June 12th, 2025 // 8 am – 5 pm

Fargo Civic Center // Fargo, ND

 TICKETS

The conference where
  • technology
  • and agriculture
collide.

JUNE 12TH, 2025 | 8 AM - 5 PM

ABOUT

Cultivate Conference 2025 brings AgTech innovators together to explore the most pressing challenges in agriculture and the technologies being developed to solve them. This year, Cultivate will focus on insights from the Regional Agriculture Pain Point Report (RAPPR), highlighting industry-wide challenges and opportunities for innovation.

Attendees will gain practical insights, connect with key players in the Grand Farm’s AgTech ecosystem, and participate in discussions that shape the future of agriculture technology. With expert-led keynotes, solution-driven breakout sessions, and high-impact networking, Cultivate provides a platform to drive meaningful progress in the industry.

Conference Goals

  1. Create Feedback Loops Between Industry and Innovation: Ensure AgTech solutions are informed by real-world challenges through insights from the Regional Agriculture Pain Point Report.
  2. Facilitate Meaningful Industry Connections: Bring together our diverse ecosystem of industry innovators to create partnerships that drive real solutions.
  3. Support Technology Validation & Commercialization: Provide a platform for emerging AgTech innovations to gain industry feedback and visibility.
  4. Advance Discussions on AgTech Adoption: Address challenges like connectivity, affordability, and data security that impact technology implementation in agriculture.

Key Focus Areas

  • Industry Challenges & Solutions: Sessions, workshops, and discussions will center on the Regional Agriculture Pain Point Report, offering insights into:
    • Pest Management: Strategies to combat herbicide resistance and improve control methods.
    • Equipment & Automation: Innovations in autonomy, cost reduction, and system connectivity.
    • Soil Health & Carbon Markets: Exploring sustainability incentives and long-term soil impact.
    • AI in Agriculture: Practical applications for machine learning, robotics, and predictive analytics.
    • Site-Specific Crop Management (S-SCM): Yield projection tools and data-driven agronomy.
  • Targeted Workshops & Discussions: Interactive sessions will bring together our diverse ecosystem to collaborate on real-world solutions.
  • Networking & Partnership Opportunities: Designed to foster connections between startups, corporations, investors, researchers & educators, growers, and policymakers, Cultivate is where ideas turn into action.

2025 SPEAKERS

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Brian Hefty
Hiro Iwanaga

CEO and Co-Founder,

TalusAg

David Postill

MAINSTAGE SPEAKERS + PANELISTS

Aman Anand

Senior Manager of Digital and Agronomic Collaboration, Nutrien Ag Solutions

Pete Nelson

President &

Executive Director,

AgLaunch

Gregg Muehler

CEO,

Muehler Farms

Anne Schwegerl
Piet Van Bedaf

STARTUP PITCHES

Wyatt Arnold

Cofounder and CEO,

Prospect Ag

Brandon Chi

Cofounder and CEO,

Crop Diagnostix

Kathleen Glass

VP of Marketing,

AquaSpy

Sarah Hinkley
Charles Smith

Founder and CEO,

IMIO

AFTERNOON WORKSHOP HOSTS + PANELISTS

Maureen Ballatori
Founder and CEO, Agency 29
Adrian Battiston
Principal, Product Creation,
Zach Bonefas
Autonomous Technology Leader, John Deere
Kyle Courtney
Grower, Courtney Farms, and CEO, RentEase
Jennifer Edney

President and CEO,

Edney Distributing

Joel Kaczynski
Ag Technology Solutions Manager,
Dr. Carlos Pires
Extension Soil Health Specialist,
Kris Poulson
CEO,
Bridgette Readel
Ag Director,
Chris Sherman
Principal Owner,
Ehsan Soltan
Founder and CEO,
Brent Wiesenburger
Director of Ag Technology Services,

AGENDA

8:00 am — Coffee and Registration

9:00 am — Welcome with Andrew Jason, Grand Farm, and Camille Grade, MyAgData

9:05 am — Regional Agriculture Pain Point Report Overview

9:15 am — Brian Hefty, CEO of Hefty Seed Company: “Soil Health: It’s Not Just No-Till & Cover Crops”

9:30 am — Dr. Hollie Mackey, NSF AgTech Engine in North Dakota

9:50 am — Startup Pitches

9:45 am — Startup Pitches

10:15 am — Break

10:45 am — Aman Anand, Senior Manager of Digital and Agronomic Collaboration, Nutrien Ag Solutions

10:55 am — Pete Nelson, President & Executive Director of AgLaunch: “AgLaunch’s Farmer-Focused VC Model and Launch into the Upper Midwest”

11:05 am — Startup Pitches

11:25 am — Hiro Iwanaga, TalusAg

12:00 pm — Lunch

1:00 pm — David Postill, SVP of AGI Digital and Global Marketing, AGI

1:15 pm — Grower Feedback Panel

2:00 pm — Workshop Session #1

  • Managing Crop Pests of Today, Tomorrow, & Beyond
  • The Future of Ag Equipment: Addressing Industry Challenges with AI, Digitization, and Smart Engineering
  • Digging Deeper: Understanding Challenges and Solutions in Soil Health & Management
  • Where Does Precision Agriculture Go From Here?

3:15 pm — Workshop Session #2

  • Managing Crop Pests of Today, Tomorrow, & Beyond
  • The Future of Ag Equipment: Addressing Industry Challenges with AI, Digitization, and Smart Engineering
  • Digging Deeper: Understanding Challenges and Solutions in Soil Health & Management
  • Where Does Precision Agriculture Go From Here?

4:00 pm — Happy Hour sponsored by Agency 29 and Skull, Diamond, and Heart Capital

WHO SHOULD ATTEND CULTIVATE?

  • Startups & Entrepreneurs: Understand industry challenges firsthand, connect with investors, and showcase your solutions to potential partners.
  • Corporations & Industry Leaders: Gain insights into emerging AgTech trends and engage with innovators shaping the future of agriculture.
  • Researchers & Educators: Explore how academic research translates into industry-ready solutions and find potential collaborators.
  • Investors: Discover promising AgTech startups backed by real market demand.
  • Policymakers & Government Leaders: Learn about policy gaps in AgTech adoption and opportunities for public-private collaboration.
  • Growers: Gain further knowledge about the technologies being developed to address industry challenges, as well as opportunities to provide direct feedback to innovators.

COMPANIES ATTENDING CULTIVATE 2025

HOTEL + TRAVEL

Nearby Airports

Downtown Fargo Hotels

Casselton Hotels

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

Cultivate is part of AgTech Week, an agriculture and technology focused week hosted by a group of dedicated organizations in Fargo, North Dakota. This week provides a unique opportunity to showcase the region’s commitment to agriculture, technology and innovation by bringing together the AgTech industry. By doing this, we hope to accelerate the adoption of technology and solve challenges in agriculture.

Events include customer events, farm tours, technology/product showcases, happy hours, investor and reverse pitch sessions and policymaker meetups with entrepreneurs. By getting the community to rally, we know that we are stronger together and showcase our wonderful community.

Questions?

If you are interested in getting involved, email Andrew Jason. Media inquiries can be directed to Matt Wendel.