave.com

Awards

• EIT Food, Rising Food Stars, 2020

• FoodTech 500, 2019

• Solar Impulse, Efficient Solution, 2019

• Ptich at Palace, 2019

5-year search growth: 2900%

Year founded: 2012

Location: Kineton, UK

Funding: $9.7M (Series A)

"RootWave kills weeds using electricity to give better weed control at a lower cost whilst protecting health and helping nature restore its soils, water and biodiversity."

-From the RootWave website

• Gouden Klavertje Vier Innovation Awards, GroenTechniek, 2019, Silver

• Food Tech Innovation, Future Food Awards, 2019, Finalist

• The Disruption Index, 2019, Top 50

• Judges Choice Award, FoodBytes, London, 2019

• Innovator of the Year, Growing Business Awards, 2018, Finalist

• Machinery Farm Technology of the Year, British Farming Awards, 2018, Finalist

• Innovation Award, IET, 2017

• Farm Machinery and Equipment Innovation Award, 2017

• Agri-Innovation Den, 2017, Finalist

• Best Companies, 2021, One to Watch

3.

Facebook: /WefarmGlobal

Twitter: @wefarm

Instagram: wefarm_official Website: rootwave.com

4.

Facebook:/CombyneAgApp Twitter: @CombyneAg

Instagram: combyneag Website: welcome.combyne.ag

FarmLead's partners include:

5-year search growth: 514%

Year founded: 2015

Location: London, UK

Funding: $32M (Series A)

"Farmers join Wefarm for free and become part of a community where members support one another with knowledge, reviews, and access to inputs and markets. Wefarm is used by 2.4 million farmers to gain a better position in the global supply chains that their output drives."

-From the WeFarm website

5-year search growth: -52% Year founded: 2013

Location: Ottawa, Canada

Funding: $7.3M (Series A)

FarmLead is the creator of Combyne, a platform used for simplifying the trading of grains and crops.

• Farm Management Software - "Through Combyne Connect, producers can seamlessly flow crop inventory managed on your FMS platform into active offers on Combyne. Producers are able to flow completed deals back to your platform so that they can reconcile their contracts against their inventory and financials to stay on top of their books."

• Bin Monitoring System - "With the click of a button, producers can convert crop inventory into an active offer on Combyne. Producers can autofill offers with temperature and moisture monitored in their Bin System to show buyers an accurate, upto-date view of the grain they are interested in buying."

• Crop Quality - "Producers can share their grain quality specs (protein, foreign material, etc.) on Combyne to increase buyers’ interest in what they have to sell. We help producers seamlessly sync their grain quality information from laboratory tests, handheld devices, etc. to attach it to their crop inventory and offers on Combyne."

• Precision Ag and Environmental Stewardship - "More and more buyers are looking to contract sustainably produced crops. We want to help producers tell buyers how their crop was grown and what verified farm practices they have in place."

• Accounting Software - "With Combyne Connect, producers can avoid digging through email looking for contracts when it's time to do their finances. Producers can flow their contracts to their ag accounting tools from Combyne to match individual contracts to specific line items."

• Independent Crop Marketing Advisors - "Are you looking to more closely connect to your farmer customers to provide improved marketing services? Instead of relying on your producers to notify you via email, they can invite you to view their trade data in real-time to take more ideal positions on their behalf."

• Agricultural Accountants - "Tired of having farmers bring you shoeboxes full of paper contracts and settlements? Farmers on Combyne can keep track of their important trade documents digitally in Combyne and can choose to share them with their trusted accountants. If you use accounting software to manage your farmer's accounts, let us know! We can also integrate with common ag accounting tools."

5.

Facebook: /tracegenomics Twitter: @tracegenomics Website: tracegenomics.com

6.

Facebook: /bluwrap Twitter: @BluWrap Website: bluwrap.me

5-year search growth: -100%

Year founded: 2015

Location: Burlingame, CA

Funding: $39.7M (Convertible Note)

Trace Genomics uses DNA extraction and machine learning to provide data on soil samples.

"We help our customers understand and quantify the complexity of their soil and management practice impact as they lead the Sustainable Ag Revolution."

-From the Trace Genomics website

5-year search growth: 0%

Year founded: 2006

Location: San Francisco, CA

Funding: $12.6M (Series D)

"BluWrap provides technology and solutions that naturally extend the shelf-life of perishable proteins. It uses its patented, oxygen management techniques to create and maintain an all-natural, controlled atmosphere environment that suspends time so that fresh fish and other proteins can be transported virtually anywhere in the world without the need for ice, environmentally harmful polystyrene, or expensive airfreight. Suppliers can ship fresh protein products by ocean freight, rather than by airfreight, and still deliver a fresh, high quality product to its customers."

-From the BluWrap website

BluWrap's Proccess.

1. Fresh product harvested, processed & placed in recyclable cartons.

2. BluWrap's uniqu technology is applied to the fresh product.

3. BluWrap's patented technology protects fresh cargo by creating an all-natural, suspended atmospheric environment.

4. Product is placed in a refrigerated container and readied for transit.

5. Product and container shipped to local Port for departure.

6. The fresh product arrives at destined port of entry.

7. The product is delivered via truck freight to distribution center.

8. BluWrap's packaging & technology is removed. Product is then released to the customer—entering local distribution chain.

9. In 8-12 day, BluWrap's uniqu technology is applied to the fresh product.

7.

5-year search growth: -13%

Year founded: 2006

Location: Durham, NC

Funding: $33.8M (Series B)

8.

5-year search growth: N/A

Year founded: 2005

Location: Durham, NC

Funding: $254.9M (Series C)

"Vestaron is displacing the theory that you must sacrifice efficacy for the safety benefits of using a biological. Our biologicals work! We have developed effective biological insecticide technology derived through proprietary peptide expression and designed to be soft on beneficials and honeybees, as well as safe for fish and mammals. Beginning with the SPEAR ® brand family–providing new technology with a unique mode of action in a biological solution equal to, and often better, than the synthetic options; creating the opportunity to incorporate a new IRAC Group 32 into rotation recommendations for resistance management. The Vestaron pipeline consists of additional peptide empowered solutions, each with a different target receptor. These solutions will change the approach to integrated pest management strategies."

