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// OCTOBER 2019
COVER STORY
FEATURES | SPONSORED CONTENT
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How Can Advantage Acre Solve My Problems On My Farm?
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Cybersecurity: You Can’t Afford To Ignore It
FEATURES | ADDITIONAL
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Cultivating the Future of Agriculture
Ahead of Emerging Prairie’s Cultivate Conference on Thursday, Nov. 14, Fargo INC talks with many of the speakers about how the midwest is rising to solve one of the biggest problems to face humanity: How will we feed 10 billion people by 2050?
Features with... 42 William Aderholdt & Brian Carroll / Grand Farm 47 Brian Dawson / HarvestPort 53 Steven Brockshus / Farmland Finder 57 Joel Harris / Ag Startup Engine 60 Spencer Stensrude / AgVentures Alliance 62 Dr. Xin (Rex) Sun / NDSU Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering 67 Carter Malloy / AcreTrader Inc 71 Noel Anderson / John Deere
OCTOBER 2019
Broadband For All
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Skaurud Grain Farms Legacy Shines in the Land, Business and Technology
Last month, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai spoke to a crowd at Grand Farm about how reliable broadband for all will help take the farm into the 21st century.
The story of one farm and how they're taking advantage of the ag-tech growth.
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Thoughts From the Farm
75 Christina Connelly / Canadian Consulate
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Ladyboss of the Month: Nicole Turchin
80 Jay McEntire / Arva Intelligence Corp.
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Two Big Recent Changes at the U.S. Patent and Trade Office
82 Elaine Shuang Qiu / Plug and Play
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Book excerpt: "A Guide To Servant Leadership" by Erik Hatch
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Your hardest working employee is Google
94 Sanjeev Krishnan / S2G Ventures
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Marketing Corner
99 Colin Steen / Syngenta Ventures
140
How can I assess the performance of my business?
142
Using Opportunity Zones to Strengthen our Communities
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Business Events Calendar
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Gracious Givers: Laney's & Catalyst
86 Mark Watne / ND Farmer's Union 90 Ranveer Chandra / FarmBeats & Microsoft
104 Chris Abbott / CGC Ventures 108 Howard A. Dahl / Farm QA & Amity Technology
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All our stories in one place
Business events calendar
Read all the past issues
Extra video content
editor's note
Farming in Space?
How technology developed in the midwest can solve the world’s biggest problems
L
ast month, Ajit Pai, the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, came to the future site of Grand Farm in Horace, N.D. This 40acre plot south of Fargo aims to create the first fully automated farm and be a testing ground for new ag-tech. During that visit, Barry Batcheller, the CEO of Appareo and the man who challenged Emerging Prairie to think about what’s North Dakota’s major, which was the impetus for Grand Farm, got up to speak. He started to talk about how the work being done at Grand Farm will develop new practices and technologies that will assist farmers in developed and undeveloped countries. He didn’t stop there though. He also talked about how this will also help with farming in space. Wait a minute, what??? Space?
Andrew Jason, Editorial Director 14
OCTOBER 2019
Yep. While it obviously seems like a moonshot now, Batcheller pointed out that eventually we’ll be on the moon and Mars and we need different agricultural practices. Hopefully, some of those practices will be developed at the Grand Farm. While space is obviously a long way out, 2050 is not that far away. In 30 years, the world will have 10 billion people. Along with that, everybody’s daily caloric intake is also increasing. That means we need to produce more food while also being environmentally conscious. Agtech is one of the solutions to ensure we can feed everyone. Think about that. The work being done in North Dakota can ensure that everyone has a good meal around the world and, just maybe, even in space. Andrew Jason
Andrew@SpotlightMediaFargo.com
How North Dakota Can Impact The World While it’s possible that we can produce enough food to feed 10 billion people, the food distribution channels make it difficult to ensure everyone receives that food. Below is a map that shows a share of the population that is projected to be food insecure in 2029.
EDITORIAL BOARD We at Fargo INC! want to make sure our content is unbiased and reflects the FMWF business community. That's why we meet regularly with our six-member editorial board to discuss local business issues and trends and ensure we are living up to our core values.
KRISTI HUBER
JOHN MACHACEK
United Way of Cass-Clay
Greater FM Economic Development Corporation
“Life is an echo. What you send out comes back. What you give, you get. What you see in others exists in you.” -Zig Ziglar
If there are new technologies to invest in, ag and food are smart moves. It’s one thing when new tech is some gadget like a hoverboard or the latest social media phase, but it’s another when the new tech is helping producers more effectively feed a growing world population – and we all need to eat! Our part of the country already helps feed the world and with the intentional, concerted effort our region is focusing on, there is no reason we can’t strive to be the epicenter of ag-tech innovation.
President
Each fall, United Way of Cass-Clay coordinates an annual Day of Caring to connect senior citizens with caring volunteers to help with projects in and around their homes. On October 10, more than 2,000 volunteers will help over 500 seniors in their homes across our community. The volunteers assist with various projects such as yard work, raking, trimming, lawn care, painting, light cleaning and more. The outpouring of gratitude through hand-written notecards and phone calls from the senior citizens each year after the completion of the event is humbling. We receive cards that reflect the powerful and lasting impact of one afternoon’s kindness by the community. That ripple is felt across hundreds of businesses, as each year we also hear from volunteers how those seemingly small acts of service led to meaningful conversations over cookies and coffee. There is nothing that can replace authentic human interaction. Empathy is the foundation of the strongest and most successful communities. Thank you to businesses who encourage their team members to volunteer. This is the Power of Community. Realized.
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Chief Innovation Officer
On a separate note, our organization, GFMEDC, is hosting our next FM Welcome Party on Tuesday, Oct. 29 in downtown Fargo. Our Welcome Parties exist to welcome new residents and those wishing to become more connected in our community. Being welcomed, included and connected play a big role in our well-being and feeling of belonging. Please join us at the party for a night of welcoming. Learn more at fmwelcomeparty.com
GREGORY WALD
Communications Manager
Moore Engineering, Inc.
Growing up in rural 1980s North Dakota, my farm kid friends would talk about the luxury of an enclosed, air-conditioned tractor cab compared to the dust, wind and heat of the open-air variety. At Grand Farm, tractors won’t even have cabs. This isn’t evolution. It’s revolution that will redefine our state’s largest industry like nothing since the transition from horse to internal combustion. Automation, robotics, advanced imaging, GPS guidance, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, smart devices, genomics, nanotechnology, miniaturization – they’ve already changed us and will continue to transform our future. All industries will be impacted and, if you haven’t felt it yet, you will – probably sooner than you think. Listen, learn and think critically about what these leaps mean to your business, your industry, your family, your government, your world. Sometimes it’s hard to see clearly during the chaos of a revolution. Awareness, adaptability and knowledge are good first steps.
TIM BEATON
Executive Director
FM Area Foundation
Fall is here and soon the holidays will be upon us. While you think about the remainder of 2019, don’t forget to plan your end-of-year giving. The FM Area Foundation can work with you and your professional advisor on a variety of charitable giving solutions. In fact, we’ve been providing philanthropic services to people in our community for nearly 60 years. Learn how you can take advantage of the North Dakota Charitable Income Tax Credit, how to “bunch” your charitable giving with a Donor Advised Fund or how you can use your IRA charitable rollover distribution to create a designated fund or scholarship fund. Contact us, if you want more information and resources on charitable giving solutions and year-end tax planning.
STEVE DUSEK
CRAIG WHITNEY
Dakota Business Lending
FMWF Chamber of Commerce
Technology has flipped our world upside down. It has transformed the world as we know it and, like it or not, it is here to stay. Alvin Toffler once referred to technology as “the great growling engine of change,” and he couldn’t have said it any better. As we all know, this change can produce either positive or negative results. It is not the technology itself, however, that brings these results. Instead, it is how the technology is used and what it is used for that determines the impact it will have. This is one of the great decisions that businesses are faced with today.
The Chamber recognizes the enormous economic impact that the agriculture industry has on our economy and know it to be the economic backbone of our region. Even during the oil boom, agriculture was still bigger than oil and gas. Our belief in the importance of this industry lead us to create The Chamber’s Agribusiness committee. The committee was created in 2016 and since then has served as a collective voice of businesses and leaders to represent agriculture as a key industry in the metro and Red River Valley.
President & CEO
Throughout my years in small business financing, I have seen firsthand the positive results of this powerful agent. We have walked, hand-in-hand, with businesses around the state who have capitalized on their use of technology to start their business, enhance their products and services and work to impact and grow their communities like never before. This is why, at Dakota Business Lending, we view technology as one of the key aspects of “activating” your business. As business leaders, we have the opportunity to encourage this growth and create positive change in the business world today. In lieu of this month’s issue, let’s take time reflecting on the ways in which we can be creative, utilize technology to better our businesses and our communities and continue to impact the world around us…for the good.
President and CEO
The committee meets monthly to discuss important issues facing agriculture in our region and engage directly with local, state and federal officials. Members of the committee attend monthly meetings where they engage with speakers and elected officials to educate the community and advocate for the agriculture industry. Our committee recently had a presence at the 2019 Big Iron event, heard from the Director of NDSU’s Center for Agriculture Policy and Trade Studies regarding the United States Mexico Canada Trade Agreement implications and visited with Dana Peterson, Policy Advisor for Research Education and Extension at the USDA in Washington, D.C. All Chamber members are welcome to attend meetings, and we are always looking to bring more voices to the table. Contact Katie at kmastel@fmwfchamber.com for more details or attend our next meeting on November 12 at 8 a.m. at The Chamber. If you aren’t a Chamber member but are interested in having a conversation about this committee and other Chamber benefits, please reach out to Tracy at tmeckler@ fmwfchamber.com.
October 2019 Volume 4 Issue 10
Fargo INC! is published 12 times a year and is available at area businesses and online at FargoInc.com.
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Forget Halloween, here at Design & Living, the arrival of October means it's National Kitchen and Bath Month! To celebrate the rooms in the house where you can often find the biggest statements, we are showcasing some noteworthy kitchens and baths in the FM area. Freestanding soaking tubs? Check. Custom Cabinets? Check. Statement tilework? Double-check!
Spring/Summer Fashion Weeks just happened in cities from New York to Milan and Fargo isn't one to miss out! In this issue, we will touch on Fargo's own shopping and style options available. Learn about where to find trends inspired by the runways and take them to Fargo's streets. Plus, we brought on local artists to model looks from local shopping destinations, showcasing that fashion is an art.
Hoops season is on the horizon, Bison fans. Dave Richman's crew is poised to be one of the Summit League's top teams following an NCAA Tournament run last year. On the women's side, a new era has begun as new head coach Jory Collins assumes control of this storied program with a team that is ready to win right now. With all this buzz and excitement surrounding both programs, we give you a 2019-20 Bison basketball preview.
SPONSORED CONTENT
How Can
Advantage Acre Solve My Problems On My Farm?
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here’s something special about walking your field. Seeing how your crop is progressing while feeling the dirt crunch under your boots with the sun tickling the back of your neck. Now, thanks to Advantage Acre, a software from LG Seeds, that walk can also simultaneously track the health of your field. We caught up with Tony Loftness, Area Sales Manager for LG Seeds, to see how this software can help solve the problems on your farm.
Meet Tony
Originally from Hector, Minn., Loftness started working for Wensman Seed Company in 2012. Eventually, Wensman combined with LG Seeds and he now operates as the Area Sales Manager across all of North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota where he oversees seven account managers, an agronomist and a dealer development manager. tony.loftness@lgseeds.com 320-905-9585 lgseeds.com
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SPONSORED CONTENT
Problem Where’s the best spot to plant my crop? Solution Product placement Using data derived from a number of sources, including data from the USDA, Advantage Acre is able to produce a map that tells you where exactly your crop should be placed. Because LG Seeds account managers and dealers know where their product should be positioned to maximize yield potential and because farmers know their fields better than anyone else, the data and maps created by Advantage Acre can tell you where exactly to position your product.
HILLARY EHLEN
“There’s really nothing that you cannot see in this platform that can help you figure out situations that you’re not already aware of,” said Loftness. “Now don’t get me wrong. Farmers are probably the ones who know their fields better than anybody but if you sit down with enough of them, you hear them say, ‘I have this field that is just a tough field. I don’t know how to figure it out.’ That’s where this comes into play.”
Perhaps the most important map, this one pulls data from all the different outlets to create a productivity index. It can’t tell you a yield but it will give you a range of red being poor and green being good. “Now, you can take that and say, ‘Based on the weather and what we know, is this a good field to save some money and maybe variable rate seed and fertilizer? Or, should we flat rate it and see what happens?’” said Loftness.
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SPONSORED CONTENT Problem How do I know what’s going to happen with the weather? Solution Weather forecasting When it comes to farming, it’s always too wet or dry. We all know that it’s impossible to predict the weather but Advantage Acre does a pretty impressive job of doing just that by getting it correct 84 percent of the time. Using WeatherTrends360, they are able to create forecasts of the weather in terms of temperature and precipitation. This allows growers to decide on relative maturity, find a planting window and understand per hybrid when to apply herbicides, fungicides and when a product will black layer. “That right there is our weather timeline,” said Loftness. “What that shows is it gives you the past weather but all those bigger, thicker bars are the predictions moving forward on what temperature range and precipitation should be per week. … It will take a trend out 11 months. If you’re sitting in your office in December trying to decide what corn hybrid you need to plant on a certain acre, you can pull this up, look at your field, maybe plug a hybrid in there and then it will show you the 11-month forecast. “Normally, it’s a 95-day hybrid but if it’s going to be cold and wet through the spring and that range is all the way through summer and you don’t think that 95 days is going to finish and make that full maturity corn, you can back it down. That’s the power of this.”
Problem I need help planning out my field. Solution Farm field planning Almost 60 percent of farmers are over the age of 55, this means that there’s a new generation coming in to take over the farm. Loftness believes that this next generation is turning to technology to get that edge. Advantage Acre can help with a certain aspect of that. “For Advantage Acre specifically, the other thing that I think these young guys crave as they come into the business is some structure and a little bit of direction and how to manage a plan very well. This also does that,” said Loftness. LG Seeds and Advantage Acre can do everything above field for a grower and when the plan is complete, they can upload the information into the planter monitor or print it out and put it in a binder for the season to stay organized. They can even print pallet placards to label seed in the shed so anyone grabbing it will know what field it should be placed in.
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SPONSORED CONTENT
Problem When I’m walking my field, I can’t easily track what’s happening in it. Solution In-field scouting app Thanks to a separate app that connects with Advantage Acre, you can easily scout your field. This allows dealers to provide growers with information on their fields as its growing or for growers to keep records of scouting information as they move from field to field. To take advantage of that, all you have to do is bring along your phone or tablet when you scout your field, open the app and push a button that says scout and it will track you. You can then take pictures of the issues you find and look them up right in the app to find out what they are, what the threshold levels are and what kind of issues persist. “When you’re all said and done with that, you can save it and it will spit out a report that you can send to the dealer or the grower and show them, this guy just didn’t drive by at 60 miles per hour. Here’s the log that shows him walking through my entire field and each place he stopped. It’s just another value-added tool,” said Loftness.
Problem All this ag-tech is great but my different systems don’t sync up with each other. Solution Advantage Acre doesn’t have that problem. Because Advantage Acre is compatible with most platforms on the market today, you can easily upload and download data to and from different technology through the cloud or with just a jump drive.
Problem How did my crops do compared to other harvests? Solution Harvest data analysis Once your crop is harvested, Advantage Acre allows you to take the data from your harvest, upload it and compare yields to just about any other map available within Advantage Acre or to things planted in the spring. This will tell you exactly what worked well and what to improve on for the next season.
While there are many companies entering into ag-tech to make a quick buck, Advantage Acre is out there to solve real problems for farmers. Loftness summed up the philosophy behind this software well. “At the end of the day, it’s a tool for the toolbox to be used in the correct way. That is the end goal. What we want is to see our growers and our dealers be profitable. The only way you can do that is to maximize yield and production. That’s the way we place it.”
advantageacre.com About LG Seeds Based out of Westfield, Indiana, LG Seeds is owned by Agreliant Genetics. When LG Seeds unified with Wensman Seeds, it was a difficult decision but ultimately a necessary one because LG Seeds has a national footprint. They are also trying to shake up the normal way of operating and trying to do something different in terms of their sales approach. They are adopting a team atmosphere so rather than one sales rep selling an area, they have three to five people and a technical team of agronomists to better serve the customer. “It’s different. It’s kind of edgy, in my opinion,” said Loftness. “Not a lot of people want to work in a team atmosphere, especially when you’re covering the entire state of North Dakota. But, the guys have responded very well and come together. The dealers feel empowered after we leave a meeting.” lgseeds.com
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SPONSORED CONTENT
CYBERSECURITY You Can’t Afford To Ignore It
Stacy Rasmusson, Information Security Officer at Bank Forward
T
here is no denying that technology is an essential part of our everyday lives and the farming industry is no different. Technology helps us be more productive, increase efficiency and communicate with ease.
