USDA launches network of ag tech proving grounds

(Illustration: USDA)

An initiative designed to test and validate existing and emerging agricultural tools under real-world farming and ranching conditions has been launched by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The start of the USDA National Proving Grounds Network for AgTech (NPG-Ag), a nationwide program, was announced by Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics Dr. Scott Hutchins.

“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,” said Hutchins. “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 agricultural technology. 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 USDA, American farmers and ranchers need confidence that new technologies will deliver tangible value on the ground, whether through lower input costs, reduced labor demands or greater efficiency.

The NPG‑Ag is expected to deliver a targeted solution to the challenge, meeting today’s demands and preparing for tomorrow’s needs. This effort was designed to accelerate the U.S. farmer’s confidence to adopt innovations that improve profitability and strengthen the long-term resilience and competitiveness of American agriculture.

NPG-Ag is also expected to provide farmers with trusted, data-driven information on technology performance and economic return, helping reduce investment risk and support more informed decisions. Moreover, the network will support the collaborative development of emerging technologies so that U.S. farmers and ranchers are the first to benefit.

A scene from Grand Farm’s Autonomous Nation conference in 2025. The annual event in North Dakota was developed to bring together policymakers, industry leaders, startup teams, researchers and innovators who are exploring applications for autonomy for agriculture and related sectors. (Photo: Emerging Prairie/Grand Farm)

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 ag tech 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.

“ARS has long played a vital role in driving productivity gains and strengthening the global competitiveness of U.S. agriculture by delivering scientific solutions to our nation’s most pressing agricultural challenges,” said ARS Administrator Joon Park. “ARS has established a new director of digital agriculture to position the agency for the AI and digital agriculture era — and to support the responsible adoption of novel innovations. This position will help empower our scientists, programs, and external partners to develop, adopt, evaluate, and deploy emerging technologies that enhance public–private innovation and accelerate the research-to-farmer pipeline. As the lead for USDA’s NPG-AgTech, ARS remains firmly committed to ensuring that emerging technologies are rigorously evaluated through a transparent, science-based process supporting their adoption.”

When the request for products is opened to the public, agricultural technology companies will be invited and encouraged to enroll commercial and pre-commercial products with Grand Farm for testing and evaluation under real-world production conditions. Companies with pre-commercial entries may also engage with testing under non-disclosure terms and work with research partners (such as the USDA or Land Grantss) to refine and improve their technologies based on field performance.

The Grand Farm team will serve as the focal point for technology company engagement and entry fees may be used to help offset the cost of testing, analysis and reporting.

Grand Farm traces its roots back to 2017, when entrepreneur Barry Batcheller challenged the region to define a specialty that could attract innovation and new business. The answer was agriculture technology. With leadership from the Emerging Prairie organization and local support, a vision gained momentum.

The Grand Farm Test Site was launched in 2019, and a few years later North Dakota Legislature and Department of Commerce gave a $10 million grant to help build the Grand Farm Innovation Campus near Casselton, N.D. Since then, the campus has become a hub for field trials, research, demonstrations, events and collaboration across the ag tech ecosystem.

Today, Grand Farm is a network of more than 2,900 organizations that work to solve problems in agriculture through technology and innovation.