-From the Vestaron Corporation website

9.

Facebook: /Teriva Twitter: @terviva_inc

Awards

• 2020 Forward Fooding FoodTech 500

• 2020 THRIVE Top 50 Ag Tech & Food Tech Companies

• 2019 Forward Fooding FoodTech 500

• 2019 Mondelez International Future of Snacking Award

• 2019 Future Food Award presented by Food Innovation Australia Limited

• Forbes 25 Most Innovative Ag Tech Startups in 2018

• Forbes 25 Most Innovative Ag Tech Startups in 2017

5-year search growth: 96%

Year founded: 2010

Location: Oakland, CA

Funding: $85.6M (Series E)

"Founded in 2010, Terviva is a food and ag innovation company partnering with farmers to grow pongamia, a climate-resilient tree which produces abundant, protein- and oil-rich legumes.

Pongamia is uniquely suited to meet today’s environmental challenges. It sequesters carbon, improves soil health and water quality while growing on land where other crops can’t grow. This helps to avoid deforestation and revitalize agricultural lands and communities around the world.

After more than a decade of innovation, we’ve developed a way to harvest and transform pongamia beans into healthy and delicious food ingredients called Ponova™. From tree to plate, our transparent and equitable supply chain spans wild harvesting, non-GMO beans in India to regenerative land stewardship in Hawaii, Florida and Australia.

We believe there’s a better way to feed the world’s growing population and that local impact can drive global change." -From the TerViva website

10.

Facebook: /IndigoAgriculture Twitter: @Indigoag Instagram: indigoag Website: indigoag.com

5-year search growth: 1%

Year founded: 2014

Location: Boston, MA

Funding: $1.2B (Series F)

"Our company was built on the discovery that the microbes in and around plants have the potential to dramatically improve crop resilience in the face of stresses (including drought, heat, cold, and pathogenic bacteria, fungi, and insects) and to offer a sustainable means of improving crop yields in the face of climate change."

-From the Indigo website

The Numbers

• 8 Million Global Acre Footprint

• Around 20,000 Carbon Credits Issued

• Over 300 Global Commercial Partners

• 25 Commercial Biological Products

In 9 Countries

11.

Facebook: /augmentaagr

Twitter: @AugmentaAg

Instagram: augmenta.agriculture Website: augmenta.ag

12.

Facebook: /Apeel

Twitter: @apeelsciences

Instagram: apeel_sciences Website: apeel.com

5-year search growth: 45%

Year founded: 2016

Location: Athens, Greece

Funding: $11.2M (Series A)

Augmenta offers field analysis, fleet monitoring and analytics designed to help improve crop yield and save money.

They are present in 26 countries and 12 states. Their precision farming system includes:

• Augmenta Mantis - A realtime smart application that is "easy to install on most common setups" and is used to finetune your RX or apply VRA as you go.

• In-cabin tablet application - The in-cabin tablet application allows for real-time feedback as you drive, section by section.

• Web Portal - The web portal offers you a one-stop spot for information on plant health and application maps.

• Augmenta LiveVRA - Augmenta's wide array of propietary services which include automatic application process for the ideal rates of Nitrogen, PGR and Harvest Aid

5-year search growth: 43%

Year founded: 2012

Location: Goleta, CA

Funding: $640.1M (Series E)

Apeel Sciences applies their technology, a thin layer of edible mono and diglycerides added to the produce in order to extend the shelf life of products.

"Apeel is colorless, odorless, and tasteless on produce. Just like the cuticle “peel” on the outside of plants, Apeel’s peel is tiny. And even though the ingredient is safe to eat in much higher quantities, the amount of Apeel on the surface of produce is exceptionally low. Even if all of the produce you consumed was treated with Apeel, the contribution of monoglycerides and diglycerides to your daily dietary fat intake would equal less than 1%."

-From the Apeel website

13.

Facebook: /aeroboticsintl

Twitter: @aerobotic_intl Website: aerobotics.com

14.

Facebook: /mootral

Twitter: @mootral Instagram: m00tral Website: mootral.com

5-year search growth: -40%

Year founded: 2014

Location: Cape Town, South Africa

Funding: $27M (Series B)

Aerobotics offers analytics that can be used to ensure optimal yields. It can also be used for crop insurance purposes.

"Today, we have flown and generated insights for over one hundred million trees to help growers, investors and insurers improve their production and profitability."

-From the Aerobotics website

5-year search growth: 800%

Year founded: 2018

Location: Rolle, Switzerland

Funding: $13.5M (Seed)

Mootral is a British-Swiss AgriTech company that develops innovative carbon and antibiotic reduction solutions for companies and governments. Their signature product is Mootral Ruminant.

"Mootral Ruminant is a 100% natural feed supplement that significantly reduces methane emissions from the enteric fermentation of ruminants. It is based on a proprietary combination of garlic and citrus extract and is produced in a pellet format.

Our research shows up to 38% reduction* of enteric methane emissions under real farm conditions (in vivo). Without impacting taste or texture of milk or meat, Mootral Ruminant can also help increase yields, animal health and reduce the number of flies. Additionally, carbon credits can help (co)finance the product costs."

-From the Mootral website

15.

Facebook: /Terramera.Inc

Twitter: @terramera

Instagram: terramera

Did You Know?

Terramera has more than 300 patentes in their IP portfolio.

16.

Facebook: /Entocycle

Twitter: @Entocycle

Instagram: entocycle Website: entocycle.com

5-year search growth: -19%

Year founded: 2010

Location: Vancouver, Canada

Funding: $97.5M (Grant)

"Terramera is a global agtech leader fusing science, nature and artificial intelligence to transform how food is grown and the economics of agriculture in the next decade. With our revolutionary Actigate™ technology platform, we are committed to reducing the global synthetic pesticide load by 80% by 2030 to protect plant and human health and ensure an earth that thrives and provides for everyone."