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About Bank Forward Founded in 1927, Bank Forward operates under one charter in 13 communities in North Dakota and Minnesota. With 13 bank offices, 11 insurance agencies and two tax offices, Bank Forward offers a complete line of personal and commercial financial, insurance and tax services. Learn more at bankforward.com
SPONSORED CONTENT
“Technology is wonderful,” Stacy Rasmusson, Information Security Officer at Bank Forward says. “It helps us track yield data, easily access account information, pay employees and connect with a vendor in a matter of seconds. But as agriculture becomes more high-tech and we share more information about our farming operations digitally, we have to make cybersecurity a priority and protect our information.”
With roots grounded in ag for more than 90 years, Bank Forward is committed to helping customers build their operations and keep their data safe. From the smaller family farm to the large-scale ag supplier, Rasmusson recommends four easy steps to make cybersecurity a reality.
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1 Secure Devices
Mobile devices are used for far more than making telephone calls. They are genuinely computers with an abundance of our information. Apps that access our bank account and farming operation data, websites we visit to make purchases and manage our business and emails that detail our farming production are easily accessible. Keep your mobile devices current and install updates as they are available. “The same goes for your desktop computers and other software programs as well as your antivirus and malware protection,” Rasmusson says. “Also, if someone brings you a USB device, make sure your antivirus and malware protection scan those devices before opening the data.”
2 Back-Up Data
Backing up your data is the best way to stay ahead of viruses that can wipe out hard drives or outsmart hackers that take control of your data threatening deletion if a ransom isn’t met. “Your data needs to be secured offline,” Rasmusson explains. “Whether you use an external hard drive or the cloud, just make sure it is secure!”
Rasmusson explains that good cyber-hygiene is important for all of us personally and professionally. “Providing financial advice is what is expected from a bank, and we do that very well,” she states. “At Bank Forward, cybersecurity is a priority starting with training our employees internally and then extending that into customer education sessions. Helping our employees and customers take advantage of the benefits of technology safely while protecting what they have worked so hard for is simply the Forward Way.”
3 Think Before You Click
The easiest way a hacker can access your information is by you suppling it unknowingly. “When in doubt, throw it out,” Rasmusson advises. “If you are not sure who sent it or the source of it, be cautious and contact the source directly to confirm everything is legitimate before clicking on links or downloading attachments.”
4 Lock Down Your Login
Your password is the first defense. “It is so important to have strong passwords and different passwords for your different accounts,” Rasmusson says. “Never share passwords and when available, use multifactor authentication.”
Bank Forward recently opened its new South Fargo branch located along Veterans Boulevard across from the West Fargo Sheyenne High School.
MEMBER FDIC FARGOINC.COM
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By 2050, the world will have to feed 10 billion people.
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OCTOBER 2019
How will we do that? With tech being developed right here in the midwest. BY Andrew Jason and Kara Lidberg
FARGOINC.COM
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TECH AG
Cultivate Topics
Policies, Legality & Ordinances
Event Preview Investment Opportunities
Farm Management Software
Precision Agriculture & Data Analytics
NOVEMBER 14
CULTIVATE CONFERENCE Avalon Events Center emergingprairie.com/cultivate In a special collaboration with Emerging Prairie, we’re featuring some of the speakers from the Cultivate Conference. This conference is dedicated to emerging technology in agriculture and will feature presenters from across the country.
Next Generation Farms
Get your tickets at emergingprairie.com/cultivate. FARGOINC.COM
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AG TECH
7 Exciting Updates with the
GRAND FARM he Grand Farm, located east of Horace, ND, is establishing an advanced agriculture technology ecosystem in North Dakota with a goal of building a fully autonomous farm by the year 2025. Advanced agriculture technology is a collection of techniques, methods and processes in the production of goods; some of these technologies include precision agriculture, autonomous farming, robotics and aerial surveying. Through this effort, North Dakota will establish and maintain a strong presence in the advanced agriculture industry, staying on the forefront of next-generation agriculture technologies and leading autonomous farming innovation, education and business into the future.
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BY William Aderholdt and Brian Carroll
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TECH AG
2.
State of Technology and Eggs and Issues
Originally a vision presented by Barry Batcheller at 1 Million Cups regarding the unique characteristics and strengths of our community, the Grand Farm is now quickly moving towards reality. The Grand Farm was established as a part of Emerging Prairie, an organization focused on developing and maintaining an entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Fargo-Moorhead community. In May 2019, Fargo INC published an article introducing the Grand Farm. This summer, the Grand Farm team has been transferring the excitement of our initial momentum into action as we introduce a collaborative approach to harness the region’s talent through the focus of five strategic pillars: • Build a world-class ecosystem focused on advanced technologies in agriculture. • Establish a platform to empower start-ups to establish operations in North Dakota. • Develop a test site for rapid prototyping of autonomous technologies. • Create an accelerated learning platform to upskill the workforce. • Promote autonomous-friendly policy. Today, we present seven exciting updates from the Grand Farm, which have occurred since May 2019.
1.
North Dakota's Code School: Emerging Digital Academy Grand Farm’s momentum has turned into action with the announcement of federal funding totaling $200,0000 to support the launch of Emerging Digital Academy. The academy is an accelerated school designed to equip students with technical skills needed for jobs and to capitalize on our region’s potential in agriculture and technologies. This code school will be located in downtown Fargo. We are grateful that Governor Doug Burgum, in partnership with the North Dakota Department of Commerce, and the North Dakota Development Council for announcing the launch of the academy at TEDxFargo in July. The first cohort of students will begin April 2020!
On August 6, Greg Tehven, co-founder of Emerging Prairie and the Grand Farm, Taya Spelhaug, Microsoft TechSpark Manager, and Jake Joraanstad, CEO of Bushel and co-founder of Emerging Prairie, spoke about the Grand Farm at Eggs and Issues. This was an opportunity to talk with the community directly and hear thoughts and questions about the Grand Farm. Eggs and Issues is a monthly event hosted by the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber of Commerce to discuss exciting topics occurring in our community. At the State of Technology on August 14, Greg Tehven and Barry Batcheller, local entrepreneur and visionary behind the idea which became the Grand Farm, spoke about the progress the Grand Farm was making and the future of advanced agriculture technology in the Red River Valley. Dana Peterson, Policy Advisor for the United States Department of Agriculture, also spoke at State of Technology and discussed the importance of rural connectivity to rural communities and businesses. Peterson also visited Fargo to learn more about the Grand Farm following the visit from Sonny Perdue, the Secretary of Agriculture at the United States Department of Agriculture. While in town, Peterson met with local agriculture technology leaders at the Prairie Den to discuss data management and rural connectivity. FARGOINC.COM
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AG TECH
This photo was taken when Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue spoke at the Grand Farm launch party. (Left to right) Barry Batcheller (Chairman of the Board at Appareo), Patrick Chaffee (EVP/ Banking and Wealth Management at Bell Bank), Jake Joraanstad (CEO and Co-Founder at Bushel), Brian Carroll (Director of Operations at Emerging Prairie), Sonny Perdue (Secretary of Agriculture at USDA), Michelle Kommer (Commissioner at the Department of Commerce), Kevin Biffert (donated the land) and Greg Tehven (co-founder of Emerging Prairie and the Grand Farm).
3.
4.
Early in September, the Grand Farm had the first building placed on the test site land Kevin and Stacy Biffert donated to this project. The “Shed” is a home base for operations and event hosting. This 20’ x 40’ Mini Mobile Office houses the project concepts and operational plans for the Grand Farm. While this is only the first of many emplacements, it marks the progress of the Grand Farm Test Site, which will soon host 12 start-up businesses a year to prototype their agriculture technology products. In addition to planning for the future, the Shed has already given space to host two events with several more to come in 2019.
Hosted on the Microsoft campus in Fargo, the Big Data, Big Ideas workshop brought together 40 members of the Midwest Big Data Hub to discuss the future of data in agriculture. In attendance were researchers and teams from the University of North Dakota, North Dakota State University, Arizona State University, United States Department of Agriculture, North Dakota Department of Commerce, Wyoming, several businesses from the Fargo-Moorhead community and Grand Farm. The purpose of this event was to brainstorm projects for research teams to organize around over the next couple of years – of which, the Grand Farm will be involved in several.
The Shed
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5.
Big Data, Big Ideas Grand Farm Event: Drone Roadshow On September 10, Grand Farm brought Kansas State Polytechnic to present their agriculture drones to Fargo. They were joined by North Dakota State University and several local businesses. During this event, there were eight drone demonstrations, including both rotor and fixed-wing aircraft. In attendance were North Dakota State University’s Robotics and 3D Printing clubs and attendees from Big Data, Big Ideas. The drone demonstrations showcased the future of mapping and spraying unmanned aerial system technology. Several of the demonstrations included partial and fully autonomous flight.
Moving Forward The Grand Farm is looking forward to the future and will continue to involve the community in events presenting agriculture technology to the community. As we move towards the launch of the Emerging Digital Academy and the Grand Farm Test Site, there will continue to be exciting news to share with the Fargo-Moorhead community. We encourage those who want to know more about the Grand Farm and those looking to get involved to visit the website at GrandFarm.com. We also invite the community to attend our upcoming events, which you can hear about by filling out a contact form at the bottom of our webpage. To the future!
6.
Federal Communications Commission in Fargo On September 16, Emerging Prairie welcomed Ajit Pai, the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission to Fargo. This visit was an opportunity for many local entrepreneurs and leaders to meet with the Chairman and discuss their successes and efforts towards improving rural telecommunication and telemedicine. Chairman Pai gave a speech at the Grand Farm Test Site with many leaders from around the State of North Dakota about the future the Grand Farm can bring to North Dakota, the United States and the World. This event highlighted the importance of providing broadband to rural communities and the role the Grand Farm has in the future of farming.
7.
AgLaunch & Memphis, TN In the middle of September, the Grand Farm team was invited to attend a meeting in Memphis, TN, to discuss the future of agriculture. Three Grand Farm team members, Kevin Biffert, Brian Carroll and William Aderholdt, went to Memphis and met the AgLaunch team. AgLaunch is a farmer-centered program, which provides start-up businesses an opportunity to work with farmers to test their equipment in realworld settings. While in Memphis, the team also had an opportunity to tour AgriCenter, an agriculture research and technology program. At this tour, several demonstrations showcasing new agricultural technology were held.
TECH AG
Improving
FARM PROFITABILITY rian Dawson is passionate about making sure farming remains a profitable business. As the founder and CEO of HarvestPort, his team and him have developed technology that connects, educates and supports farmers in an effort to cut costs and increase farmer's profitability.
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PHOTOS COURTESY OF HarvestPort
Q&A I hear from a lot of farmers that software developers don’t actually understand what happens on the farm. How are you actually making sure your products are applicable to farmers? First, we save farmers time and money immediately. HarvestPort’s value prop is not hypothetical or ‘down-the-road.’ We start cutting a grower’s operating expenses upon the first interaction. When a farmer instantly understands what an ag-tech platform can do and can easily quantify ROI, the farmer is more inclined to adopt the solution. The farmer needs to understand the return vs. engaging in a long uncertain pilot phase. Also, more than half of our employees have worked previously in agriculture. And half of our investors are growers, processors or brick-n-mortar agribusiness service providers.
Brian Dawson Founder and CEO, HarvestPort harvestport.com FARGOINC.COM
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On that note, one of the reasons that North Dakota is a good spot for agtech to emerge is that many of the developers grew up on farms and come from an agricultural background. What are your thoughts about that? Being in California, is it hard to find tech people who understand farming? It is indeed great that ag-tech has such strong momentum in North Dakota and, of course, if you can find folks that know both tech and farming, that’s great. But you don’t need everybody on a team to come from an ag background. In fact, I might argue that as long as some portion of an ag-tech team has a nuanced understanding of the ag supply chain, it is beneficial to have team members with diverse experiences who bring a perspective from other industries. Though I have now been in ag half my career, I actually started in oil and gas. And having built a technology startup in another sector prior to my first ag startup (HarvestPort is my second), this allowed me to approach problems without any insider bias. The stereotype of farmers who are not technology-savvy is becoming more antiquated as the new generation takes over. How will farming and farms, in general, be affected as the new generation takes over the farm over the next decade? The next generation, specifically millennial farmers, inherently understand tech. It’s been a part of their lives. Trying out and adopting new technology is not as big of a hurdle. I expect farms to try tech more quickly but need to see ROI. 48
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When it comes to new technology adoption, there’s the idea of having to cross the chasm to have your product adopted by the majority. When it comes to software for your farm and, in particular, apps, where do you think we are on crossing that chasm? This speaks to the rule-of-thumb in ag-tech that often throws off venture investors: it’s not always the best technology that wins – it’s the best go-to-market. We’ve tried to deal with this by following the money upstream. We leveraged relationships with farmland operator clients to be introduced to the farmland asset manager funds they are affiliated with, which became clients, and we are now running a program to consolidate inputs purchasing across a pension fund who has many farmland asset manager portfolio
investments. Following the billions of dollars to an apex investor allows you to aggregate maximum acreage with minimal effort. Of course, we had to build business intelligence product tools with the investment manager in mind. Still, it’s the best bang for the buck so to speak. As a company that connects stakeholders in the ag supply chain, including new tech, we consistently see new businesses that struggle to get traction on farms. And it’s the go-to-market problem I’m referencing, often times the solution works well but they don’t know how to get buy-in from the farmer on the problem it solves. With that said, in the past five years, there has been a huge shift in readiness to adopt new tech in ag.
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Farm Profitability According to the USDA’s Farm Income Forecast, the net farm income, which is a broad measure of profits, is forecast to increase $4 billion (4.8 percent) to $88 billion this year. However, at the same time, total production expenses, including operator dwelling expenses, are forecast to increase $1.5 billion (.4 percent) to $346.1 billion.
What this means for households Farm households typically receive income from both farm and off-farm sources. Median farm income earned by farm households is estimated at -$1,840 in 2018 and is forecast to increase slightly to -$1,644 in 2019. While the median farm household income will reach $74,768 in 2019, an increase of 3.7 percent, because of the off-farm income.
Dollars (nominal) 90,000
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70,000
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-10,000
Median farm income
You have a unique product that focuses on the farmer. Can you talk about how business is usually done in agriculture and how HarvestPort is hoping to make farmers more profitable? We’ve made a point not to try to “disrupt” the personal relationships in the agricultural supply chain. We work with local experts at brick-n-mortar agribusinesses, often crop retailers. We simply try to improve efficiency both ways, to cut costs for both supplier and farmer. Farmers working with HarvestPort see immediate cost and time savings on one of their largest farm expenses, crop inputs.
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Median off-farm income
What is your vision of farming 20 years from now? Farmers will be able to cover a lot more ground. Fewer people will be required to get a job done. Frankly, I think the skilled farmers who understand the complexities of agronomy are digitally competent and who are savvy about mitigating risk from ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) issues will rise to the top. And the guys who aren’t paying attention may be in trouble.
Median total income
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THE COST of Farmland s of early September, there were 13,469 listings and 372 upcoming auctions in 12 states across the Midwest. This should give you an idea of the need for a site like Farmlandfinder. com. The site consolidates farmland auctions into one spot and will also provide you satellite imagery, soil map, crop history and more in easy to read reports for its customers. We sat down with Farmland Finder Founder and CEO Steven Brockshus to discuss what this means for farmers.
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PHOTOS COURTESY OF Steven Brockshus
Q&A You have been in agriculture for most of your life. Why did you decide that Farmland Finder was a needed product? In the summer of 2015, I was at a farmland auction near my family’s farm in Northwest Iowa. The auctioneer had taken a picture from the side of the road for the farm he was selling and there wasn’t much more data available than that. In a world where we have data and information available at our fingertips, it struck me as odd that when it comes to farmland – one of peoples most cherished assets – there’s almost no information available. That was one of the seeds that turned into FarmlandFinder,
Steven Brockshus Farmland Finder farmlandfinder.com
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$5,652 200 sales $4,501 867 sales $5,467 1,188 sales
$4,978 388 sales
$4,730 1,544 sales
$5,145 701 sales
$7,018 972 sales
$7,030 987 sales
$4,558 1,280 sales
$9,068 723 sales
$7,433 955 sales
$6,222 3,241 sales
which currently is the largest and most up-to-date farmland sales database on the market.
