Grand Farm puts the farmer at the heart of everything. We recognize that if we’re not solving growers' real problems, then we’re wasting our time. The industry has to be producing solutions that will be adopted by growers and this means that those innovations must be easy to implement, increase yield and productivity, and, probably most important, be profitable.
But what are those pain points growers face every day?
That’s what we hope to identify through these Grower Roundtables. By bringing together growers with industry, Grand Farm will lead a discussion around pain points facing growers in specific topics. For instance, in one month, we’ll talk about problems facing growers in regards to crop and soil management.
How this will work is we’ll bring growers and industry together, have a group discussion on scoping out the project and then break everybody up into groups for facilitated discussions. These discussions will be led by a group leader who will track pain points. The groups will then come back together, discuss the pain points identified and document the biggest problems. Those pain points will then be put in a report, shared with industry and media, and used to guide the direction of Grand Farm.
Upcoming Events
Topic: Farm of the Future Design
As agriculture changes, so too does the needs of the farm. The Farm of the Future will be high tech and needs will range from strong connectivity to how autonomous vehicles are incorporated into the farm to how sustainable practices are built into the operations. As this change begins, what do growers want to see out of the Farm of the Future and how can industry begin to address these pain points?
Topic: Labor Shortage & Skills Gap
According to the U.S. Census of Agriculture, almost 70 percent of growers are over the age of 45 and almost 30 percent are over the age of 65. Over the next 10 years, there’s going to be a great transfer of knowledge that needs to take place in order for the next generation of growers to succeed. However, simply put, there’s not enough people going into agriculture. What problems is this creating on the farm and how can the industry start to think through this shortage?
Topic: Crop & Soil Management
Because of the fertile soil in our region, North Dakota has been a leader in agriculture but as growers are expected to produce more with less, how can we be good stewards of our crop and soil? The need to properly manage what’s in the ground is going to increase. From new technology like sensors and soil analytic trackers to new varieties of seeds, advances are being made but what problems are growers facing right now and what do they want to see out of industry to properly manage our crops and soils?
Topic: Autonomous Systems
What was once a fledgling industry for hobbyists a decade ago has become an essential part of agriculture and North Dakota is a leader in drone and autonomous technology. Drones and unmanned aerial systems are widely incorporated today and more use cases are being developed everyday. As we’re at the advent of wide-spread adoption of autonomous systems, how can this technology address our growers pain points?
Topic: Sustainable Practices
Everybody recognizes that sustainable practices are essential to the future of agriculture. However, what does being sustainable even mean? From the FDA to the regular consumer, everybody has a different definition of this buzzword. How are growers incorporating sustainable practices into their operations? Is it affordable to use fully sustainable practices? What do growers want industry to know as the shift to sustainable agriculture increases? All this will be discussed as we look toward identifying the pain points with sustainable practices.
Host Your Event at Grand Farm!
Interested in using the test site as a venue for your upcoming event? Get in touch with us, and we'll make it happen.