-From the Terramera website

As part of their mission, Terramera has partnered with the UN SDSs to contribute to Goal 2 (Zero Hunger) and Goal 13 (Climate Action) and will report on their progress. They also have a partnership with their local food bank.

5-year search growth: -100%

Year founded: 2014

Location: London, UK

Funding: $11M (Series A)

Entocylce is working to aid the production of insectbased animal feed and grass. They claim that insects offer more efficient protein production and that they require less land, water and development time.

Their main product is the Entosight™ Neo their "flagship" patented protected product which is "a machine vision hardware and software package designed to improve accuracy, efficiency and productivity in large-scale black soldier fly (BSF) farms."

17.

Facebook: /ProducePay

Twitter: @ProducePay_en and @ProducePay_esl

Instagram: producepay_en and producepay_es Website: producepay.com

Their footprint includes:

• Montreal, Canada

• Salt Lake City, Utah

• San Fransisco, California

• Los Angeles, California

• Tijuana, Mexico

18.

Facebook: /infarm.wearetheinfarmers

Instagram: @infarm

Website: infarm.com

Their products include:

• Mix salad

• 24 varieties of aromatic herbs

• Mushrooms

5-year search growth: 135%

Year founded: 2014

Location: Los Angeles, CA

Funding: $342.9M (Series C)

"Our founder, Pablo Borquez Schwarzbeck is a fourthgeneration Mexican farmer. He started ProducePay with a simple goal of helping growers gain more access to capital. Today, that vision has grown into a company with a portfolio of services that are helping growers and buyers connect and trade in a more transparent way."

-From the ProducePay website

• Guadalajara, Mexico

• Colombia

• Peru

• Chile

5-year search growth: 7%

Year founded: 2013

Location: Berlin, Germany

Funding: $604.5M (Series D)

Infarm is working to build vertical farms in cities by building their hydroponic indoor farms closer to where the produce ends up.

"Our farms are 'climate machines'

They each have their own unique climate perfected for whichever crop it’s hosting.

This means we can grow anything, anywhere… which we think is pretty cool.

We’re able to watch over all our plant babies with our ‘farmer in the cloud’, which picks up-to-the-minute data about how they respond to the slightest changes in their environment.

By using this data, we constantly improve our growing recipes and grow better, tastier plants while drastically reducing our natural resource use, too."

-From the infarm.com website

19.

Facebook: /hazeltech

Twitter: @HazelTechUSA Instagram: hazeltech Website: hazeltechnologies.com

Their footprint includes:

• Hazel Datica - Which is a "Postharvest technology designed to monitor levels of temperature, humidity, ethylene and other atmospheric components for apples, avocado and other crops during transit or storage.

• Hazel CA - "Postharvest technology designed to protect apple quality during long term storage."

• Hazel 100 (Bin Sachet) - A USDA-funded, in-bin, postharvest technology primarily designed for use in apples and some stone fruit varieties to protect quality during long term storage.

• Hazel Trex - "A pre-harvest quality technology for kiwi and cherries designed to increase yield by a target of 15%.

20.

Facebook: /CIBOTechnologies Twitter: @CIBOTech Instagram: cibotechnologies Website: cibotechnologies.com

5-year search growth: 46%

Year founded: 2015 Location: Chicago, IL Funding: $87.8M (Series C)

Hazel Technologies offers products to extend the shelf-life of fresh produce.

Their USDA-funded 1-MCP technology conditions the storage atmosphere to reduce respiration rate and increase resistance to ethylene.

• Hazel Trex for Apple - "A post-harvest quality technology designed to accurately determine whether or not 1-MCP was applied to stored fruit."

• Hazel O - A postharvest technology for use with over 12+ organic produce commodities, designed to extend shelf-life by a target 30%.

• Hazel 100 (Box Sachet) - Hazel 100 is a USDA funded, in box, postharvest technology designed to extend the shelf life of 12+ fresh produce commodities by an average 40%.

5-year search growth: -59%

Year founded: 2015 Location: Saint Louis Park, MN

Funding: $67.4M (Series C)

"Built on advanced ecosystem simulation, AI, and computer vision technologies, CIBO provides powerful solutions for grower enrollment and engagement, verification and quantification of regenerative practices, and deep farmland business intelligence."

-From the CIBO Technologies website

5

Things to Winterize After Treatment

We’re already talking about winterization.

Once you’re done treating this year—which many of you likely are—it’s important to winterize your treaters, pump stands and other equipment so they’re spic, span and ready to roll for next season.

Not only will some simple cleaning and care keep your equipment in tip-top shape, but it’ll also extend the life of it and prevent costly and timeconsuming repairs down the road.

Before you store away your treating equipment, follow the steps outlined below for each piece of treating equipment. Or, click the button below to download and print them off.

#1

Leftover Treatment

To save space, pump any remaining product into 2.5-gallon jugs.

Once a month, shake the jugs for 2 minutes to prevent the separation of chemicals.

Use this product first when you start up next year.

Store all leftover product in a climate-controlled environment (between 3590° F).

treaters

On your treater…

Slide out the atomizer, then clean with a putty knife and warm water (Simple Green works great too).

For box-to-box treaters, ensure the poly-cupped auger is cleaned.

Open the access door at the base of the auger, clean out any residual seeds/ treatment.

For drum treaters, ensure the drum is cleaned. Wipe down residual treatment inside the drum.

Locate any grease points on the unit… then grease them up.

On your pump stands…

Use warm water and a cleaning agent (Simple Green again) to flush out your lines.

Recirculate the pumps with the solution to ensure everything is cleaned out. This may need to be done a few times.

Run the treater with this solution. Run it through the IP pumps, atomizer, flowmeters and chemical tree.

#4

On your conveyors…

At the base of your conveyors, clean out any residual beans/corn/ wheat.

Track and tension the conveyor belts if needed.

Grease the bearings.

Once the lines are cleaned out, run antifreeze through all of them. This will prevent any cracking due to freezing over the winter months.