The State of Land in ND and MN North Dakota • 48 upcoming auctions • 200 active listings • Avg price: $5,652/acre Minnesota • 53 upcoming auctions • 867 active listings • Avg price: $4,501/acre What this means “If you’re an active buyer in the market, there’s land available. What we’re currently seeing is less overall auctions than there was at this time last year but quite a bit more listings and private sales occurring. This would lead me to believe that public transactions aren’t bringing the prices that sellers are hoping so they’re turning to private markets to discretely sell their land and get the value they’re looking for.”
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Can you talk about where the small farms are at right now? Is it even possible to start a farm and make a living if you don’t inherit land? There are more absentee landowners that are renting land to more farmers than at any point in history. You don’t have to inherit land to get started in farming. As with any business, getting started can be difficult but there are some newer land financing companies that help the assetlight farmer get access to capital. The USDA also has resources for young and beginning farmers, which can help out. If you don’t come from a farming family but want to start a farm, you’ll have to get creative, but it most definitely is possible. Are we going to continue to see the growth of larger and larger farms? Yes. In the commoditized row crop industry, it is economically more efficient to spread your machinery and labor cost over more acres. If we’re going to see smaller farms, we’ll see it from farmers who have found a way to de-commoditize themselves. These farmers have to find a way to provide a value-add product
North Dakota Farm Stats N.D. farm operations
26,364 U.S. farm operations
2,042,220 U.S. farms of 2,000 or more acres
N.D. farms of 2,000 or more acres
85,127 6,721 N.D. acres of farmland
39,341,591 U.S. acres of farmland
* Stats from the Census of Agriculture by the U.S. Department of Agriculture
900,217,576 U.S. average size of farm
N.D. average size of farm
ACRES
ACRES
441 1,492 Estimated market value of land and buildings average per farm
$2,546,783 Estimated market value of all machinery and equipment average per farm
$375,872
instead of trying to compete as a low-cost producer in a commoditized market. As the older generation of farmers begin to retire, are we seeing more family farms being sold off? What sort of effect does that have on the farmland market? Yes. With the average age of the landowner being 67 years old and the average life expectancy in the US being 79 years old, we’re going to see over 50 percent of the farmland in the US transfer ownership in the next 12 years. I think we’ll see more land for sale, but that won’t necessarily equate to land values going down. There is a strong demand for farmland and institutional investors are seeing land as a steady and solid asset class that produces compelling returns. As demand continues to increase, I think we’ll see land prices remain stable and increase in the long run. One of the things I’m curious about as ag-tech continues to improve is that farms will need fewer workers, which may hurt smaller towns as the other jobs on farms become automated, which will lead to fewer jobs in rural communities. Do you have any thoughts on this? In the 1930s, there were almost seven million farms. Today, there’s right around 2 million and that number has been steady since the 1970s. It’s my guess that small towns felt the biggest impact during that shift. Looking forward, I don’t see that decreasing the number of farms anywhere close to the dropoff we saw mid last century. With that said, it’s inevitable that farms become almost entirely automated. It’s also inevitable that other industries in small towns will become highly automated like CPAs, attorneys, medical diagnosis, manufacturing, trucking, etc. These will affect towns and cities everywhere. I think for the small town and rural communities to thrive in the future, they’ve got to figure out how to amplify what they’re inherently good at and focus on that.
TECH AG
5 Reasons We Need to
ENCOURAGE AGTECH STARTUPS onservatively, there was almost $17 billion invested into ag-tech and Foodtech startups in 2018, according to Agfunder. While a lot of the attention goes to the Beyond Meat IPO, Merck’s Antelliq acquisition and Climate Corporations billion-dollar price tag, there are plenty of other interesting and just as lucrative reasons to get into solving future problems in ag-tech. PHOTO COURTESY OF Joel Harris | BY Joel Harris
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Don’t despair that your “Aha” moment for alternative protein is 10 years after Beyond Meat or that you’re probably number 10,001 ag-tech drone company to come across a Venture Capitalists’ desk. There are still reasons to be encouraged to be an ag-tech startup, just probably not for the usual reasons you find yourself retweeting about.
Joel Harris Co-director, Ag Startup Engine agstartupengine.com
Joel is the Co-director of the Ag Startup Engine, an early seed midwest investment fund focused on narrowing the gap between ideation and venture backing in the agriculture and animal health industries. He is also the Business Development Manager for IrishAngels Ventures, an early-stage venture capital fund investing in high potential B2B and B2C technology startups. As President of Charter Oak Creative, he focuses on helping startups and entrepreneurs solve problems. Formally, he was the VP of Harrisvaccines, which was acquired by Merck Animal Health in November 2015. Joel participates in several advisories and mentoring roles to entrepreneurs and startups in the SaaS, ag-tech, Biotech and Healthcare industries from his home in Chicago. Joel holds a degree in economics from the University of Iowa and a professional certificate in public relations, marketing and nonfiction writing from Northwestern University.
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Annual Financings in the agrifood industry
$16.9B
According to AgFunder, funding to agrifood tech startups grew 43 percent year-over-year to 2018, the same rate of growth between 2016 and 2017.
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Climate Change Whatever you want to call it. It is happening. I’m not talking about Cleantech or Green Plans to combat Climate Change but to lean into climate change. The warming climate is already allowing crops like Canadian corn and UK winegrapes to be grown in more frigid areas. It is going to take a combination of new, innovative technology and sustainable practices. “The Fate of Food” by Amanda Little is a great read that doesn’t put sustainable practices versus technology but shows a blending of practices that will paint a starkly different and hopeful view of the food supply chain.
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The 5G Cold War in China 5G promises to be 100 times faster than 4G, bring loads more data and tackles the latency issue. This will truly bring high-speed access to rural areas, which means more devices can talk to each other faster. Think about hundreds of remote sensors in a pig barn to identify potential breakdowns in biosecurity, production performance or actually count the number of pigs in a pen… in real-time. But will the adoption of new technology and business models happen in the US like it did when 4G was introduced or will it be in China? This quote from a white paper called “The 5G Ecosystem” from the Defense Innovation Board paints a clear picture of what might happen. “As 5G is deployed across the globe,
China’s handset and internet applications and services are likely to become dominant, even if they are excluded from the US. China is on a track to repeat in 5G what happened with the United States in 4G.” In fact, the USDA even estimates that deployment of both broadband e-connectivity and nextgeneration precision agriculture technology on farms and ranches throughout the U.S. could result in at least $47 billion in national economic benefits every year. This is why we can’t wait around for 5G to come to rural communities and we need to solve the connectivity problem and the Cold War with China could drive that.
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Zoonotic Foreign Animal Disease Threats African Swine Fever Virus (ASFv) may be grabbing the headlines today for decreasing China’s production by 50 percent, but what will be next and when? Will it be another outbreak of Avian Influenza? In 2015, over 40 million birds in 15 U.S. states had to be destroyed. The initial losses in the first outbreak of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDv) were eight million piglets. Prior to PEDv and ASFv, Foot and Mouth Disease Virus (FMDV), which can decimate the swine and cattle industry, was estimated to have an annual impact between $6 and $21 billion, and that was in 2013. My point being, while investors may not like the rapid growth and predictable regulatory environment of animal health biotech, it is a huge and ever-present threat that won’t be going away any time soon.
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Moore's Law Moore’s Law, which states that the number of transistors in a dense integrated circuit double about every two years, also applies in other sectors like storage of data in DNA. By 2020, an estimated 1.7 megabytes of data will be created per second per person globally. I reference Moore’s Law and the application in transistors and loosely apply it in the sense that the cost of Next Generation Sequence (NGS) has exponentially decreased in the last 20 years. And what we’re able to do with gene editing is getting to the point that some companies provide DIY home CRISPR Kits.
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Global Impact If you do it right, you get to live in the best places on earth and you can innovate from anywhere. Because food and agriculture have such a global impact, the usual innovation and investment hubs see their fair share, but there is also great startup communities in places like the Midwest, Australia, Israel and especially in Asia. So while the traditional non ag-tech investors want to get into the space, they may not be geographically located where the startups, customers, supply chain and academia reside. This is what has been so great about the Ag Startup Engine PortCos (Portfolio Companies) and what we’re trying to build in the heart of Iowa and the Midwest, which is solving the gap between ideation and preparedness for true institution venture capital investment.
These five reasons are just the tip of the iceberg in regards to opportunities or problems to solve in the agriculture and food supply space. Regardless of row crop, animal health applications or interest in software as a service versus robotic and hardware solutions, the world is at a tipping point with regard to how are we going to feed nine billion people in a world where we face longer droughts and more severe hurricanes? This shouldn’t discourage you from agentrepreneurship. It should motivate you to try something new and disruptive or better yet, evolve farming to the next level of the agricultural revolution.
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INVESTING in Ag-Tech s investors flock to the ag-tech space, Spencer Stensrude, VP of Investment, is leading the way for Ag Ventures Alliance. Ahead of his talk at Cultivate, we caught up with him to discuss the mission of this coop of farmer investors.
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Spencer Stensrude VP of Investment, Ag Ventures Alliance agventuresalliance.com Stensrude is the Vice President of Investment at Ag Ventures Alliance in Mason City, Iowa. The 400 farmer cooperative is on a mission to increase farm profitability by investing in new technology. Spencer leads the sourcing, evaluating, closing and management of new investments at the firm. In his time at Ag Ventures Alliance, he has led investments in nine high impact startups. Spencer’s business experience includes venture capital, commercial lending, small business management, in addition to being a real-life family farmer in North Iowa.
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Q&A Can you tell us a little bit about the services provided by Ag Ventures Alliance? Ag Ventures Alliance is a cooperative of farmers that invest in startups with the aim of increasing farm profitability. The organization itself makes direct investments in startups, and we have an angel group that makes investments independently. Outside of investing, we do a few educational and social events throughout the year for our members to get together and learn about a new topic. We are also in the process of trying to formalize a farmer network that will participate in product development with startups. There are several ag-tech investment firms out there. What separates you from the rest? There are three things that really make us unique in the ag-tech investor landscape. 1) Our mission is to increase farm profitability so every investment we make needs to impact that mission. 2) We have a large network of hundreds of farmers that are actively interested in innovation. 3) We include farmers in the investment decision process,
Some of the companies they've worked with Smart Ag Aftermarket autonomous tractor kit SwineTech Software and sensors to reduce piglet crushing Rantizo Drone applications with proprietary spraying technology Environmental Tillage Systems Manufacturer of the Soilwarrior striptill machine Holganix Microbial product for row crops AgriSync Unique customer service platform for ag service providers ClearFlame Engines Developing a compression-ignition “diesel-style” engine that burns ethanol as its primary fuel
which actually provides some early customer validation for startups. What is the short and long term vision of Ag Ventures Alliance? Improve farm profitability. It is short and sweet, but that is what is really important to us. Long term, we would like to see the positive impact on farm profitability spill over into our rural economies, too. How many companies do you invest in per year? We typically invest in two to five new startups each year. We do some follow-on investing as companies grow, too. How are you implementing some of the ideas you’re learning from companies into your farming in North Iowa? I don’t think we covered this earlier, but I do farm with my dad in North Iowa. Seeing new ideas and concepts every day through Ag Ventures Alliance has spilled over onto my farming operation. This summer, I had
one of our portfolio companies, Rantizo, spread cover crop seed with their drones in a few drowned-out patches that were too wet to replant. After seeing how well the Rantizo drones worked for this application, we brought them back out again this fall to fly seed into the standing crop on the entire field. This particular field isn’t the easiest for an airplane to spread due to the rolling terrain and nearby windmills, so I am really excited we were able to get the cover crop seeded with Rantizo’s drones. In your opinion, what work being done right now by a company is the most exciting? I am really excited about the regenerative ag movement. The hard thing is that part of regenerative ag is reducing inputs, so it makes investing in the space more difficult. Nonetheless, the potential for farmers to dramatically improve soil health, crop quality and earn premium pricing while reducing synthetic inputs is pretty exciting when your mission is increasing farm profitability. If you are asking about a specific company, I think I could give you a really exciting story about the potential impact of every company in our portfolio. ClearFlame has the potential to tie directly into the regenerative agriculture movement. Farmers are starting to demonstrate that incorporating practices such as cover crops, manure and/ or minimizing tillage can actually sequester carbon in the soil. Ethanol plants are also reducing their carbon footprint dramatically with new technology, too. What happens when every gallon of ethanol used as fuel is actually sequestering carbon over its lifecycle? ClearFlame has an engine that increases performance, decreases fuel cost and is much cleaner than diesel today. I think a possible future of burning carbon-negative fuel at a lower cost than oil products is pretty amazing!
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Shining a Light on
PRECISION AG here is a place on campus at North Dakota State University (NDSU) that has begun to shine brighter than before.
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The Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (ABEN) is on a mission to impact the environment, food systems and production agriculture by generating new knowledge in technologies and engineering.
Dr. Xin “Rex” Sun Assistant Professor, NDSU Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering NDSU.edu/ABEN Dr. Xin "Rex" Sun is originally from Yantai City, China. He attended Nanjing Agricultural University (NAU), a public university based in Nanjing, China, from 2007 to 2013, obtaining his Ph.D. in agricultural engineering. From 2010 to 2012, he ventured to Fargo for the first time as a visiting scholar at North Dakota State University (NDSU). After spending two and a half years as a lecturer back at NAU after he graduated, he returned to NDSU as a research scientist in 2015. In addition to continuing his research, Dr. Sun has been in his position as an assistant professor since the fall of 2018.
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At ABEN’s building on Albrecht Boulevard in Fargo, that bright light seemed to emanate from room 105 — Assistant Professor Dr. Xin “Rex” Sun’s office. If you’ve never met Dr. Sun, he radiates positivity, passion and kindness and is evidently admired and appreciated by fellow faculty members and students alike who, when discovered he was being interviewed, made comments like, “Oh, he’s a good one!” and “There is nobody more deserving.” Among a busy day of prepping and meetings, teaching and team projects and writing proposals for funding, Dr. Sun is working toward the commendable goal of wanting to lead the NDSU precision ag program to become one of the best in not only the nation but also the world. The university’s precision ag program was officially launched this past spring as both a major and minor option for students and NDSU is only one of two land-grant universities in the United States to have it. This newness and rarity, however, is paired with a lack of awareness by the community, businesses and prospective students, affecting the recruitment process. “As we’re only on the second semester of the program,” Dr. Sun said, “we’re excited to share that the enrollment of precision ag students has already more than doubled in my class from last semester, but we still have a ways to go.” Dr. Sun is thankful for the opportunity to speak at the Cultivate Conference and for Emerging Prairie’s dedication to facilitating the conversation of technology
PHOTO S BY Hillary Ehlen | BY Kara Lidberg
This device is paired with a drone application and is showing the vegetation of a soybean field. The green areas are where the soil is healthy and soybeans will likely grow better versus the yellow where soil quality is poor. This gives farmers an idea of which areas of the land need fertilizer and which do not, ultimately allowing them to save money and cut down on chemical usage by not spraying the entire field.
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and agriculture coming together. “The organization (Emerging Prairie) is even seeking collaboration opportunities with our program,” he added, excitedly. “I believe that with my introduction of the program at the conference, there will be more opportunities for us to connect with precision ag-focused businesses and farmers throughout the state.” The program seems to already be on its way. Partnering with Microsoft Microsoft is working with the precision ag program, sponsoring every single student to attend the Cultivate Conference. “We have made it a requirement to go,” Dr. Sun said, “so there will be at least 26 students attending, as well as faculty and researchers.” Microsoft is also donating 20 FarmBeats Student Kits, a project that was developed in 2014 by Ranveer Chandra, one of the company’s researchers and another speaker at the conference. “This will basically include services that track soil moisture, temperature, light and more to help users observe and respond to a variety of variabilities,” Dr. Sun said. “They will also train the instructors, including me, on how to use the technology so we can, in turn, teach the students.” In addition, the company is providing 10 internship opportunities for precision ag students. “Microsoft is being so generous,” Dr. Sun said. “Each student will get $5,000 for their internship scholarship. It’s all very exciting.”
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This is the start of a multi-functional, autonomous vehicle that Dr. Sun and his students are developing. With the ability to attach a monitor, cameras and other technology, it will be used to scan fields to detect soil moisture, take pictures, identify weeds and more.
There is a large amount of support from the state for precision ag technology. From our governor to the community of Fargo to businesses like Microsoft to NDSU to individual people, they are really interested in investing their time and money in precision agriculture and technology, and we’re honored to be a part of it.”
