The Backstory from the North Dakota News Cooperative
The Backstory from the North Dakota News Cooperative
Podcast Description
We break down the in-depth reporting and key issues from the North Dakota News Cooperative with reporter Michael Standaert and CEO Sabrina Halvorson.
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The podcast focuses on critical issues affecting North Dakota, particularly in agriculture and tourism, with episodes exploring topics like USDA funding cuts impacting farming, the effects of trade wars on the agricultural economy, and uncertainties surrounding summer tourism prospects, emphasizing the voices of local farmers and community stakeholders.
We break down the in-depth reporting and key issues from the North Dakota News Cooperative with reporter Michael Standaert and CEO Sabrina Halvorson.
In this episode of The Backstory, Sabrina Halvorson talks with NDNC reporter Michael Standaert about Grand Farm, a 600-acre agricultural technology campus near Casselton where companies test new tools under real-world farming conditions.
Grand Farm is currently focused on technologies that could help farmers address herbicide-resistant weeds, including drones, satellite mapping, smart sprayers and small autonomous machines capable of targeting individual plants. The goal is to make the equipment reliable and easy to use before farmers are asked to adopt it.
“Most farmers don’t have the time to go try these things out themselves,” Standaert said. “A place like Grand Farm is good for getting those things tested and making sure they’re operable and easy to use.”
The work could also reduce the amount of herbicide and pesticide applied to fields by allowing farmers to target only the areas where treatment is needed. Beyond the farm, Grand Farm has helped bring agricultural technology companies to North Dakota and could contribute to new industries and career opportunities in the state.
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