Replace any worn tubing. IP pumps utilize peristaltic tubing (squeeze tubes) that may need to be replaced.

On your pump stands…

pump stands transfer pumps Conveyors

Pump water through the transfer pump. To do so, place the micromatic fitting (keg fitting) in a 5-gallon bucket of water and turn the pump on. This may need to be done a few times.

Catch your wastewater in an empty keg or bucket.

Once the lines are cleaned out, run RV antifreeze through them as well.

HOW TO CHOOSE A SEED TREATMENT

There are tons of treatment options out there—each one with a broad range of active ingredients for an even broader range of diseases and pests to control.

So how do you know which one is right for you? Take a look at a few common scenarios below, and learn about treatment options that go with them.

Powered By

I've seen pythium, phytophthora and rhizoctonia in my fields.

In the Midwest especially, soybean diseases like the pythium, phytophthora, fusarium and rhizoctonia are common. To combat these diseases, we recommend finding a seed treatment with high levels of active ingredients. Fungicides like Anchor™ (Mefenoxam®), Azoxystrobin, and Thiabendazole are extremely effective. And when used together, the protection is immense.

RECOMMENDED TREATMENTS:

N-Compass AZO Fungicide/Insecticide

• N-Compass Plus Fungicide/Insecticide

Ive seen white mold and sudden death (SDS) in my field.

Unfortunately, fields with a history of SDS have a higher risk potential of it recurring. Since the fungus remains in the root system, foliar fungicides are not effective against SDS. So to combat it and to reduce yield losses, seed treatment with high levels of active ingredients like adepidyn or fluopyram is recommended.

RECOMMENDED TREATMENTS:

N-Compass SDS/WM Fungicide/Insecticide Heads Up

• Saltro

• Ilevo

I’ve seen nematodes in my field.

The soybean cyst nematode is one of the most damaging pathogens of soybean fields in the U.S. To fight them off, it’s important to choose a broad-spectrum nematicide that you

can apply at the seed-treating level. UAS recommends BioST Nematicide 100, a product that does more than repel nematodes—it destroys them. BioST Nematicide defends seeds from the start, and stays in the root zone as the seed grows for up to 75 days.

RECOMMENDED TREATMENTS:

• N-Compass Seed Treatment Blends with Nematicide Added BioST Nematicide 100

I want to protect my seeds, but I’m on a very tight budget.

Working on a budget? UAS offers the lowest prices on all of our treatment offerings. But if your treatment budget is razor-thin, a basic fungicide-only seed treatment can still do wonders for your seeds at their most vulnerable stage of life. Our premier fungicideonly blend is high in azoxystrobin to provide substantial control of rhizoctonia, fusarium, white mold, brown spot, seeding blight and many other diseases. It’s available with BioST Nematicide and/or other biologicals added as well.

RECOMMENDED TREATMENTS:

• N-Compass AZO Fungicide-Only

Ethanol and Your Small Engines

By Hoon Ge, President , MEG Corp | Content provided by the North Dakota Corn Council

Like the family fine china set, beliefs about vehicles, equipment, and fuels are often passed down from generation to generation. Should you buy the green tractor or the red one? Do you drive a truck with the blue oval or the bowtie?

Beliefs about ethanol fuels are also often based on the beliefs of the previous generation. We often hear, “My dad told me not to use E10 (10% ethanol, 90% gasoline) in my boat/ motorcycle/snowblower” along with reasons like “it attracts water”, “it is corrosive” and “it goes bad faster”. Common misconceptions like these cause consumers to go out of their way to find “non-oxygenated” gasoline—gasoline with no ethanol added.

Ethanol is a low-cost, high-octane fuel. Adding ethanol to gasoline increases the octane while reducing

the cost of the fuel. If you’ve chosen to purchase non-oxygenated gasoline in the past, you’ve likely noticed a significant increase in price for that fuel. Ethanol is also cleaner than other octane enhancers, reducing emissions harmful to the environment and human health.

A 10 percent ethanol blend is found in more than 95 percent of gasoline sold in the U.S. today. Manufacturers build products with the proper components to run on E10. For more information on E10 approvals by marine engine, motorcycle, off-road and small engine manufacturers visit the Renewable Fuel Associations website at ethanolrfa.org/ consumers/boats-motorcycles-andsmall-engines.

Ethanol can hold more water in suspension than gasoline. This means that water that may enter the tank is less likely to drop to the

bottom and will be pulled through and out of the system as the fuel is used. While there is a lot of talk about ethanol and phase separation, it takes a lot of water for this to occur. Following proper storage and maintenance best practices will prevent this from happening.

Air is not your fuel’s friend. Water in fuel can come from condensation from the air. As temperatures get colder at night or as summer turns into fall, air can hold less water and it will condense into the fuel. Water can also enter through leaks and loose or missing caps. Air also contains oxygen. Oxygen in a fuel tank leads to oxidation, resulting in fuel degradation. Whether it contains an ethanol blend or not, gasoline will degrade if stored for extended periods without proper handling.

About MEG Corp

Hoon Ge, founder and president of MEG Corp, is a chemical engineer with 35 years in the petroleum industry including refining, additive formulation and alternative fuels.

Hoon started MEG Corp in 2005 to provide consulting services to fuel suppliers and fleet managers. As he was starting his company, biodiesel was emerging in his home state of Minnesota, and his technical expertise was called upon to provide support and education to all levels of the distribution chain and other industry stakeholders.

Prior to starting his own company, Hoon worked for several well-known companies, including Koch Refining and Schaeffer Manufacturing. While at Koch Refining for 10 years, he was responsible for blending diesel and gasoline. At Schaeffer Manufacturing, he managed the fuel additives division for 9 years.

In 2020, MEG Corp celebrates 15 years in business. With more than 90 years of combined experience in traditional and alternative fuels, MEG Corp staff has developed strong customer relationships based on industry knowledge, reliable products and services and providing unparalleled customer service.