What’s going on at ABEN? As part of the ABEN team, Dr. Sun has more than 10 precision ag projects in both the crop and livestock markets that he is presently researching and starting to develop. For example, along with the help of his students, Dr. Sun is building a multifunctional, autonomous vehicle that will be used to scan fields to detect soil moisture, take pictures, identify weeds and more. “It’s been my baby,” he said about the project. “It’s built specifically to the size of the crop’s rows and will have a robotic system, GPS, automatic navigation system and cameras. It’s also a great opportunity for my students to help construct it and in the future, I hope to have senior design students assisting me.” On the livestock side, Dr. Sun has been working with thermal imaging software designed to detect cattle diseases. “A problem sweeping the beef cattle industry,” he said, “is a respiratory disease that has become a huge issue for ranchers, costing them a lot of time and money.” The disease usually starts with a fever and if caught in time, ranchers can give their cattle a vaccine. The problem is, there is no effective method to detect which cows have the disease so the ranchers end up spending more money on vaccines than necessary. “This device and software can give you the real-time temperature,” Dr. Sun said
laughing as he placed it over his face to give an example, showing the greens, yellows and reds on his own skin. “All you have to do is take a picture of the cattle and the user will be able to see which cow has a fever and give vaccines out only on a needed basis.” In addition to saving money on the vaccines, this allows for fewer chemicals in the meat that the population will eventually consume. There’s something about North Dakota Dr. Sun is both appreciative of and inspired by North Dakota and the community that surrounds him. When people ask him why he’s in Fargo, his response every time is “I just love the people,” knowing that they’re always ready and willing to help. “When I was a student here,” he continued, “whenever I faced an issue, there was always someone to help me. Now I’m a faculty member and my goal is to pass it on by helping my own students.” Dr. Sun also believes that North Dakota is the perfect place to accomplish agricultural innovation with how much support he and the program have received. “There is a large amount of support from the state for precision ag technology,” he said. “From our governor to the community of Fargo to businesses like Microsoft to NDSU to individual people, they are really interested in investing their time and money in precision agriculture and technology, and we’re honored to be a part of it.”
TECH AG
THE DEMOCRATIZATION of Farmland s global population and need for food increase, so too does the need for farmland. Thanks to the power of Supply and Demand, the price of farmland is only going up. AcreTrader in Fayetteville, AR, is now making it possible for people to own a piece of the farmland.
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PHOTO COURTESY OF AcreTrader
Q&A Why is farmland a good investment? Farmland has historically been a highreturning investment with impressively low volatility. As an asset class, farmland has had very little correlation with other major asset classes, which has made it a great diversification tool to an investment portfolio. Since 1990, farmland has also outperformed most major asset classes, including major stock indexes, providing investors an average annual return of almost 12 percent. It is important to note that farmland has historically produced investor returns from two key sources: 1) increases in land values and 2) annual dividends from farmers paying
Carter Malloy Founder & CEO, AcreTrader Inc acretrader.com
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AG TECH rent. Each of these can fluctuate from year to year, but when combined, the total returns on farmland have been positive every year since 1991. How accessible is getting into farmland? Before AcreTrader, there were three main avenues to gain exposure to the asset class. Private equity funds, REITs (real estate investment trust) and outright ownership of the land. While each provide solutions for investing in farmland, each has potential drawbacks. Investing in farmland with AcreTrader provides investors the benefits of including farmland in an investment portfolio while providing much lower barriers to entry than have historically been available. We are democratizing the farmland investment process by providing users access that would otherwise be unavailable. What’s the average investment level to get into owning farmland? The average investment level depends on the avenue which an investor is utilizing to invest in the asset class. If an investor wants to purchase land outright, their individual preference would be the largest determining factor. A typical investment in purchasing a farm could be $250,000 or more.
With AcreTrader, investors can invest as little as $5,000-$10,000 in an individual offering. This can be done in minutes online with AcreTrader taking care of the hassles like administration, management, payments, etc. Talk about what this means for farmers. What sort of feedback are you hearing from them? AcreTrader provides farmers a new avenue for access to capital. We have been truly surprised at the amount of inbound interest that we have from individuals looking to list a farm through our platform. In many cases, if someone is looking to sell farmland, it is purchased by a neighbor or someone in their local community. Those land sales are typically made without the involvement of a broker or an entity like AcreTrader. However, in the case that a farmer in the local community is not interested in purchasing the land, AcreTrader offers a platform with thousands of investors who could be interested in purchasing the farm – adding a liquidity opportunity not previously available. In addition, we work with existing farmers that want to expand their farmed acreage by helping to acquire nearby parcels. If the seller is interested in farming the land, we can offer flexible lease-back
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U.S. Annual Total Farmland Returns
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This is an interesting model for investing in land. Do you see this model continuing to grow? Yes. Our team has bet their careers on exactly that. We have seen billions of dollars invested through crowdfunding into commercial real estate and we believe that farmland investing will also see significant growth online.
inaccessible for most investors. Similarly, there are trillions of dollars invested in the market or sitting in cash, looking for alternative asset classes. We expect to play a significant role in the coming transformation of transparency, liquidity, security and access to farmland as an asset class.
Fast Fact
Obviously, with a growing population globally, we will need to continue to produce more food to feed that population. What does that mean for the farmland market?
$25 billion in global farm funds has been raised as private equity since 2007.
There are three acres of U.S. farmland disappearing every minute, according to the American Farmland Trust, mostly due to development. As the world’s population continues to expand, so will the demand for food. This simple supply (fewer acres) and demand (more mouths to feed) would suggest that farmland can continue to increase in value over the long term.
Fast Fact In order to feed the expected global population of 10 billion in 2050, farmers will need to produce more food than they have in the last 250 years combined. The amount of arable land in the U.S. is decreasing, which means the value of farmland will increase.
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What do you see the farmland marketplace looking like 20 years from now? Currently, farmland is a $3 trillion asset class in the United States alone. That is widely
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arrangements and continued access to the land.
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Inventing the
FUTURE OF AGRICULTURE oel Anderson has a unique position at John Deere Electronic Solutions (JDES). “At the intersection of advanced technology and intellectual property,” Anderson seeks to find cutting-edge solutions that enhance the company’s patent portfolio and eventually finds its way into new and impactful products. At the most basic explanation, he is an inventor with a time horizon of five to 15 years into the future. PHOTOS BY Hillary Ehlen | BY Kara Lidberg
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Noel Anderson Senior Technologist and Intellectual Property Strategist, John Deere Electronic Solutions JohnDeere.com/JDES
Noel Anderson has been a Senior Technologist and Intellectual Property Strategist at John Deere for nearly 20 years. In his time with the company, Anderson has delved into research on artificial intelligence, field robotics, machine health, precision agriculture and irrigation and vehicle electrification. He has 118 career U.S. patents issued and more than 20 still pending.
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We may see a shift away from maximizing production in order to enhance sustainability. Indoor crop production and laboratory-produced foods may also impact our food sourcing in the future.”
Anderson’s interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) fields started when he was a child. As a future-oriented and creative young boy, his first exposure to construction, agriculture, robotics and artificial intelligence began when he was in early grade school. However, having a career in off-road machinery and agricultural technology was not on his radar when he moved to Fargo to be on faculty at NDSU in 1988. “Howard Dahl got me interested and I went to work for him at Concord Inc. in the early 1990s with a focus on precision agriculture,” Anderson said. Concord was later acquired by Case Corporation and when Case merged with New Holland, his position was eliminated. Dahl recommended Anderson talk to Barry Batcheller, the president and CEO of Appareo Systems, and he ended up in advanced technology at Phoenix International, now John Deere Electronic Solutions, in 2000. John Deere is deep in the innovation of the agricultural space, and while precision agriculture, autonomy and automation get a lot of press, Anderson thinks that the more impressive JDES technology is “under the hood” in GPS receivers and engine controllers. “A lot of this technology is held as trade secrets and is highly technical in nature, so the public doesn’t get to see it or appreciate it as much,” he said. “GPS location quality and
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engine performance quietly improve year over year.” Regarding the Cultivate Conference, of which Anderson is a speaker, he believes that the necessary merging of agriculture and technology is less of a collision and more closely relates to “a cross-pollination” with the ultimate goal being to produce food and fiber more sustainably. Anderson states that technology is about solving problems — a “see a need, fill a need” mentality, quoting the 2005 animated movie Robots, of which he thinks represents the concept perfectly. In fact, he mentions that agriculture itself is a form of technology that started thousands of years ago from a desire to have a more abundant and predictable food supply than hunting and gathering. Anderson believes that as the agricultural industry grows and adapts to changing times, more technology-focused solutions will be pushed in the next 30 years than was seen in the previous 30, particularly in order to meet the goal of feeding a global population of 10 billion. “In the United States, there has historically been an ag labor shortage,” Anderson said, “which has driven bigger, more productive machinery for nearly 200 years.” He mentions that with the use of improved crop genetics and ag chemicals, productivity has also been increased over the last 100 years. “We may see a shift away from maximizing
The John Deere Fellows Program Anderson has also been named a 2019 John Deere Fellow, receiving recognition in Strategic Intellectual Property. The John Deere Fellows Program is the highest level of recognition an individual employee can receive. This award indicates a team member’s contribution to the company’s success through an exceptional reputation, displayed leadership and deep expertise in their field.
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Live and Learn Like an Inventor From preschool to receiving his Ph.D., Anderson had been in school for 25 straight years and simply never turned off, and doesn’t intend to, his ability and desire to learn.
Anderson outside the Fargo John Deere Electronic Solutions office.
production in order to enhance sustainability,” he continued. “Indoor crop production and laboratory-produced foods may also impact our food sourcing in the future.”
agriculture, autonomy and automation. This process will be continuing in years to come with a focus on areas like embedded computing, sensing and power electronics.
The number one question Anderson gets asked is “How do you get your ideas?”
Due to confidentiality, Anderson couldn’t go into much detail about future inventions, but he thinks most will be in the automation and precision agriculture space.
“I’m always in ‘invention mode’ of trying to pair up problems with solutions,” he said, which requires knowledge of both current and future customer needs as well as existing and emerging technologies. Anderson would say that time is his biggest obstacle. “Once I get a seed of an idea,” he said, “I need to invest time to vet it and then develop it as an invention disclosure that gets entered into the John Deere patent process.” JDES has been refreshing its advanced technology portfolio to better align investment in emerging technologies with emerging customer needs in precision
“I am not very excitable,” he said when asked about the future. “I consider myself more of a grinder who acts consistently over a long period of time towards an end. In the case of my career, it is helping provide food, clothing and infrastructure to a growing global population through better technology.”
A typical day is bookended by a two to three-mile one-way walk between his home and the John Deere office. On these walks, he’ll triple utilize his time by commuting, exercising and learning, most likely listening to an audiobook. In the middle of the day is another three-mile lunch walk with one or more co-workers with discussion on a wide range of technical and non-technical topics. While at his office or home desk, he collaborates with colleagues from around the world by phone or in person, searches and studies patents and technical documents and develops patent concepts and IP strategies. For anyone looking “to up their information intake,” Anderson encourages people to ask themselves: • What are the activities that could be upgraded? • Are there activities that can have content added like audiobooks on my commute? • Is there content that can be upgraded such as replacing music with podcasts? FARGOINC.COM
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TRADE 101
10 Things to Know About US-Canada Ag Trade very day, more than $2 billion worth of goods and services cross the USCanada border. While trade is an extremely complex operation, we brought in Christina Connelly, AgriFood Trade Commissioner, Consulate General of Canada, to help simplify the matter.
PHOTO COURTESY OF Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
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Christina Connelly Agri-Food Trade Commissioner, Consulate General of Canada Christina.connelly@international.gc.ca
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We are #AgPartners Canada and the United States enjoy the largest agricultural bilateral trading relationship in the world, creating jobs and economic opportunities in both countries. The U.S. exports more to Canada than to China, Japan and the United Kingdom combined! In fact, Canada is the top ag export destination for 28 U.S. states, including North Dakota and Minnesota. Two-way agricultural trade was worth more than US $48 billion in 2017. U.S. processed food and beverage products make up more than half of the ag exports from the U.S. to Canada — think Cheerios from Minnesota-based General Mills, made with oats from western Canada that are processed in Iowa!
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Canada’s Ag Economy is Booming Canada’s 200,000 farms average about 820 acres in size. In 2016, Canadians farmed a total area of 159 million acres, contributing US $1.7 trillion to Canada’s GDP. Exports are an important part of Canadian agriculture as the country produces more than it consumes. Top exports include grains and oilseeds, beef, cattle, hogs, pork, pulses (peas, beans, lentils) and horticulture (potatoes).
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Canadian Ag-Tech is Sizzling Some of the leading global ag-tech companies call Canada home. From genetics and breeding to farm management platforms and robotics, Canada’s ag-tech scene is heating up. Take Dot Technology Corp., a Saskatchewan-based company that’s creating the world’s first autonomous power platform capable of handling a variety of agricultural implements, including a dry spreader in collaboration with New Leader Manufacturing in Iowa. Or New Brunswickbased Somadetect that developed an AI-enabled in-line milk sensor to help dairy farmers monitor the health of their herd at every milking. Programs like the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, which is a fiveyear, CA $3 billion investment by federal, provincial and territorial governments help to strengthen Canada’s agricultural sector and continue to move the needle on Canadian innovation.
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How do NAFTA and the CanadaU.S. Economic Relationship Affect Jobs and Trade in the U.S.? Millions of U.S. jobs depend on trade and investment with Canada. Canada is the largest single export market for the U.S. and the number one market for most U.S. states, including North Dakota and Minnesota. In fact, North Dakota sells more to Canada than to all other countries combined! In 2018, bilateral trade reached US $721.2 billion, representing almost US $2 billion worth of goods and services crossing the border every day.
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What is USMCA?
What is NAFTA? The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) came into effect on January 1, 1994, removing tariffs and other trade barriers between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. Since then, the North American economy has more than tripled, making it the biggest economic region in the world today: a US $20.7 trillion market with around 478 million consumers. U.S. exports of food and agricultural products to Mexico and Canada have quadrupled since NAFTA came into force. Trade between NAFTA members is estimated at more than US $100 million per hour.
On September 30, 2018, negotiations concluded on a modernized trilateral agreement known as the U.S.-MexicoCanada Agreement (USMCA). USMCA preserves tariff-free access in the North American trading bloc and secures essential cross-border supply chains that make North America more globally competitive. The agreement includes updates in key areas, including rules of origin for automotive manufacturing, agriculture, labor, intellectual property rights, culture and dispute settlement. The USMCA preserves existing agriculture trade commitments between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, and expands U.S. market access in Canada for certain agricultural products. Until the agreement is ratified in all three countries, NAFTA remains in effect.
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U.S. - Canada Integrated Supply Chain
In fact, Canada is the top ag export destination for 28 U.S. states, including North Dakota and Minnesota. Twoway agricultural trade was worth more than US $48 billion in 2017. U.S. processed food and beverage products make up more than half of the ag exports from the U.S. to Canada
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Every day, around 400,000 people and US $2 billion in goods and services cross the Canada-U.S. border. Canadian and U.S. border agencies work together to facilitate the movement of legitimate travelers and products across the shared border in a way that is efficient and secure for both countries. Canada and the U.S. cooperate within law enforcement teams on both the land and marine border to enforce laws, share intelligence and manage the border between official ports of entry.
We make great food together because our supply chains are highly integrated. In many agricultural industries — such as cattle, pork and soybean crushing — NAFTA has enabled intra-industry efficiencies in which products are easily traded across borders. Take a simple burger: the beef could come from cattle born in Alberta, raised in Nebraska and processed in Colorado; the bun may have been baked in California with flour from Saskatchewan; the bacon could be from pigs born and raised in Manitoba and processed in Iowa. We also share expertise through ag equipment and technology. During harvest time in Canada, it is common to see John Deere combines, built in Iowa, in farm fields on the Canadian Prairies.
Cooperation at our Shared Border
Agriculture Knows No Borders
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North Dakota & Canada: A Love Story North Dakota exports $5.8 billion in goods to Canada annually North Dakota exports to Canada by industry • Agriculture: 9% • Chemicals: 4% • Energy: 74% • Equipment & machinery: 7% • Transportation: 3% • Other: 3%
North Dakota imports $2.1 billion in goods from Canada annually North Dakota imports from Canada by industry • Agriculture: 17% • Chemicals: 10% • Energy: 12% • Equipment & machinery: 18% • Forest products: 3% • Minerals & metals: 12% • Transportation: 8% • Other: 20%
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Canada: A Great Place for Business A stable business climate, low taxes and business costs, a highly educated and skilled workforce, generous R&D incentives and preferential access to global markets make Canada an ideal destination for American companies to grow their business. Canada has a highly competitive corporate tax system—one of the most competitive in the G7. Canada has been ranked by the World Bank as the easiest place to start a business in the G7 and OECD. Canadianbased companies have preferential access in Asia, Europe and Latin America through numerous free trade agreements. Canada also has a deep and diverse talent pool — the most highly educated among OECD member countries.
