Deadline: 10-Jan-22
The North Dakota Department of Commerce is currently accepting proposals for the Autonomous Agriculture Matching Grant program.
The intent of the grant is to encourage and support the advancement of autonomous farming by awarding a 1:1 match of funding for the deployment of an innovation facility (constructed, purchased or rented), project management for complex North Dakota-based and global autonomous agricultural concepts, and workforce initiatives to upskill the autonomous agriculture workforce with qualified professionals to ensure advanced farming techniques.
Funding Information
- Commerce seeks grant proposals with $10 million available to advance autonomous farming through innovation
- Funding is slated to be distributed in five allocation tiers up to: $1 million for project management, $500,000 for engineering and architectural design, $1.5 million for land acquisition, $5 million for construction phase I, and $2 million for construction phase II.
Criteria
Proposals will be evaluated by the following criteria:
- Automation in agriculture – How well does the proposal for agricultural automation help streamline the crop production cycle, making farming more efficient? How well does this proposal demonstrate automation?
- Precision agriculture – How well does the proposal demonstrate observation, yield, and measurement for the production cycle?
- Advancements in implements and tools – How well does the proposal advance the commercialization of automated farm implements through demonstration, tools and supporting infrastructure, e.g., the ability to automate end-to-end activities in production as well as product to market.
- Aerial integration – How well does this proposal tie into other statewide efforts such as the use of unmanned aerial systems to enhance agricultural activity?
For more information, visit https://bit.ly/3Esstpq