Writeup obtained via the MEG Corp website

Facts About North Dakota’s Ethanol Industry From the North Dakota Corn Council

1. Economic Impact

The North Dakota ethanol industry contributes $623 million annually to the state’s economy. In addition, state and local tax revenues contribute more than $11 million annually.

2. Employment

North Dakota ethanol plants employ more than 230 workers directly in high-paying positions such as chemists, engineers, accountants, managers, as well as support staff. The industry also supports more than 1,000 jobs across all sectors of the economy.

3. Rural Economic Development

Each North Dakota ethanol plant is located in a community with a population of less than 2,500 and contributes an average of 46 jobs and an average annual payroll of $3.3 million to the community. In addition, the plants purchase the majority of their corn from North Dakota farmers and sell distillers grains to North Dakota livestock producers.

4. Production

The five North Dakota ethanol plants have the capacity to produce 520 million gallons of ethanol per year, which is more than five times the production a decade ago.

5. Consumption

Over the past five years total ethanol-blended fuel sales have increased by more than 16 percent. Approximately 10 percent of ethanol produced annually in North Dakota is blended with gasoline and sold within the state, while the remaining 90 percent is shipped primarily to the east or west coast.

6. Corn Use

North Dakota ethanol plants use 160-180 million bushels of corn annually with more than 80 percent of the corn purchased from North Dakota farmers. Forty to 60 percent of North Dakota’s total corn production annually is purchased by North Dakota ethanol plants.

7. Co-products

Each bushel of corn processed by North Dakota ethanol plants produces 2.8 gallons of ethanol, 18 pounds of livestock feed (dried distillers grains), 18 pounds of carbon dioxide and up to 1 pound of corn oil. North Dakota ethanol plants produce more than 1.5 million tons of dry distillers grains annually.

8. Infrastructure

North Dakota is a national leader in the establishment of biofuel infrastructure due to the ND Biofuel Blender Pump Program (2009-2013). The state was the ninth to offer E15. The number of flex fuel vehicles (FFV) in the state has increased by 250 percent from 34,630 in 2011 to 121,500 in 2015.

This information was compiled by the North Dakota Ethanol Council from sources including the Renewable Fuels Association, Growth Energy, American Coalition for Ethanol, National Corn Growers Association and North Dakota State University.

Housekeeping Best Practices

Always check your owner’s manual for fuel and storage recommendations.

During the “In-Season”, keep tanks full to prevent air in the headspace which leads to condensation and oxidation.

During the “Off-Season”, when storing equipment for an extended period, we recommend filling your tank full and sealing with an airtight cover to prevent air and evaporation. This method prevents wasting of fuel and does not add cost. Emptying the tank and fuel system is another option if there is little fuel remaining that would be wasted. If you do not completely fill or empty the tank, use a fuel stabilizer, running the engine briefly to allow the stabilizer to reach the entire fuel system.

Ethanol is a renewable fuel produced in North Dakota, using North Dakota-grown corn, supporting North Dakota families. You can save money and choose a cleaner, more renewable fuel blend simply by choosing E10 for your small engines.

Cybersecurity in the FOOD AND AGRICULTURE SUPPLY CHAIN

By Andrew Rose

TThe cybersecurity risks to the agriculture sector are well known at this point. In June, Grand Farm did something about it. They convened a group of thought leaders (industry, government, non-profit, and academia) to discuss ways that the food and agriculture supply chain can mitigate and respond to cybersecurity (and related) threats in Fargo as a bolt-on to their June cornerstone Cultivate Conference.

Author Andrew Rose

A few general tips for ag/food professionals:

Turn on multi-factor authentication (MFA) for anything that matters (bank, credit cards, etc.). This means that you get a text (or something similar) when you enter a password.

Know what the password to your internet router is and change it if it is the original password.

What devices have access to your router? What are their passwords? Change them if they are the original password.

Walk around your farm or business with your phone on. What Wi-Fi connections do you pick up? Do you recognize them?

Go to Facebook security settings and locate website/app permissions. Disable any you don’t want or don’t recognize; this is a common way Facebook pages get hijacked.

Check daily for updates on your phone and computer. They are patching holes as fast as they can, so don’t wait for the automatic update. Thieves don’t.

If it sounds too good to be true, it likely is. Be skeptical. The only free cheese is in the mousetrap. Catfishing is alive and well in the food/ag sector.

Spend a couple of hours and run a what-if scenario in which you lose your computer network without warning. Can you make payroll without records?

Report everything cyber related to ic3.gov –this is how the government can see trends develop and get ahead of the criminals.

If you meet the criteria, apply to join the IT-ISAC and their Food and Agriculture SIG.

Sign up for the Grand Farm’s newsletter –they’ll be putting blogs out on simple ways to protect your business from cyber criminals (and related threats).

Cybersecurity isn’t the only subject that the Grand Farm spotlights. See their full slate of events at grandfarm.com/events. Ag innovation like this is impossible without stellar partners (see the list at grandfarm.com/ partners)

Fargo reminds me of an old Durham + Charleston, it didn’t have the mid-western vibe I expected. The Red River added to the southern feel. If it wasn’t for you betchas instead of y’alls, I would have thought I was in the resurgent hip part of an old southern city.

Accolades to Governor Burgum and the investments he has made in both the Fargo real estate community and the innovation sector. North Dakota’s future looks bright.

Enhancing+ Convenience of Everyday Life

By Tresa Wickenheiser

+

Aaron Halik Founder/CEO, Trimyxs

About Aaron

Aaron Halik is the founder and CEO of Trimyxs. While Aaron was born in Florida, at a young age, he and his family moved to Nevis, MN. After graduating high school, Aaron was unsure where he wanted to go, but he knew he wanted to pursue engineering. He did not know where he wanted to attend college. However, that changed when Aaron toured North Dakota State University, where he felt right at home. In 2013, he moved to Fargo and has never left.

About Trimyxs

+

Aaron founded Trimyxs, a weed trimmer and edger that attaches to all major push lawn mower brands. This is the first product that Aaron has launched. However, he has many more ideas, stored in a glass jar on his nightstand.