Top North Dakota goods exports to Canada • • • • • • • • • •
Fuel oil: $2.3 billion Crude petroleum: $1.8 billion Natural gas & other gases: $185 million Cereals: $140 million Tractors: $118 million Agricultural machinery: $118 million Oil seeds: $109 million Organic chemicals: $109 million Animal feed & food industry residues: $103 million Beverages & alcohol: $91 million
Top North Dakota goods imports from Canada • Oil seeds: $163 million • Crude petroleum: $142 million • Iron & steel tubes, pipes & sheets: $123 million • Fertilizers: $98 million • Cereals: $91 million • Agricultural machinery: $89 million • Inorganic chemicals: $85 million • Compressors & pumps: $83 million • Motor vehicle parts: $79 million • Iron & steel alloys & semi-finished products: $63 million * Stats courtesy of Canada Consulate
Learn more at connect2canada.com/canada-u-s-relationship/trade-and-investment
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10.
Let’s Keep a Good Thing Growing! Canada is open for business, and there is no greater trading relationship than that between the U.S. and Canada. The Consulate General of Canada in Minneapolis services a five-state area of North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota and Nebraska. Reach out to us with questions about U.S.-Canada ag trade and business development any time!
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ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE For Your Farm
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or the last 20 years, F farmers, growers and consultants have been collecting data from the farm and soil but haven't known what to do with it. Along those lines, it's also insanely expensive for companies to develop and launch a product and get to market. Arva Intelligence is hoping to make it easier for everyone by using artificial intelligence to analyze data and predict things like product efficacy, soil health and conservation and much more. To learn more about this, we caught up with Jay McEntire, Co-Founder and CEO of Arva Intelligence, to discuss how this will have a profound impact on the industry.
Jay McEntire Co-Founder and CEO, Arva Intelligence Corp. arvaintelligence.com
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business managers. Technological value will need to be easy to understand with direct deliverables and quantifiable financial return. I’ve often heard farmers complain that the people developing technology for the farm don’t truly understand life on the farm. Can you tell us about how you’re ensuring that you’re developing tech that the farmer will actually use? We couldn’t agree more, as many of the Arva team are farmers ourselves! Several more of us have been involved in agriculture companies throughout their careers. If there is one thing that we are all focused on, it is creating solutions that address issues we encounter ourselves — and making those solutions simple to use. Every farmer wants to get the most out of what they have, and Arva uses your data to help reduce risk and optimize the profitability of your fields.
PHOTO COURTESY OF Arva Intelligence
Q&A According to the U.S. Census of Agriculture, more than 58 percent of farmers in North Dakota are over the age of 55. As younger generations take over the farm, what does that mean for technology being adopted in agriculture? As younger generations grow into farming, technological solutions will be adopted faster. However, the challenge in ag-tech will be creating and clearly demonstrating ROI within operations as a whole. With rising land prices, many new farmers do not have the stability or land base paid for that many current farmers already do, forcing them to be conscientious
The amount of data that can be collected in agriculture is staggering. Talk about the struggle of not only collecting that data but then also making it easy to understand and be useful for the farmer? Farmers have been collecting data for decades and the industry as a whole kept talking about “big data” but never clearly agreed on how to use it. Data is abundant with IoT devices, aerial imaging, chemistry, biology and everything in between. Each of these data layers is a piece of the puzzle that form the bigger picture of your unique farm, and Arva removes the tedious steps of interpreting the information yourself. With our machine learning engine, you can now utilize all of your data together to speed your decision making and optimize your farm’s profitability and soil health for a long-term, sustainable future. Land stewardship is going to continue to be more important with the growing population and environmental concerns. How is technology going to be the answer to make sure we’re taking good care of our land? The key to true land stewardship is understanding that sustainability and profitability are intimately connected. The entire agriculture supply chain – from manufacturers to retailers to farmers – will benefit by employing technology to deeply understand the soil microbiome. By striving to match plant genetics with soil biogeochemistry, we will be able to optimize outcomes so farmers can create more with
less input cost and manufacturers can create better products faster. Arva Intelligence is actively using our data system to quantify the profitable use of sustainable practices and keep our farms strongly producing year over year. What has been the initial reception of your technology? The initial reception to Arva Intelligence’s technology has been humbling. Despite being a young company, we are thrilled to be working with some of the biggest players in agriculture, as well as leading promising projects with research institutions, including the Department of Energy. The most validating comments we receive when showing growers, crop advisors and other agrelated companies our technology are that they have been looking for something like this for a long time. Our customers believe that it finally helps answer the question of what to do with the data we have been collecting for so long. What is the next needed shift in ag? One of our providers has a saying that we had precision in agriculture before we had accuracy. We can measure just about any aspect of a field’s ecosystem with unprecedented detail, and we believe the next peak in agriculture will be implementing technology to quickly process decisive understanding interactions within soil, fertility, seed and biology. When we can derive quick and easy actions from processed data on scale, we will be able to catapult precision agriculture to the next level with more effective decisions about what we apply, where that is and how much to create the highest return, lowest risk and best environmental practices. What do you think the farm of the future will look like? Farming is a world of constant change and decisive action. It is critical for growers to make decisions quickly in order to get the most out of their operation and adapt to the dynamic variables in each field. Today, most ag-tech only tells you why something happened, not what we can immediately do to influence the production for the future. The most exciting innovations driving the next wave of agriculture will be combining data with decision making so farmers can predict just how a field will operate and be confident in minimizing their risk and maximizing production with healthy, secure soil for generations to come. FARGOINC.COM
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Billion-Dollar
STARTUPS ast year, there was almost $17 billion invested in agrifood tech startups. As this industry continues to grow, the number one innovation platform and accelerator in the world is setting its eyes on the midwest. Plug and Play is based out of Silicon Valley and acts as both an accelerator and investment firm. We caught up with Elaine Shuang Qiu to talk about why they're setting their sights on the midwest and doubling down on agriculture.
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Elaine Shuang Qiu Ventures for Food, Bev and Ag-Tech, Plug and Play plugandplaytechcenter.com
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Shuang Qiu is an investor at Plug and Play Ventures focusing on early-stage investments in the agriculture and food sectors. With experience working with farmers, distributors and retailers, she accumulated extensive knowledge and insights into the food industry. Originally from China, Shuang is now based in Silicon Valley and works with startups and corporations globally. She works closely with key industry stakeholders, such as Tyson, Smithfield, DuPont, Pepsico, to name a few, and actively engages with the investor community. Before joining PNP, she was an edamame farmer, ag policy consultant and produce buyer - various roles along the food supply chain. She holds degrees in Plant Science & Crop Production and Agricultural Economics from China Agriculture University (B.Sc.), University of Maryland (B.Sc.) and Cornell University (M.Sc.)
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Q&A Can you tell us where Plug and Play is at right now in coming to North Dakota? We’re always exploring opportunities and communities where Plug and Play can provide value. As we’ve started to focus more on areas such as agriculture innovation, we’ve teamed up with partners, such as Bremer Bank to further engage with the North Dakota community of entrepreneurs and innovators.
PHOTO COURTESY OF Elaine Shuang Qiu
Talk about some of the innovations that have occurred in the food and agriculture space thanks to Plug and Play. As with most things, innovation can happen through mutual collaboration; this yields more than the sum of the individual companies involved. At Plug and Play, we’ve set out to be a platform that helps connect, empower and invest in tomorrow’s innovators. With that being said, our primary role is enabling changemakers to have significant impacts. We are fortunate to have a strong network of stakeholders across the Food and Agriculture supply chains that entrepreneurs can leverage. Where do you see the most exciting innovations coming in the way agriculture and the future of food are done? I often refer to “cross-pollination” as the most exciting puzzle piece for future agriculture and food. Most innovations are powered by either fundamental science break-throughs or innovative applications of technology from other industries. As more and more technologies become mature (such as geneediting, artificial intelligence, etc.), this creates excellent opportunities for the traditional food and agriculture industry to embrace and
learn. For example, in recent years, the power of big data and the power of bio-information has started being adopted in agriculture usecases, when historically this technology was concentrated in Silicon Valley tech companies. We are entering an exciting era where farm data can be aggregated and used to create data-driven farming decision systems and smart predictive analytic models. Individual growers, specifically, can benefit from recent advancements in technologies, such as infield IoT sensors, imaging/computer-vision analytics, cloud computing, autonomous vehicles and blockchain, just to name a few. Since you’re an investor of FoodTech and ag-tech, how is the work being done now in agriculture going to play into feeding the growing global population? This question is always top of mind for me. It seems like everyone who’s working in the food and ag space is ultimately trying to solve that one universal problem: how will we feed more people? Despite how simple this question may seem, entrepreneurs offer many different ways to address this, which ranges from plant-based meat to fermentation tech, etc. We’ve seen rapid growth in this sector to the point that a few of the venture-backed market leaders like Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat have even had IPOs. Some solutions, such as those made by the aforementioned companies, are readily available, whereas others require a longer time horizon to bring to market. We are at a stage that more and more optimistic players are entering the space – not only entrepreneurs but also investors, advocates and organizations. Solving a giant puzzle, piece by piece, is what we are aiming for. Whether it’s through autonomous farm
Twenty years from now, I think the farmerconsumer relationship will be much more transparent – mainly due to the increased visibility into the food production process and supply chain.” operations or air-to-protein fermentation, startups are collectively making positive impacts on society, providing through their innovative solutions. Twenty years from now, what do you think the relationship between farmer and the consumer will be? Do you think we’ll see more of a farm to table approach or will the mass production of food continue? Twenty years from now, I think the farmerconsumer relationship will be much more transparent – mainly due to the increased visibility into the food production process and supply chain. It’s worth mentioning though that due to modern complexity, our food system today, for the most part, prohibits direct connections between farmers and consumers. This is a by-product of massive industry consolidation and fewer local farms. As a result of urbanization movements, consumers are even further in the supply chain and have to rely on public disclosure
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Startups highlights These are three startups that Plug and Play is investing in that Shuang Qiu believes consumers should watch out for.
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KETOS ketos.co KETOS sits at the intersection of data science, IoT and water automation. KETOS serves an array of industrial and agricultural enterprises, commercial businesses, institutions, cities and utilities, empowering them to make smarter decisions through real-time water intelligence and predictive analytics. Our innovative, patented hardware and intelligent, interactive KETOS SmartFabric provides a robust software platform for predictive and actionable metrics - delivering the tools and insights needed to optimize water usage, ensure resource sustainability and provide water safety assurance.
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AgVend agvend.com AgVend is an online marketplace that enables farmers to purchase inputs and services from trusted ag retailers. Similar to a travel marketplace like Priceline, farmers can search for products, filter results (based on price, delivery, bundled services, etc.) and select the option that best fits their needs. AgVend enables transactions to happen anywhere and at anytime.
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Beehero beehero.io BeeHero maximizes crop yields through pollination. The company’s technology combines sophisticated machine learning algorithms with low-cost sensors to stimulate full output potential during peak pollination cycles. By tracking and optimizing pollination in real-time, BeeHero ensures hyper-efficient pollinators that can increase crop yields by 30 percent on average. Beehero’s platform already enables commercial growers to optimize crop-yield for 70 percent of major commercial crops and they’ve even had tested on soybean! Based in California and operating globally, BeeHero manages the largest database of bees and pollination. The company has traction working with farmers and industry groups, including the largest association of almond growers in the world.
and communication channels as bridges to connect with their food producers. We are seeing more efforts being made here to increase industry transparency, promote awareness and build consumer trust. Many times, people’s perception of “mass production” is negative, compared with the subtle messages implied in farm-to-table, e.g., healthy, fresh, better for you. I’ve always had mixed feelings about this because industrial agriculture production can provide the same level of high-quality foods, just like any local-grown food option. The word “mass” should be viewed through the lens of supply chain effectiveness and less derogatory. To meet the food demand of our increasing population, we need to support industrial agriculture production efforts. It’s inevitable. I think people who advocate for “farm to table” are primarily concerned about freshness and environmental impact/ oversight, which is being addressed through both supply chain optimization and more sustainable farming practices. It’s not either a farm-to-table or mass-production question, we need both and need to support having diversified food sources (e.g. industrial farming, aquaculture, vertical farming, community-supported agriculture, bioengineering foods, greenhouses production, etc.). This will help create resilience in our food supply and will help us overcome the stress of increasing demand and food scarcity challenges that we’ll be forced to face in the near future.
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BRINGING ND CROPS to the World Farming was important to me,” said Mark Watne, a Jamestown, North Dakota-based farmer who has also served as the elected president of North Dakota Farmers Union (NDFU) since 2013. When asked about his pursual of this career path, Watne is proud of his involvement with the organization and said, “Farmers Union has allowed me to help maintain the very successful family farms and ranches across the United States, operations that are delivering the highest quality and least expensive food in the world.” Mark Watne is a self-employed farmer who is elected annually since 2013 to serve the members of North Dakota Farmers Union (NDFU). He spends nearly every day working for NDFU supervising staff, traveling to meetings worldwide and reporting to members. As president of the organization, Watne also oversees Farmers Union Service Association and Farmers Union Mutual Insurance Company. North Dakota Farmer’s Union is a farm organization that was founded in 1927 and is on a mission to benefit rural communities by providing a network of events, services and educational programs. NDFU has more than 50,000 member families. 86
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Mark Watne President, North Dakota Farmers Union NDFU.org
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North Dakota Farmer’s Union helped organize a farmer-owned restaurant system called Founding Farmers and Agraria, which now has seven restaurants, most of them being in Washington D.C.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF NDFU | BY Kara Lidberg
Watne, one of the speakers for the upcoming Cultivate Conference, believes that technology is used as a tool for agriculture, providing opportunities for innovations that ultimately allow farmers and those in the agricultural industry to be efficient in adopting to markets and continuing to meet the food and energy needs of the population as it grows. “We must always try to improve our systems of food production and the relationship we play in the environment,” he said. “I always remind people that next to air and water, food is essential,” continued Watne, “and success in food production has been taken for granted.” Watne believes that how and by whom food is produced is a choice the agricultural industry has the ability to make. “We should lean toward having many farmers and ranchers versus a concentrated system,” he added. “When food is taken for granted, we overlook the system of diverse farmers that make the access to food so simple,” Watne added, believing that rather than a production problem, the agricultural industry has a distribution problem. This issue can be seen in the fact that there are starving people
throughout the world as well as in the United States. For the most part, people view the use of technology as a great thing. But are there situations where a careful approach needs to be taken? “This is where it becomes a challenge when the technology does not help maintain farm numbers, which can create a problem of maintaining a diversity of production,” Watne answered. “Sadly, the loss of farms will cost the consumer eventually as farmers become integrated into the whole food system. This should stop before it is too late.” To date, Watne believes that GPS-related technology has made the biggest impact and prior to that, it was mechanization. What could be missing, however, and what many in the ag-tech space have been working on is the best way to gather and utilize all of the
data that is out there for farmers to make the best possible decisions for their respective operations. Compared to the rest of the country, Watne thinks it is important, though, to recognize the way North Dakota is different. “We grow many crops, as many as 33, and we have a large number of diverse farms,” he said. “Technology that can help all or many of these operations and crops poses the greatest opportunity.” Founding Farmers About 12 years ago, NDFU was working to develop projects that would add value in new ways. “Each time, we were taking a commodity and ending up with another commodity, just with lower margins,” Watne said of the process. NDFU started working with farmers to get products directly to consumers while still maintaining ownership
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NDFU Impact by the Numbers
50,006 The number of member families NDFU had at the end of 2018
1,200 The number of kids who attend NDFU camps every year
$70,000 and control of the system, desiring to collect more of the food dollar. As part of the NDFU team, Watne has played a role in helping the organization develop a farmer-owned restaurant system, Founding Farmers and Agraria, his response to what has been one of his proudest moments on the job. “This is primarily near the Washington, DC, area with one restaurant in Philadelphia,” he added, “and is now up to seven restaurants and serving thousands of people every week.” Watne said that the impact has begun to reward farmers financially who invested early on and plans to expand are in the future. “We have helped a few farmers market some products,” he continued, “and we are educating consumers to purchase from United States-based family farmers and ranchers.”
