FARGO, N.D. — Grand Farm hosted a roundtable discussion on Wednesday on the intersection of
water, agriculture, and technology, featuring Dr. Andrea Travnicek, Assistant Secretary for Water and
Science at the U.S. Department of the Interior. The event brought together regional stakeholders,
including startups, researchers, technologists, and policymakers, for a conversation about regional
water challenges and opportunities and the tools and partnerships needed to address them.
Moderated by Grand Farm Co-founder Brian Carroll, the discussion surfaced regional water issues and
the growing opportunity to harness sensor technology, public data, and artificial intelligence to drive
smarter, more responsive water management.
The conversation ranged across the water challenges facing the region, the state of public water data,
and the role technology can play in addressing both. Participants explored what public data is currently
available, what is most useful to growers and decision-makers today, and how that data landscape
could evolve to become even more valuable as collection methods and tools improve. Advances in
sensors and monitoring tools are creating new possibilities for tracking water movement and informing
decisions in real time, and the group discussed what future capabilities in water monitoring and data
collection could look like.
The Department of the Interior highlighted programs it has underway in this space, with participants
identifying particular opportunities in engagement with the U.S. Geological Survey and programs that
bring together private industry and research institutions.
“The U.S. Geological Survey continues to transform how the nation collects and shares water
information by modernizing its publicly accessible data system and working with partners to test
cutting-edge tools and approaches that make water monitoring faster, more accurate and more
efficient,” said Assistant Secretary for Water and Science Andrea Travnicek. “These advances will deliver
more timely and reliable data to enhance flood protection, better inform water supply planning, and
support the next generation of agricultural innovation, like that happening here in North Dakota.
Following the roundtable, Assistant Secretary Travnicek joined participants for a tour of the Grand Farm
Innovation Campus.
Grand Farm Co-founder Brian Carroll reflected on the significance of the gathering. “Grand Farm is
proud to bring together leaders in water science, technology, and agriculture to discuss these
important issues. Conversations like Wednesday’s are essential to ensuring continued progress built on
a foundation of good data, open access, and bold innovation.”