“Our mission is to develop innovative solutions to enhance the convenience of everyday life.”

As Aaron reflects on the highs and lows of his entrepreneurial journey, he explains that some of the lowest points have been when “you put in all this work, strategy, and effort into a design and time after time it fails.” He specifically recalls when he worked on a design and prototype for the Trimyxs for about three weeks. Within the first three minutes of testing, it broke. Aaron shares that it is exhausting when you are not producing the results you would like to see.

Aaron has also overcome some challenges along the way. Starting out, Aaron struggled with funding. “You have no money to spend, so you have to wear the entrepreneur startup hat, which consists of every hat that is needed to build a business: designing, testing, marketing, website designer, advertisement, legal content, branding, assembling, speaking, networking, procurement, shipping and receiving, finance, all while balancing your full-time job and your family.”

Aaron has learned a lot from his challenges. He explains that some of the highest points in his entrepreneurial journey have been when customers reach out and praise the Trimyxs. He also loves when he runs into people that have seen his product or recognize him from online.

Aaron shares some encouraging moments, “A large corporation has interest in the Trimyxs and potentially partnering, a distributor from Australia reached out wanting to sell the product in Australia. An Amazon specialist for new and upcoming inventions reached out to us to be a selected product that they wanted to sell on Amazon. The owner of a few locally owned Ace hardware stores in Arizona reached out to express interest in selling our product. Hitting 3.5 million views on one of the TikTok videos has really helped get the word out.” After a long six years, Aaron notes that it is rejuvenating to see all of his hard work paying off.

When asked how the community can support Aaron and Trimyxs, Aaron explains that if this is a product of your interest, you can visit their website to purchase a Trimyxs of your own. He also asks that you spread the word throughout the community. “We ask that if anyone has connections to help further grow our product to please reach out to us at Trimyxs@gmail.com. We always will take feedback and recommendations to help grow the business”

“Lastly, I personally want to give back and if anyone has questions or is struggling as a startup I will provide and do my best to answer any questions that anyone has. Please feel free to reach out to me at aaronhalik@gmail. com.”

Readers can learn more about Aaron and Trimyxs by visiting their Website (trimyxs.com), Facebook (/trimyxs), Instagram (trimyxs), YouTube (trimyxs), LinkedIn and TikTok (@trimyxs).

Rising Above the Critics

By Tresa Wickenheiser

About Joshua

Dr. Joshua Riedy is the founder and CEO of Thread. Joshua was born in Hettinger, ND and was raised on a ranch near Thunder Hawk, SD. He graduated from South Dakota State University with his bachelor's of science.

Joshua’s entrepreneurial journey first began in Fargo with the “support of a robust ecosystem and the support of Microsoft TechSpark.”

About Thread

As a society, we are becoming increasingly dependent on critical infrastructure. “Thread is the leader of enterprisescale autonomous robotics for delivering precise inspection insights.”

As Joshua reflects on the highs and lows of his entrepreneurial journey, he states, “The high point of my entrepreneurial journey remains an audience with Microsoft TechSpark leadership, including Brad Smith.” This gave him the confidence to start Thread. Joshua explains that the low point of his entrepreneurial journey is, and always will be, “unfair and unnecessary criticism leveraged against me and my company.”

“There are always critics, as founders, we must rise above in order to affect positive change.”

When asked how the community can support Joshua and Thread, he states that the community should, “Advocate for those that lay it all on the line to change our world. Founding technology startups is not for the faint of heart.”

Readers can learn more about Joshua and Thread by visiting their Website (thread.one).

“Thread mines, stores, and maintains the data that digitizes our world’s critical infrastructure, which includes fuel, energy, wireless communications, and even the water we drink.”

Airial Robotics developed a disruptive technology solution for autonomous uncrewed aerial vehicles. This technology is solving industry challenges, which includes safety, performance and operational usability. Jörg explains, “We can fly in almost all weather, are the least noisy aircraft in the industry, and provide natural redundancy for ultimate safety.”

Jörg Schamuhn is the Co-Founder and CEO of Airial Robotics. Jörg grew up in Hamburg, Germany. He obtained his masters in Air and Space Technology from the University in Munich. He states, “After that, I was trained as a Fighter Pilot in Texas and from then on was sold to the United States of America.”

The mission of Airial Robotics is to “build the safest possible uncrewed aerial vehicle to help shape the uprising market of logistics, surveillance and mapping using drones.”

Airial Robotics is looking to be part of the, “transformation from experimentation which is happening since 2017 and commercialization where drone operations will bring benefits to the society and will be commercially viable for operators.” Not only this, but they would also like to help decarbonize aerial missions.

Last November, Airial Robotics applied for the LIFT program in North Dakota. From the program, they were awarded a loan which allowed them to develop their autonomous uncrewed aerial solution further. They opened up an office in Grand Forks, which is allowing them to develop relationships with local businesses.

As Jörg reflects on the highs and lows of his entrepreneurial journey, he explains that a low he endured was when they owned a company in Italy and were confronted with terminating all employees after a 12 month ownership because the employees did not “see the value in a strategy and big picture.”

Jörg states that a high in his entrepreneurial journey is, “Introducing a disruptive technology

in the RC Hobby market against all odds and against all expert opinions and changing the product in use and the complete global market within a period of three years. That being accompanied by moving from 0% global market share to about 65% global market share with a highly motivated and very strong team behind it was the best experience in my business life.”

When asked how the community can support Jörg and Airial Robotics, he explains, “Communities can help by offering projects and helping with permissions to demonstrate the viability and safety of autonomous missions. Secondly, communities can support the build up of an ecosystem by attractive education programs to create the next generation of young professionals who will run the ecosystem of autonomous operations.”

Readers can learn more about Jörg and Airial Robotics by visiting their Website (airialrobotics.com), LinkedIn and Instagram (airial_robotics).

Co-Founder/CEO, Airial Robotics

Sen. Hoeven announces partnership between NDSU, USDA and Grand Farm

By Kristin Harner, Director / Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State University

U.S. Sen. John Hoeven announced a federal appropriation that will develop a partnership between North Dakota State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service and Grand Farm around research, development, and educational opportunities in agriculture technology. This announcement occurred at an event held at NDSU.