The dollar amount the Founding Farmers and Agraria restaurants have purchased from an NDFU member
50,000 The weekly number of people who are served by the restaurants
82,000 How many miles the NDFU truck has logged hauling product to Washington, DC.
$50,000 How much NDFU has invested in rural North Dakota nonprofits through its Community Stewards program, donating funds to farm safety initiatives, rural fire departments and ambulance services, local hospital associations, food pantries and more.
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This is where it becomes a challenge when the technology does not help maintain farm numbers, which can create a problem of maintaining a diversity of production. Sadly, the loss of farms will cost the consumer eventually as farmers become integrated into the whole food system. This should stop before it is too late.�
What does NDFU offer? North Dakota Farmers Union is an educationfocused organization and offers a variety of programs to educate both youth and adults that have their hand in farming, the cooperative business model and related areas. On the topic of youth, NDFU provides opportunities for kids to attend cooperativefocused leadership camps: Heart Butte Camp near Elgin and Wesley Acres, near Elgin and Dazey, North Dakota, respectively. The organization also has helped to develop a software package for K-12 students about farm education that is being marketed across the country. Additionally, NDFU advocates for enhanced income opportunities for farmers and ranchers, provides insurance products and hosts a conference about the latest technologies for farming and ranching with approximately 300 attendees every year.
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How
TV WHITE SPACE is Enabling the
Farm of the Future
ou're sitting down to watch the evening news and you start flipping through the channels but you have to flip through a bunch of channels of that annoying white noise. Now thanks to FarmBeats, a program from Microsoft, they are looking to use Microsoft cloud and AI technologies to enable farmers to easily and cheaply use precision agriculture on their farm.
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Ranveer Chandra Chief Scientist, FarmBeats, Microsoft microsoft.com/en-us/research/ project/farmbeats-iot-agriculture 90
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PHOTOS COURTESY OF Microsoft
Q&A Can you take us through the genesis of FarmBeats? FarmBeats started as a research project at Microsoft. The reason I started it was because of my background. Even though I do not have a Ph.D. in Agriculture (I am a Ph.D. in Computer Science), I spent a lot of time growing up in a farm of my grandparents in Bihar – the poorest state in India. Those farms did not have any electricity or toilets and through my research at Microsoft, I have always wanted to give back. Hence, I started this project in early 2015 at Microsoft Research. We also participated in the Microsoft hackathon and this won the Industry Award at that hackathon. More recently, in November 2018, my team, along with myself, moved to the Azure product team to transition the research into an actual product that could benefit the most people – farmers and consumers alike.
Tell us about the mission of FarmBeats. The goal of FarmBeats is to enable datadriven agriculture. We believe that data and insights, coupled with a farmer’s deep knowledge about his/her farm, can help the farmer be more productive, reduce costs and practice sustainable agriculture. However, getting all the data from a farm is very difficult. Most farms do not have Internet connectivity or power outlets and it is not feasible to put lots of sensors in a farm since it interferes with the farmer’s day-to-day operations. With FarmBeats, we are able to capture large amounts of data from a farm and aggregate many data sources – such as from satellites and weather stations, which farmers can then translate to actionable insights. It’s amazing how many farms don’t have reliable access to the internet. TV White Space is so exciting and seems like
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FarmBeats 101 Precision agriculture is the new buzzword in farming. The problem with this is that it is often expensive to enact and you need reliable internet connectivity, which a wide portion of the global farm population does not have. FarmBeats is Microsoft working with farmers to enable data-driven farming. Some of the research that they’re working on include...
such a simple and cost-effective way to make data-rich farms possible. Tell us about the technology used to make this happen. The TV White Spaces can enable a scenario where you can access your Wi-Fi connection from several miles away. The way it can work is by putting Wi-Fi signals in empty TV channels, referred to as TV White Spaces. These channels are usually just white noise when you browse over-the-air TV – the ones you watch using antennas. The reason these channels are so beneficial for sending and receiving data is that they are in the lower frequencies and, compared to Wi-Fi at the same power level, the signals propagate 4x further in UHF TV Channels and 12x further in VHF TV Channels. The reason they are so appealing for agriculture is that the TV towers are in cities – where most people are – while in the middle of the farm most of the channels are just white. The more white noise channels there are, the more unused capacity there is. And this can provide over 500 Mbps of unused capacity in the middle of a farm – across which we can not only send data from sensors but from drones, cameras, tractors and many other devices.
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• Techniques to merge drone imagery with ground sensor data. • TV white spaces based long-range sensor networks in the farms. • Automation of drone flights in the farms. • Improving drone battery life. • An IoT gateway device for agriculture. • Cloud support and machine learning services that are useful for agriculture.
What sort of data will be collected by FarmBeats? How will that help the farmers to increase their yields? FarmBeats helps partners gather data from sensors, drones, tractors, satellites, weather stations and other sources. It will aggregate all these sources of data using Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques to predict data points in places that do not have sensors. Finally, it will enable developers to easily create new AI algorithms that can bring the benefits of data science to agriculture. With all these tools, farmers will be able to get a view of their farm that was previously incredibly difficult, such as a soil moisture map of the farm. With these views, partners can provide insights to farmers that can enable data-driven agriculture in a more affordable way. How far out are we from seeing this technology adopted by the masses? FarmBeats is in private preview and, at Microsoft, we are working on building
a platform that makes it easy to collect large amount of data from the farm and to aggregate different data sources (such as from satellites and sensors) to create additional insights. However, as you know, Microsoft is not an agricultural company. Our goal is not to sell a product to the farmers, but to build a platform by which agricultural companies can enhance their offerings to the growers. How affordable do you hope to make this technology? Our research has shown that the TV White Spaces can bring down the cost of sending data, compared to alternative technologies. Similarly, the AI algorithms can provide insights using far fewer sensors than are otherwise needed. Our ultimate goal is to significantly bring down the cost of data collection and analysis, enabling farmers of all sizes – from smallholders to large scale farmers – to reap the benefits from datadriven agriculture.
What do you think the farm of the future will look like? The farm of the future will have a farmer who knows a lot about his/her farm and is equipped with tech to make the farming more productive, efficient and sustainable. Technology will provide that farmer with data from all parts of the farm, AI to predict how the different parts of the farm will perform in the future and ground and aerial robotics that help the farmer act in a timely manner. As a result of this new tech-infused way of farming, we will start to see many younger farmers in agriculture – helping us bring back the younger generation to farming!
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Supporting the
PROBLEM SOLVERS hat is entrepreneurism if not being a problem solver? Well, the world is about to face one of the biggest problems its ever faced as we confront the realities of feeding 10 billion people while worrying about increased climate concerns and improved diets. Sanjeev Krishan, the Chief Investment Officer and Managing Director, for S2G Ventures, a venture fund investor in the food and agriculture industry, believes the best way to solve this problem is by supporting the entrepreneurs who are helping farmers.
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Karn Manhas (the founder and CEO of Terramera), a company that S2G invested in, wrote an article for Ag Funder Network about why farming needs a new image. He said, “Somewhere along the line, we started to devalue farmers and take them for granted, but it’s hard to think of a career that’s more important for our collective survival. Feeding the planet isn’t simplistic or base, it’s multifaceted, complex and sophisticated. Farmers are the original experimenters, hackers, makers and problem-solvers; they’re biologists, chemists, engineers, entrepreneurs and inventors. Perhaps if we talked about them like that, young people would be inspired to continue their legacy, and proudly bring the field into the future.” With that in mind, how are the businesses you’re working with changing the nature of farming?
About S2G S2G Ventures (Seed to Growth) is a multi-stage venture fund investing in food and agriculture. The fund’s mission is to catalyze innovation to meet consumer demands for healthy and sustainable food. S2G has identified sectors across the food system that are ripe for change and is building a multi-stage portfolio, including seed, venture and growth-stage investments. Core areas of interest for S2G are agriculture, ingredients, infrastructure and logistics, IT and hardware, food safety and technology, retail and restaurants and consumer brands. For more information about S2G, visit S2GVentures.com or connect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn.
We invest in some of the leading ag-tech companies that are helping farmers gain better insights into their farming methods, as well as providing a way for farmers to connect directly with consumers, which can help them capture more of the consumer dollar. These businesses provide for increased regenerative land and resource management, new business model innovations, including new financing models as well as encouraging adoption of new technologies while minimizing the risks to the farmer. Talk about some of the companies you’ve worked with and the work they’re doing. We have over 15 companies serving the farmer, helping them make better decisions that drive higher profitability. We believe it is not just about yield per acre, but we are moving to a market where farmers should be measured on profit per acre. As an example, Midwestern BioAg has been a leader in working with farmers on helping them transition some of their acreage to organic or specialty crops. Transitions like this are not
PHOTO COURTESY OF S2G Ventures
Sanjeev Krishnan Chief Investment Officer and Managing Director , S2G Ventures s2gventures.com
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The Forecast of the Climate Since 1980, the U.S. has experienced 241 weather and climate disasters where the overall damage costs reached or exceeded $1 billion. The total effect of these 241 events exceeds $1.6 trillion. As the climate changes, these severe weather experiences will only get worse. In 2018, the U.S. experienced 14 separate billion-dollar disasters events. As Krishnan pointed out, predictive analytics will be more important than ever as bad weather can destroy a farmer’s season.
* Data courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Environmental Information
TECH AG easy but can be incredibly profitable to the farmer if they have the right partner to hold their hand through this process. MBA has a 30-year track record of working in the organic market. They bring significant lessons learned in helping farmers grow their business. Another example would be Growers Edge and their work in providing financial tools like lending and insurance to farmers. Through their unique product toolkit, they de-risk new technology adoption to farmers and increase farm profitability. What are you looking for in successful entrepreneurs and companies? Agriculture is a marathon, not a sprint. Entrepreneurs and early-stage companies go through ups and downs during their growth and we look for entrepreneurs that understand that it will not be a straight line forward. In order for there to be broad adoption of new technologies, we need broad industry pull through to encourage innovation across the supply chain. We’re looking for people passionate and determined to solve some of the most pressing issues facing farmers and the agrifood sector. Successful entrepreneurs and companies bring tools and innovations that have demonstrated an authentic value proposition that solves real problems in an acceptable timeline.
In your opinion, what work being done right now by a company is the most exciting? Formed in 2012, Benson Hill Biosciences is unlocking the natural genetic diversity of plants to develop healthier and more sustainable crops while simultaneously delivering a solution that meets changing consumer preferences. Their cutting-edge technology platform, CropOS™, combines machine learning and big data with genome editing and plant biology to dramatically accelerate and simplify the product development process and increase margins for farmers.
and addressing a sustainable and profitable agrifood system.
Why do you believe supporting entrepreneurs is the best way to solve the upcoming food crisis? Entrepreneurs are bold problem-solvers and innovators who are willing to take on some of the most complex global issues. Existing farming practices are not sustainable, farmer profitability is at a historically low level while farmer productivity is plateauing and the commodity-based system is not meeting consumer demands. Farm productivity is expected to worsen by 9 percent to 16 percent on average as our planet grows warmer (FAO, 2017). Supporting entrepreneurs will be core to bringing solutions from concept to reality
After working with some of the most innovative ag-tech companies in the world, what do you think the farm will look like 20 years from now? Predictive analytics will be what every farmer will rely on to make day to day decisions. Recognizing that climate-related disasters have increased by 100 percent over the last two decades (NOAA, 2018), weather data will continue to be an important input in decision making. In addition, automation will become the standard. Finally, we see a world where farmers are rewarded based on profit per acre rather than yield per acre.
Where are the next big innovations in ag-tech going to come from? We anticipate the most forward-looking and advanced innovations that deliver quantifiable long-term solutions will be born out of farmers and agriculture retailers working together more closely. Previously operating in isolation, together these groups have the potential to bring real-world experience, technological innovation and a deep understanding of consumer insights to develop integrational solutions.
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The State of
AG-TECH ith all the current advancements in ag-tech, where are we at right now? To help answer that question, we caught up with Colin Steen, the Managing Director and Head of Operations with Syngenta Ventures, an investment firm focused just in the agriculture space.
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PHOTOS COURTESY OF Colin Steen
Q&A Colin Steen Managing Director and Head of Operations, Syngenta Ventures syngentaventures.com
Where do you think the ag-tech industry is at now versus 20 years ago? It seems like there’s a lot of buzz around solving the problem feeding 10 billion people in 2050. Ag tech is advancing at a very quick pace. Just look at the Grand Farm outside of Fargo where we see how autonomous equipment has the potential to solve labor challenges. Meanwhile, there are new biological solutions to manage long-standing pest problems and
better ways to utilize data to help farmers maximize both profitability and productivity. The focus on feeding 10 billion people in 2050 is sound, and I believe we, as an industry, are in a very good spot to deliver on that challenge. The key will be how to do this, while at the same time helping farmers improve profitability in the current ag climate. There is a lot of ag-tech being developed right now. What are you hearing
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The Money in Agriculture in North Dakota
from farmers when it comes to the technology being created and its actual use in the field? I think farmers are generally surprised at the amount of time, effort and dollars being invested to help them increase productivity and profitability. They are used to seeing innovation come from their traditional input and machinery suppliers like Nutrien and John Deere, but now they are seeing real innovation come from small start-ups based in locations far from the Midwest. Of course, farmers have one shot a year to achieve success with their crops, so they are not going to adopt new technologies or products without on-farm testing. That’s why they are preaching patience to many of these start-ups. Additionally, a lot of farmers tell me that while they appreciate the industry’s focus on improving productivity, what they really need are solutions that help improve their profitability. Representatives from ag companies approach farmers each week, promising yield increases of 10 bushels or more, but not many are addressing the underlying issue of declining profitability on the farm. Emerging Prairie’s Grand Farm effort is aimed at creating the first fully automated farm. How far out are we from that being a reality? I believe we are closer than we think. In the Midwest this year, there was a company called Sabanto that had autonomous planters running in the fields in Nebraska and Iowa, planting soybeans. There are many companies that are working very hard right now to bring about improved efficiencies and a lot of the pieces of the production puzzle have been solved. Firms like Smart Ag, DOT and others have made huge strides in the past two years in terms of automating the activities on the farm. It’s amazing to think how 20 years ago, we didn’t even have steering control and GPS in our tractors and now you would never think of buying a piece of machinery without it. It often takes the vision and discipline of a project like the Grand Farm to bring all of the individual pieces together. I am excited to watch this develop in the years ahead. 100
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Net farm income
Government payments
$1,928,662,000
$738,975,000
Federal insurance premiums
Federal insurance indemnities
$277,247,000
$330,471,000
Cash Receipts 2008-2018
$6,909,594,000 $7,965,911,000
Top 5 Cash Receipts 1. Soybeans $2,069,596,000 2. Wheat $1,575,120,000 3. Corn $1,279,675,000 4. Cattle and calves $1,028,871,000 5. Canola $466,205,000
Top 5 Production Expenses 1. Capital Consumption $1,087,398,000 2. Fertilizer, Lime and Soil Conditioner $1,041,133,000 3. Seed $993,331,000 4. Miscellaneous $734,884,000 5. Pesticide $701,470,000
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A lot of farmers tell me that while they appreciate the industry’s focus on improving productivity, what they really need are solutions that help improve their profitability. Representatives from ag companies approach farmers each week, promising yield increases of 10 bushels or more, but not many are addressing the underlying issue of declining profitability on the farm.”
Colin Steen visiting North Dakota farmers a couple years ago.
In your opinion, what is the most exciting work being done in ag-tech right now? There are a lot of incredibly interesting things happening in ag-tech all around the world right now. There are tremendous advances in the biological product space that have the potential to change the way farmers control pests, which is really exciting. Companies like Biophero, which is developing pheromones to control insects while not harming beneficial pests will make a big difference in how insect problems are managed. Precision application technologies, gene editing, epigenetics and alternative distribution channels are all developments that are really exciting for farmers, whether they farm 10,000 acres in Fargo or two acres in India. The more a new technology improves a farmer’s profit potential and helps them be more efficient, the more excited I get about a technology or company. It can be easy for our Syngenta Ventures team to become enamored by the “wow” factor of new technologies; but it’s essential that we ask ourselves this question when evaluating prospects: Will this technology ultimately provide value to farmers? What sector of ag-tech will the next big innovations come from? As our team at Syngenta Ventures looks
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5-10 years out, we see a lot of innovation coming in the area of precision application technology. The ability to use artificial intelligence to distinguish weeds from crops at 10+ mph in the field will drive massive disruption in how farmers spray pesticides on their farms, using targeted applications that enable more sustainable crop production. In addition, the increasing popularity of alternative proteins among consumers will have significant impacts on soybean farmers as companies look to use soybeans for protein replacement. Finally, the work at the Grand Farm and the continuing automation of farming will have a tremendous impact on labor and the increasing ability for farms to scale and drive down fixed costs per acre, therefore increasing profitability. What’s the one message you want people to leave with after they hear you speak? I think people should come away with a lot of optimism for the future of agriculture. Yes, agriculture is experiencing challenges today, but ag investors don’t operate in a “today” world – we are focused on the future. There are a lot of companies working very hard to help improve both productivity and profitability for farmers around the world. It is an exciting time to be investing in ag-tech!
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How The
MIDWEST Can Lead Ag-Tech
GC Ventures is part of Continental Grain Company, a 200-year old family-owned company that was birthed from a love of agriculture. CGC is the investment branch of Continental and focuses on investing in early-stage businesses. We caught up with investor Chris Abbott to discuss the industry, the next hot companies and how the midwest can lead the pack in terms of ag-tech.
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Chris joined the CGC Ventures team in 2018. Previously, Chris led Craig-Hallum Capital Group’s investment banking group efforts focused on sustainability, agriculture and ag-tech. Prior to Craig-Hallum, Chris worked at Piper Jaffray & Co. and AWJ Capital Partners, focused broadly on technology, sustainability, healthcare and consumer companies. He also currently serves on the Boards of several CGCV companies. Chris loves to compete in triathlons, basketball and tennis. He is an avid supporter of charity: water and InnerCity Tennis.
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Q&A
PHOTO COURTESY OF Chris Abbott
Fargo for the last 100 years has been playing a role in the ag-tech industry. Compared to other regions around the U.S. that are working in ag-tech, how would you rank Fargo? I think Fargo has out-performed most regions when it comes to innovation, especially when you think about it on a per-capita basis. Fargo also has what most regions don’t have, which is leading domain expertise in agriculture and food production. When you complement domain expertise with Fargo’s supportive local investment environment to fund new businesses, it creates a great recipe for success. Ames, IA, is also great at this. Minneapolis is also good and getting better. There’s a lot of work being done in the Twin Cities, Fargo, Ames, IA, and around the Midwest. How can all these Midwest cities work together to grow our recognition in ag tech? I think these areas have the most domain expertise, hands down. These regions also have massive amounts of capital, due to successful businesses built in the region over the past century. The next challenge will be continuing to drive innovation from within the food/ag majors, as well as the universities
and non-ag technology companies, and support that innovation with capital and strategic guidance. If you have the innovation, you need to create support from the food and ag value-chain throughout the Midwest and the investment community. If you have innovation, strategic support and investment capital, it all becomes self-fulfilling. Look at what Silicon Valley has done with these three legs of the stool and look at the result the past 20 years. We can do that in the Midwest if entrepreneurs, investors, strategics and thought leaders build support systems to foster the innovation. Tell us about some of the businesses you’ve already invested in. We have a great portfolio of companies throughout the ag/food value chain. We have 13 investments across real-time, in-season data (hardware/software), proven biological technologies in crop protection and nutrition, alternative protein and plant-based diets, novel food ingredients, animal health/ nutrition and supply chain efficiency. We are fortunate to have incredible founders and teams that we’ve backed at each company. Each of these companies solves a critical need in the broader value chain and when FARGOINC.COM
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Funding in Ag-Tech Last year, according to AgFunder, nearly $17 billion was invested in ag-tech. This graphic from Better Food Ventures highlights the large number of companies that are entering into this space.
strung together, can create meaningful, global change for the better. As a result, we don’t expect a typical venture capital success rate, we expect our success rate to be much better. You obviously work with a lot of ag-tech businesses. What are you looking for in a successful company? We are looking for great teams, solving real problems, that can show product-market-fit. We are an active partner and shareholder for our companies and can be most helpful once a company is in commercialization mode. We are less effective if a company is very early stage, focused purely on technology R&D. The companies that we have invested in all have a common theme – great teams. It is often over-stated, but having the right team makes all the difference. Google wasn’t the first search engine, Facebook wasn’t the first social network, Apple didn’t invent the cell phone, but ultimately those companies became market leaders as their teams listened to consumers, had a relentless focus on product development and serviced customers like nobody else. Same equation holds true in ag-tech. What areas of ag-tech are the quickest growing and have the most potential for exciting innovations? Ag-tech is interesting. I would say biologicals and digital ag remain very exciting. Digital ag has seen slower adoption in most cases, but certain areas where technology is used as a decision support tool (for growers, agronomists and retailers), solutions have been adopted and continue to grow rapidly. We are seeing that in our investment in Sentera, which attaches their sensors to drones to gather data, in real-time, to provide agronomists and growers with weed pressure maps, nitrogen status and stand/emergence.
That is data, not pictures, so it pushes automatically from the drone sensor into the cab of the tractor and into the monitors. You can actually “live stream” your weed pressure map on your iPhone as the drone flies on autopilot over the field (that is even better than Netflix!) That capability eliminates lots of hours of scouting and creating maps by agronomists, letting them focus on highervalue tasks and spending time with their customers. Biologicals offer growers the ability to switch away from synthetic chemistry and not lose performance or increase their risk. The world is quickly realizing that synthetic chemistry isn’t good for people, plants or the planet. But growers need real biological solutions to replace their chemistry. There is lots of innovation and regulatory support to get effective biological products in the hands of growers, which hopefully allows growers to increase their profitability and capture more value as they produce better, differentiated crops. At least it gives them more leverage in the value chain. We have backed Greenlight Bio (RNA technology platform) and Vestaron (biopesticide, peptide technology) in the crop protection space, as well as Pivot Bio, the industry leader in Nitrogen biological replacement technology. I’m curious about working for a 200year old company, how do you stay innovative and encourage displacement in the industry? I am thankful every day to work at a great family-owned business like Continental Grain. We have the best people in the industry, no question. We value disruption and intellectual honesty, but also take a long-dated view of the food/ag value chain’s evolution. Complacency in food/ag is fatal. CGC has spent 200+ years, over six generations,
continually reinventing itself. When you have that type of focus and a long-term view, you can build pretty incredible businesses. Talk about the problem that we’re facing as a global population to ensure we’re being environmentally friendly and going to be able to feed everyone. I’ve spent the past decade working in sustainability and agriculture technology. We all know the impact agriculture can have. Agriculture uses most of the freshwater on the planet, consumes massive amounts of energy and needs to tackle pollution. However, we also feed billions of people and continually focus on solving global human health and environmental problems. Growers are innovators, always have been and always will be. If someone can figure it out, I’d bet on agriculture. Think holistically for a second about a point in time where a grower can fly a drone to get a full field scouted in minutes, push that data into the cab and spray a biological that doesn’t harm bees, soil or consumers. Then, layer in the fact that same grower also applied a Pivot microbe at planting (or seed coating applied), which delivers 100 pounds of nitrogen to the corn, has no need for side-dressing, no risk of runoff, water contamination, soil degradation, etc. And, that same grower can get paid more for their differentiated crop, growing practices and carbon sequestration. These solutions are available today. They drive grower efficiency and profitability, improve environmental health and address human health issues around obesity, processed foods, exploding cancer rates, etc. Agriculture will solve the issues around global sustainability and human health – but we all need to support our growers and innovators.
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Aof Innovating LIFETIME Ag-Tech
hen you walk into Amity Technology, the first thing you may notice is the walls. They are full of old photos and paintings, representations of years past and decades of experience, knowledge and passion passed down through generations to the company’s president — Howard Dahl.
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As a speaker at the Cultivate Conference in November, Dahl believes that his 35 years’ worth of industry experience regarding precision agriculture is what qualifies him to participate. “I’ve lived within the precision ag space since 1984 when we purchased a soil sampler company,” he said. “We were the first business to do variable-rate fertilizer application, to manage nutrients properly in real-time, so we have a deep heritage in the topic.” A central question facing and worrying many agriculturalists today is whether or not by 2050 the industry will be capable of feeding the 10 billion people that are estimated to populate the earth. Dahl, however, was seemingly nonchalant on the subject.
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Howard Dahl President/CEO Amity Technology AmityTech.com FarmQA FarmQA.com
“If you think back to the very first Earth Day in 1970,” Dahl began, “and if you, like me, read ‘The Population Bomb’ by Dr. Paul R. Ehrlich,” a best-selling book that was written in 1968 foretelling of global famine, “then you would’ve been so pessimistic about the future.” Dahl went on to share that with the earth’s population at approximately 3.5 billion, people were instilled with the fear of how the world would possibly be able to accommodate feeding five billion people. “We were told that there was going to be mass starvation everywhere because food production wouldn’t be able to keep up.” As the population grew, however, there didn’t seem to be many issues. “Everybody was
wrong,” Dahl said, “so this idea that we’re going to have a difficult time feeding more people, especially with technology making a major impact on production, does not make me feel as pessimistic as society and the media seem to be.” Dahl places faith in Africa. “The continent has so much potential to produce food, and it’s just beginning to develop agriculturally in a number of markets,” he said, also mentioning that approximately 65 percent of the world’s uncultivated arable land is in Africa. The obstacle lies within the continent’s government corruption, making it a safe place for investment, and the lack of plant breeding which makes developing seed varieties necessary. Regardless, Dahl resumes
FarmQA The newest endeavor for Dahl is FarmQA, a scouting software used to manage a large quantity of data in one place, empowering farmers to make better decisions regarding their operations. The FarmQA team is on a mission to help its customers identify problems by giving them the tools and expertise they need to deal with them. “We’re trying to find the balance between customer value and what we can do well that economically makes sense but will also benefit their needs,” Dahl said.
PHOTO BY Hillary Ehlen | BY Kara Lidberg
his optimism. “I think there is going to be tremendous growth in African agriculture as adequate income for farmers comes in, allowing them to invest heavily.” But how can we make those farmers more profitable? Dahl sees drone technology as a major plus. “If I have a field of 160 acres and only 20 of those acres have a disease, I can spray those 20 versus the whole area,” he said, saving the farmer financially, environmentally and chemically. “Fertilizer management and knowing how much I need, at what time and in what spot,” he continued, “allows me to optimize my expenses and therefore, become more profitable.”
The company has found traction in a wide variety of markets, including niche areas like grass seed, hops and even pineapples. “We’ve had a few of our customers switch from the most popular software used,” he added with a smile. “They say it’s our flexibility and ability to tailor our software to exactly what they want.” FarmQA.com
Broadband For All
A
jit Pai, the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, is passionate about broadband access for all. Last month, Chairman Pai visited Grand Farm, 40-acres south of Fargo that aims to be the first fully automated farm. During his talk, Pai talked about his goal of closing the digital divide.
Pai grew up in Parsons, Kansas, a town of about 10,000. It was during his time growing up there that he began to see the importance of reliable broadband to everyone and the impact that will have on rural America. “The high school I graduated from had 110 kids in my class,” Pai said. “I spoke to the graduating class a few years ago and there were 75 or so. That kind of decline is something that really
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Stats About The Digital Divide In urban areas, 97 percent of Americans have access to highspeed fixed service. In rural areas, that number falls to 65 percent. And on Tribal lands, barely 60 percent have access. The Connect America Fund Phase II allocated $1.488 billion to expand broadband to more than 700,000 rural locations in 45 states. The Mobility Fund allocates up to $4.53 billion over the next decade to advance 4G LTE service. In 2018, broadband providers deployed fiber networks to 5.9 million new homes, the largest number ever recorded. The number of Americans lacking a connection of at least 25 Mbps/3 Mbps has dropped from 26.1 million Americans in 2016 to 21.3 million Americans in 2017, a decrease of 18 percent. * Stats according to FCC
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai presented in front of a crowd at Grand Farm south of Fargo. On the right, Barry Batcheller, the president of Appareo, watches Pai speak. Batcheller was the one who challenged Fargo to declare its major, which eventually became Grand Farm.
PHOTO BY Andrew Jason
saddens me as somebody who loves the rural communities that I grew up in and spent time in.” While rural communities have regularly seen more people leaving this decade, there has been a recent shift as rural counties in America have seen an increase in population starting in 2016-2017, according to the USDA. Pai believes that having reliable internet access in rural communities will help prevent the brain drain of small towns.
“I think one of the problems that we see in rural towns, including the town I grew up in, a lot of people perceive their horizons are limited based on where they live because they don’t want to move to bigger cities,” said Pai. That’s why the FCC is so focused on closing the digital divide. In fact, according to a report from the FCC, the number of Americans lacking a connection of at least 25 Mbps/3 Mbps has dropped from 26.1 million
Americans in 2016 to 21.3 million Americans in 2017, a decrease of 18 percent. This reliable internet will give more opportunities to small towns. “There are a lot of good things about living in a rural area,” said Pai. “Many people prefer to live in a rural area but if they can’t do their jobs, can’t raise their families, can’t get high-quality healthcare or do all the other things broadband allows, they’re going to move somewhere else.” However, providing reliable internet isn’t just about providing a livelihood for rural communities. After seeing Grand Farm and agriculture across the midwest, Pai recognizes the importance of precision agriculture as one of the key applications of broadband. “I’m about to set up a precision agriculture taskforce to focus in
parts on these issues because I recognize that agriculture is really one of the great opportunities for transformation in terms of the impact of these digital technologies,” said Pai. “I look forward to learning from folks here at the Grand Farm and around the state for years to come.” And Pai thinks that the potential is just getting tapped in terms of precision agriculture. “As the combination of agriculture and technology really starts to take off here in North Dakota, I think about what it’s going to mean for farms and ranches around the country or world,” said Pai. “It’s an exciting future for those of us who are interested in making sure the food that gets on the table is better, cheaper and more quickly delivered.”
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Skaurud Grain Farms Legacy Shines in the Land, Business and Technology
It’s a short drive from the city but it quickly feels like hundreds of miles away, almost like another part of the world. What you assume is a quiet road is one where it’s not unusual to follow a combine driving along or yield to large trucks full of grain. There are fields of round baled hay as far as the eye can see and fields of corn, wheat and beans just begging to be harvested.
BY Lindsay Paulson
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ith the hustle and bustle of the growing FargoMoorhead area, it’s easy to forget how close we are to one of the busiest, most abundant agricultural production areas of the world, one which may seem slow-paced and simple but which is actually bursting with technology, innovation and hard work around the clock. The Red River Valley is full of areas just like that – small in the number of office buildings, restaurants and apartments, yet large in acreage, production and hours spent in the field by men and women who plant, care for and harvest crops we all enjoy in various forms every day. For many farmers, there’s a certain responsibility that comes with the chosen profession. And while everyone’s story of why they farm is different, many go into the farming business because of family history and legacy, especially in this region. Rooted in Legacy That word: Legacy. It’s a powerful one and one with multiple definitions. One example: something transmitted or received from an ancestor or predecessor, or from the past. For Skaurud Grain Farms (SGF) of Gary, MN, legacy has a similar meaning. The farm was founded in 1962 by Clayton and Phyllis Skaurud, and is now operated by second and third-generation family members, including sons 116
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Perry and Kelly, and grandsons, Evan and Cory, and operations manager, Matt. When thinking back to his desire to join the business 15 years ago, Evan summed it up, highlighting that one special word. “There’s something about carrying on the family legacy, being part of what my grandparents started more than 50 years ago,” he said. Evan’s father, Kelly felt a similar calling to be part of the business and, along with his brother, Perry, formed the SGF partnership in 1977. SGF’s legacy goes beyond the family members and even the traditional meaning of the word itself. It encompasses shared feelings and vision – feelings of pride for the past and a vision that respects the future. The business is committed to carrying this out in two key areas that have helped the farm thrive in the past and will continue to build its future: technology and land stewardship. Early Adopters The SGF team is a big believer in the power and value that precision agriculture technology has on the farm. “We started in the early days with AutoTrac, then variable rate planting, and we’ve continued to implement new technology along the way,” Kelly says. “We’re always trying to be progressive and always looking for new efficiencies.” Efficiency and ROI being the
drivers of their technology solutions, SGF doesn’t just look for the latest-and-greatest for the sake of having it. The team is strategic and thoughtful when exploring new opportunities. “We look at the return a technology can provide,” Evan said. “It goes beyond the obvious time and money savings, we look deeper at things that factor in, like fewer hours on our tractors, less fatigue on our operators and reducing stress for all our team members. All those pieces add up to savings and ROI.” Another key piece to SGF’s technology puzzle is the support the team receives from its partner, RDO Equipment Co. Ag Product Specialist, Ben Hilde, had known the Skauruds for years prior to last summer, when they partnered with him to find a John Deere sprayer with ExactApply precision technology. He has continued to work with them ever since, helping them learn about opportunities and making sure the technology works for them. “They’re early adopters of technology but that doesn’t make them immune to challenges,” Ben said. “What’s great is they’re eager to learn and open to change.” One recent example is when SGF transitioned from John Deere Greenstar™ 3 to Generation 4 displays. While the learning curve regarding the actual displays and controls wasn’t a difficult adjustment, the backend data and working with files posed a challenge; specifically,
We have a strong belief in and are intentional about preserving our environment and protecting the land and surrounding habitats.”