“Grand Farm is about leveraging North Dakota’s global leadership in agriculture and the dynamic technology sector that we’ve built in our state to develop and implement the next generation of precision agriculture,” said Senator Hoeven. “That means reducing producers’ input costs, improving their yields and empowering them to continue providing the highest quality, lowest cost food supply in the world. Moreover, by building upon the intersection of agriculture and technology, North Dakota will be positioned to realize new opportunities for investment and job growth for years to come.”

“This important partnership between NDSU, Grand Farm and the USDA will provide more

opportunities for students to gain experience in a variety of agriculture technology-related careers,” said NDSU President David Cook. “I look forward to this work leading to other exciting partnerships between NDSU and the private sector.”

“This exciting project highlights North Dakota's leadership in agriculture technology and demonstrates our state's top-tier research capabilities,” said Mark Watne, president of North Dakota Farmers Union and Grand Farm board member. “We are thankful for Sen. Hoeven's leadership in making this project a reality. Grand Farm is committed to working with NDSU and USDA ARS alongside growers and industry partners to advance these technologies and make sure they are relevant and valuable to those who will ultimately use them."

Grand Farm, led by Emerging Prairie, enables technology to feed the world by bringing together stakeholders to facilitate collaboration on innovations solving some of the world’s largest challenges in agriculture technology.

NDSU Agricultural Affairs works to meet the needs of people on a local and global level by educating students with interests in agriculture, food systems and natural resources; extending NDSU information to all North Dakota citizens; and advancing scientific knowledge through innovative research.

Speakers at the press conference included U.S. Sen. John Hoeven, N.D. Rep. Michael Howe, USDA ARS deputy administrator Marlen Eve, NDSU student body president and recent Grand Farm intern Christian Walth, NDSU President David Cook, Grand Farm board member Mark Watne, and agriculture technology entrepreneur Barry Batcheller.

Left to Right

Additional coverage of the press conference is available on the following Facebook pages: Grand Farm (/thegrandfarm), NDSU College of Agriculture, Food Systems and Natural Resources (/NDSUAg) and North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station (/ NorthDakotaAgExperimentStation).

A federal appropriation will develop a partnership between NDSU, USDA ARS and Grand Farm.

Senator John Hoeven, USDA ARS Deputy Administrator Marlen Eve, NDSU President David Cook, Grand Farm board member Mark Watne, Ag technology entrepreneur Barry Batcheller and Co-founder of Grand Farm and CEO & Co-founder of Emerging Prairie Greg Tehven

By Tresa Wickenheiser

“For farmers and ranchers who are looking for a practical way to add income to their operations, LandTrust is a website that connects landowners with respectful sportsmen looking to pay for access to their land. LandTrust is a partner that helps build a valuable new income from sportsmen while keeping landowners in full control.”

As Nic reflects on the highs and lows of his entrepreneurial journey, Nic shares that a low has been when he and his cofounder broke up, just one month after launching the LandTrust website. Nic states, “This was a very painful process not only because it meant I was losing a co-founder, but it resulted in losing a very good friend.”

Some of the highs that Nic has endured throughout his entrepreneurial journey has been when Nic saw the first booking go through on LandTrust in October of 2019. He explains that it was incredible to see the five star ratings from both the landowner and sportsmen. Not only this, but Nic highlights his team and the hurdles that they have overcome. Nic shares a

story, “A high was hearing that the income from LandTrust was a big help for one of our landowners who was rebuilding a fence & a pole barn after a wildfire went through their property here in Montana.”

When asked how the community can support Nic and LandTrust, Nic states, “As we launch North Dakota, we’d appreciate you sharing LandTrust with your friends and family who either are farmers/ranchers or who are sportsmen.” LandTrust is also looking for motivated farmers and ranchers who would like to become Landowner Success Managers.

Readers can learn more about Nic and LandTrust by visiting their website (landtrust.com), Instagram (landtrust_hunt), Facebook (/landtrustinc) and LinkedIn.

Behind the Scenes of the Emerging Grower Podcast

By Tresa Wickenheiser

Teresa Wickenheiser (left) and Belle McLean (right)

About Emerging Grower

Emerging Grower is an agricultural podcast where we bring together growers and AgTech professionals to help accelerate conversations between emerging technologies in the agriculture industry.

How it Started

The idea of Emerging Grower was formed from analyzing the divide between growers and technologists. It was recognized that growers frequently listen to podcasts while doing day-to-day business. Therefore, Grand Farm found that a podcast would be a great way to help bridge the gap between growers and technologists.

Grand Farm and Emerging Prairie hired interns to work with them over the summer. These interns found the idea of a podcast to be beneficial for the agriculture community and took the project under their wing. They met for a couple of hours each week, planned who they would interview, and created a logo to represent Emerging Grower.

The name Emerging Grower is meant to signify Emerging Prairie, Grand Farm, and the ever-changing world of agriculture, especially on the grower's behalf.

Emerging Grower has several goals:

To bridge the gap between growers and AgTech professionals through authentic discussion.

Accelerate innovation in agriculture by interviewing individuals with an AgTech or grower background.

• Provide a platform for growers to give their feedback on work being done in AgTech.

Create a platform for both growers and AgTech workers to hear both perspectives on a given topic.

The designated audience for Emerging Grower are those involved with or interested in the AgTech industry, including growers, startups, corporations, ecosystem builders, government entities, research institutions, and investors.

What to Expect in a Podcast Episode:

An Interview between Growers & Agtech professionals: Each episode will contain an interview between a professional in the Agtech industry and a Grower.

Relevant Topic Discussion: The Grand Farm team will help facilitate questions/topics to assist the conversation in hopes to create in-depth discussions. Regular episodes: Grand Farm will ensure the episodes are produced on a regular cadence.

The Future of Emerging Grower

Emerging Grower will be releasing a new podcast each month featuring a new grower and technologist.

Grand Farm Partners with Heartland Forward to Bring Builders + Backers Entrepreneurship Program to North Dakota

Grand Farm has partnered with Heartland Forward to launch the Builders + Backers Idea Accelerator program in North Dakota and announced the opening of applications for 10 North Dakota residents to access up to $5,000 to help them turn ideas into potential businesses or ventures.

This program, brought to the region through Heartland Forward’s groundbreaking Community Growth Program and Toolkit (CGPT) and the first-of-its-kind Idea Accelerator program powered by Builders + Backers, is designed to make it as easy as possible for anyone to experiment with entrepreneurship. Applicants are not required to submit a business plan or have a pitch deck for their idea. The cohort of 10 builders is part of Heartland Forward’s commitment to funding and supporting 1,000 builders across the heartland by 2023.

Ross DeVol, president and CEO of Heartland Forward, recently spoke at TEDxFargo 2022 about how the heartland must embrace entrepreneurship and priorities for post-Covid regional economic development.

“Problem-solving with an entrepreneurial mindset will be key to rebuilding our postCOVID local economies, and our Community Growth Program and Toolkit has already proven to be a successful, meaningful way to accelerate the entrepreneurial thinking needed to help our communities thrive,” said Ross DeVol, president and CEO of Heartland Forward. “We’re thrilled to be bringing this program to Fargo, North Dakota as part of our commitment to support 1,000 builders across the heartland by 2023. We’re confident this next cohort of Builders will have the innovative thinking and ideas to create real change in their communities, and we look forward to seeing what they can accomplish in the months and years to come.”

“We’re excited to partner with Heartland Forward to bring this program to our region,” said Brian Carroll, Director of Grand Farm. “Encouraging and fostering ideas is critical to igniting the thinking process that will lead to new businesses. This is the type of early stage entrepreneurship we need to continue encouraging and that will ultimately result in real solutions.”

“Entrepreneurship is seeing a problem that exists and experimenting with a solution to address it,” said Donna Harris, CEO of Builders + Backers. "Millions of Americans see problems and solutions every day while driving our kids to school, shopping online or waiting on hold to speak to a doctor. And we say, 'someone should fix this or build that.' Unfortunately, that's where millions of ideas end. We're excited to partner with Heartland Forward and Grand Farm to help get 10 of these ideas in North Dakota from concept to action."

At the heart of the CGPT are the Builders + Backers four program pillars, designed to mobilize and equip Builders through:

• Idea Accelerator: This cohort-based program combines a 45-day Builder Bootcamp to teach participants how to put ideas into action, followed by 45 days of actively executing their ideas through a single experiment.

• Pebble Fund: All of the Builders are supported by a $5,000 Pebble Grant to test their ideas. Participants are mentored by Master Builders throughout the program.

• Storytelling: A comprehensive media program that curates, captures and distributes stories of Buildership™, both from within the programs and in communities everywhere. Through video, written stories,

social media and media partnerships, the program inspires people to become Builders.

• Buildership™ Workshops: Workshops and other events introduce people to the ideas of Buildership™ and demonstrate that anyone can generate creative solutions through entrepreneurial experimentation that contribute to the sustainability of communities.

The program was first piloted in Tulsa, Oklahoma and Oxford, Mississippi in the summer of 2021, and since, there have been nearly 150 builders across 11 cities.

About Heartland Forward: Heartland Forward is a nonpartisan, 501c3 organization whose mission is to improve economic performance in the center of the United States by advocating for factbased solutions to foster job creation, knowledge-based and inclusive growth and improved health outcomes. Heartland Forward conducts independent, data-driven research and programs to facilitate actionoriented discussion and impactful policy recommendations. To learn more, visit heartlandforward.org.

About Builders + Backers: Builders + Backers invests in exceptional entrepreneurs who are building globalscale ventures to power an entirely different future - one where technology creates value for many instead of capturing it for a few. Through proprietary programming, Builders + Backers also inspires and equips people to best seize the opportunities of our digital era - from experimentation and solving problems in their local communities to starting new ventures that could scale. By backing the most creative builders across the country, we can shape the digital future to be one in which more people participate and thrive.

Recon Blockage Plus to Debut at Big Iron

Intelligent Agricultural Solutions, LLC (Intelligent Ag), a leader in innovative technology solutions to help farmers get the most out of their equipment, will debut the new next-generation Recon Blockage PlusTM blockage monitor at the 2022 Big Iron show on Tuesday, September 13th. The new blockage monitor system is designed to help farmers seed right the first time by detecting blockages and reduced seed flow in real-time to prevent skips in the field while increasing yield. Attendees can visit Intelligent Ag’s booth #A12 to learn more about the technology.

The Recon Blockage Plus is the industry’s only acoustic blockage monitor system designed to use sound technology instead of optical sensors, which can get dirty and give false readings. Improving upon the last generation wireless blockage monitor (WBM), Intelligent Ag developed the Recon Blockage Plus to enhance user experience with a wired connection to the ECU for improved connectivity and the latest digital microphone technology.

“The Recon Wireless Blockage & Flow monitoring solution has been an essential piece of equipment for farmers across the U.S. and Canada for over ten years. However, Intelligent Ag is dedicated to continuous improvement, and we believe this next-generation acoustic blockage monitor will improve user experience and help farmers prevent

•

yield loss,” said Calby Beckstrand, product manager at Intelligent Ag. “We’re excited to take the new blockage monitor with us to Big Iron to showcase what it can do.”

Benefits of the acoustic blockage monitoring system include:

• Detect and alert the operator of any partial or full blockages

Adaptable to any system

Improve the value of your current air seeder

• Wired connection to the ECU for better user experience

Easy to install & flexible options for placement on equipment

• New and improved communication from ECU to iPad

Recon Blockage Plus adapts to nearly any equipment, allowing operators to monitor seed flow from inside the cab with an iPad application that alerts them to blockages in real-time. Farmers who currently use the WBM system from Intelligent Ag can purchase the upgraded ECU and harnessing parts through their local Intelligent Ag dealer.