The Evolution of Technology integrating multiple data sources and from a mix of programs and companies. “When farmers have multiple data sets from different sources, it’s common to experience difficulties bringing it all together,” Ben explained. However, Jim Murn, Agronomist for SGF, says part of working with technology is change and a willingness to adapt. “We have to find new ways to look at the same information,” he said. “It can be frustrating, but we rely on data and imagery to be efficient and make the best decisions. We can’t be afraid of changing how we do things or learning new systems.” Linked to the Land For SGF, land stewardship is more than an idea or words – it’s a key focus in nearly every decision made and action taken. “It’s about more than growing quality crops,” Kelly said. “We have a strong belief in and are intentional about preserving our environment and protecting the land and surrounding habitats.” SGF practices methods like cover cropping, erosion control and pollinators. Along with these, technology also plays a role in the Skaurud’s commitment to land stewardship. The company was familiar with precision spraying technology, but it wasn’t until this past summer that the team implemented its first Deere sprayers equipped with ExactApply technology and took another step towards responsible practices.
“The sprayer offers targeted nozzle pressure and individual nozzle control,” Ben said. He further explained, “other sprayers have the ability to control sections of nozzles, but not the control of each individual nozzle that ExactApply offers.”
THEN Precision agriculture was born from the opportunity created by GPS and GNSS. The simple ability for a farmer to know his or her precise position in the field opened the door to possibilities for data collection and analysis.
Not only does this level of precision spraying allow farmers to hit that sweet spot of efficiency – not over-spraying and wasting material yet not underapplying and risking yield loss – it further enhances SGF’s land stewardship mission. “We’re intentional with everything we spray to be sure we’re not over-spraying or risking drift from excess material,” Jim said. “The system gives us greater control of application while tracking all data related to when and what was applied, as well as additional factors like weather.” It’s also used for the team’s stewardship efforts with Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), with both data and imagery used in supporting documentation submitted to NRCS.
NOW The evolution of precision agriculture has gone beyond the equipment in the field. UAVs are one of the newest opportunities farmers are using to scout crops, identify areas of plant stress and apply instant decision-making to minimize yield loss.
“We can prove both our attention to detail and demonstrate our commitment to being responsible in our efforts,” Jim said. Looking Back and Looking Ahead The guys agree it has been fun to see how the industry has evolved over the years. For Jim, one of the most significant changes has come from imagery FARGOINC.COM
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– both satellite and UAV – as it relates to crop scouting, one of his key jobs as an Agronomist.
an autonomous farm looks like – and equally important, what it doesn’t.
“I used to spend a lot of time out in the fields, looking for everything from plant stress and water issues to weeds and pests,” he said. “Now, I can review the imagery and see exactly where problems exist in the field, then focus my time and effort where it’s needed most.”
“No matter how advanced autonomy gets, people are never going to be replaced on the farm,” he said and further explained, “I visualize a farm where the smaller or workhorse machines are autonomous, but there are lead vehicles that still have an operator kind of managing the entire fleet on the farm. I also see key roles like the Agronomist still being crucial, and potential for new roles to be created, those that can help manage the equipment and make sure it’s doing what it should.”
Kelly marvels at the size and scale changes that have taken place, saying, “Everything is bigger. It’s the horsepower, it’s going from eight-row planters back in the day to 24-row seeming huge, to now operating 48-row.” While Evan’s time on the farm has been comparatively shorter, he’s excited to see the industry build on current autonomous technology and the continuous move towards more autonomous farming, even sharing his thoughts on what
While no one can predict for certain what the next five, ten or more years will look like for the agriculture industry, Skaurud Grain Farms can look ahead with confidence that the farm’s legacy will live on and thrive – no matter what changes come.
Learn More Visit RDOequipment.com to learn more about precision agriculture technology and equipment
Jared Hagert Owner of Hagert Farms and Integrated Ag Services
PHOTOS COURTESY OF Jared Hagert | BY Kara Lidberg
Thoughts From the Farm
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ared Hagert is a fourth-generation farmer, with his great grandfather having started their farming operation in 1905 in Emerado, North Dakota. Since childhood, Hagert has been interested in what lays beyond his family’s own farm. “I enjoy all aspects of production agriculture,” Hagert said. “I have had a passion instilled in me from a young age to look beyond the perspective of production and what is needed to improve our operation but others’ situations as well.” Hagert has been influenced greatly by his parents and grandparents. “They were always there to support me and challenge me to strive for the best in whatever I do,” he said. “They helped me improve not simply our farm but the community that surrounds us through activities and services they took part in,” encouraging him to do the same.
Using technology Hagert recognizes that technology has played an important role in his farming operation, using it daily to keep him informed on what is going on with the farm and happening in the world. “I can remember the first system I ever purchased,” Hagert said. “It had audible tones to keep us on track — two beeps signaling us to steer left and three to steer right. It was amazing, and we didn’t have any more pickups in the ditch.” One of the technologies that Hagert thinks affected the farm the most has been autosteer, providing the machine operator with the opportunity to focus on the job rather than concentrating on driving straight. “It’s one of those things that the more you use it, the more uses you find for it,” he added.
There was also elevation mapping that came hand-in-hand with the recording of field operations. By tying elevation and yield maps together, Hagert was able to come up with better plans for upcoming production cycles. The latest technology Hagert believes has become extremely important to the industry is satellite data, allowing farmers to prioritize field operations. “This past year, the technology even helped us track new chemistry opportunities that we used on our wheat crop,” he said. “It was visibly different within 10 days of application and show up all the way through harvest.” This chemistry gave Hagert’s farm a 10 bushel-per-acre advantage. “Without the satellite data, we would’ve had to wait until post-harvest to see the difference,” he continued. “With the data, we were able to go out and put boots on the ground before harvest.” Hagert also added that he would be remiss not to mention cellular technology. “The amount of data and communication ability that is at our fingertips is mind-blowing,” he said.
What makes North Dakota unique? Hagert believes that living and working in North Dakota is a privilege. “Production agriculture in this state allows you to be very flexible in your farming operation,” he said. “There are quite a few crops that can be raised, and they all present their own unique opportunities.” He also thinks that North Dakota is extremely unique regarding utilizing technology. “We are a state that is full of early adopters and people that value cutting-edge capabilities,” he said. “I value the opportunities I have to interact with others in this space that are farther ahead of where I am at.” With North Dakota’s innovation, Hagert also places high importance in connecting with decision-makers throughout the nation to discuss what is happening in his own state. “Sharing what is happening in North Dakota with people in a different environment and point in the supply loop is necessary,” Hagert added. “Communication is key.”
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Growing to feed the world As the population swells, the agricultural community is under pressure to increase its production, and Hagert believes that as farmers grow in the ag-tech space, sustainability should be the focus. “If we look at the issue soberly,” he said, “it’s not about increasing yields. It’s about increasing what is needed — a denser nutritional bundle in soybeans and other crops.” Hagert went on to explain how in the past, producers have chased bushels because that’s how they would be profitable. “Most of the yield increases that we have gained in the last 30 years have been by increasing carbohydrates,” he said, adding that if the agtech industry utilized farm data to help shift this trend, producers could better understand what the end-user actually needs. Understanding that farmers get paid in pounds of grain produced, Hagert would love to see a shift to be paid for the nutrient bundle instead, encouraging a denser end product. “It isn’t a revolutionary process but an evolutionary one,” he continued. “We need to produce what is valued and be compensated on that level, helping with the end goal of feeding everyone on the planet and continuing sustainability.”
Integrated Ag Services In addition to his own farming operation, Jared Hagert owns Integrated Ag Services, a North Dakota-based seed conditioning and precision agriculture company that grew from Hagert Seed. “My parents started Hagert Seed in 1993, which was a tough year for farmers in North Dakota because of the major amount of rain that summer,” he began. However, there was a silver lining in those stormclouds: the seed plant. “My dad installed a gravity table in the plant — a machine that operates on the theory of specific gravity,” Hagert said. “It was able to clean the bad seeds out of the good seeds, providing a service to surrounding farmers to be profitable even with the added cleaning expense.” Along with his wife Brandie, Hagert purchased the business from his parents in 2007. As they grew the company, however, they quickly realized that it wasn’t just about seed and being a service provider anymore. “There were more layers to this onion,” Hagert exclaimed. In 2015, the Hagerts decided to purchase a plot of land and move their business from the farmyard to the intersection of highways 15 and 18, eight miles north of Hatton and six miles east of Northwood. “We felt that by providing seed conditioning services, we could also provide another opportunity for local producers to look at as well as a service that dealt more specifically with precision agriculture,” Hagert said, noting the reason for the name change from Hagert Seed to Integrated Ag Services. “We brought in a Certified Crop Advisor to bolster our agronomic insight and help handle the needs of our existing customer base,” he continued, “feeling like that would help in the long run.”
Hagert recognized that he would only get a few chances to develop something that can genuinely make a positive impact on the lives of others as well as their own and placed a high level of importance on these business changes. “We have a deep-rooted respect for North Dakota agriculture,” he said, speaking about his family, “and we want to make sure we can augment that in whatever way possible.” In regard to the business, Hagert believes that one of the major drivers of growth has been the shift of the soybean production area north and west in the United States. “This has provided us with the opportunity to condition more soybeans for seed and for farmers to plant a crop that has been in high demand worldwide,” he said. Striving to put the best options on the table for producers, Integrated Ag Services has been partnering with seed and chemical companies to do trials that will aid in their decision making. “We felt strongly about wanting to provide a data point within our region in order to help in the development of products that work well here,” Hagert said. As the company moves through the production season, the team maintains contact with those seed companies as well as customers to aid in preparation for the upcoming season. “We value our customers’ input and what they are seeing with our products — both the good and bad,” Hagert continued, “and the most rewarding aspect is that we can interact on behalf of our customers in discussions with the seed companies. The business is operating as the middle-man, providing feedback, fostering partnerships that last and hopefully delivering long-term benefits to the ag sector. “It’s truly a give-and-take from all parties involved.” Learn more at IntegratedAgND.com
Tell us briefly about what you do and your journey. By title, I lead an amazing communications team who help create transparency within our organization. We use a lot of creativity and new ideas to help people connect with our vision and with one another. I also lead an incredibly talented administrative services team who keep CoreLink connected through day-to-day functions that are vital to our organization’s success. I also serve as the executive assistant for CoreLink’s CEO and Vice President of Information Technology. This part of my role allows me the unique opportunity to keep a pulse on what’s happening strategically so I can infuse that information into the other areas of my work. Putting my title aside, I think the main purpose I serve at CoreLink is to keep people connected – to themselves, to our work and to each other. I love bringing people together for the betterment of their personal and professional goals.
CoreLink Manager, Communications & Administrative Services
Nicole Turchin 126
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BY LAURA CAROON AND DANYEL MOE HILLARY EHLEN
What top 3 pieces of content would you recommend to Ladybosses?
How would you define your leadership style? I want people to know they are supported and cared for. The people we work with are first and foremost, humans. They have families and friends, joy and sadness and incredibly full lives. As leaders, we need to recognize that in order to retain top talent, we need to allow people the opportunity to balance their lives. We need to support the whole human, not just the working professional. We need to show empathy, kindness and compassion, and we need to do it every single day. It’s our responsibility to connect people to what inspires them, and I love doing that. As a leader, I’m also not going to tell people what they want to hear because it’s the easy option. I’m going to have tough conversations with people and it’s because I care about them. If I feel, as a team, we’re not stepping outside of our comfort zone enough – perhaps we’re pushing “the easy button” on a few things – I’m going to challenge our status quo. I’m going to push people just a little bit further than they think they can go because I know they can get there. How has your leadership style changed throughout the years of managing a team? What do you wish you had known day one? I’m no longer embarrassed to admit that I used to think being a leader meant being stoic. I had an imprint in my mind of what a “traditional boss” looked like and while I never
felt comfortable there, it was hard to step outside that. In 2017, our yellow lab, Josephine, died and it changed me both as a person and a leader. I worried about how my team would see me if they saw me emotional in the office. I didn’t want them to see me as human because I didn’t want them to think I was weak. When I came into CoreLink after losing her, the outpouring of love I received from colleagues brought me to tears. In hindsight, that milestone in my life made me a stronger leader. It showed I have emotion, I have pain and I can accept compassion. It was really a turning point for how I lead and I have the people of CoreLink to thank for that. The love they showed me gave me the bravery to encourage others to be themselves. It’s a true gift that I received and that I’m now able to give. What do Ladybosses need now more than ever? Calm. We need to manage the busy out of our lives to allow ourselves to reflect, relax and unwind. It is so vitally important that we secure our oxygen mask before helping others, and so often, I see the exact opposite happening. It’s not okay to take care of others at the expense of ourselves. When I meet with people and I hear they are busy, I ask, “Why are you so busy?” And then I challenge them to take something off their plate. It’s a small step, but it helps bring the calm we so desperately need.
I’m a book reader and my all-time favorite book is The Last Lecture written by Randy Pausch and Jeffrey Zaslow. Randy also has a lecture on YouTube called “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams” that I absolutely love.
I’m currently enjoying Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain. I’m finding it to be a great book about dialoguing, listening and taking a step back.
I’m also addicted to any video produced by SoulPancake (you can find them on YouTube). They are easy to watch and easy to share! 128
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2RecentBChaIGnges at the U.S. Patent and Trade Office
F
ederal enforcement agency is giving trademark holders a strong message: Use and be able to prove usage of your trademark or ‘lose it’
BY Cynthia Moyer and Michael Raum
Many of our clients find themselves in trouble when they start taking their trademarks for granted. During the hustle and bustle of running a business, it’s easy to forget that trademarks that aren’t used can be abused by competitors and ultimately lost entirely if they’re not used frequently enough, with evidence provided as required by the federal enforcement agency. To prove use, the U.S. Trademark Office requires that owners file “specimens” or examples of use of the mark. In July 2019, the Trademark Office announced it would be implementing new rules clarifying what would constitute an acceptable specimen to demonstrate use on goods.
Cynthia Moyer
Michael Raum
Fredrikson & Byron Attorney Cindy Moyer actively partners with business clients, working to develop and protect their trademarks, copyrights and other rights. She is based in Minneapolis and works with her colleagues in Fargo and their clients on a regular basis. She can be reached at cmoyer@fredlaw.com.
Fredrikson & Byron Attorney Michael Raum focuses his practice on commercial law, with a specific emphasis on tax matters. He works with public and privately-held companies on business transactions, including structuring, financing and advising on general corporate matters. He can be reached at mraum@fredlaw.com.
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First, if a screenshot from a website is submitted, the Trademark Office will require an image of the website that clearly shows the web site URL or the print date. This change is intended to curb the submission of digitally altered images. Second, if an image of the goods themselves or their packaging is submitted, the specimen must show the trademark placed on the goods, the
containers or packaging or on labels affixed to the goods. Thus, a shipping label, for example, will no longer be acceptable, unless it is affixed to the goods. Likewise, a hangtag must be affixed to the goods to be acceptable. (Hang tags are labels attached to pieces of merchandise that include a variety of information, such as the name of the designer or manufacturer, care instructions or the fabric or material used for an item.) These new requirements are expected to become effective in October 2019.
STATS This year the Trademark Office intends to double the number of trademark registrations it audits, bringing the number of audits to
5,000 In
51%
of the registrations selected for audit in the pilot program, the trademark owners failed to supply the additional verified proof of use.
USPTO Adopts a More Aggressive Audit Program If you are a trademark owner with registrations that identify multiple goods/ services in a single class, you need to be prepared to prove use for all the goods/ services listed if you get selected for the random audit. This year, the Trademark Office intends to double the number of trademark registrations it audits, bringing the number of audits to 5,000. Prior to this rule change, the US Patent and Trademark Office conducted a two-year pilot program, randomly selecting 500 trademark registrations. The owners of the selected registrations were required to submit proof of use for additional goods/services per class in addition to the required one specimen per class and to verify use of the mark with the additional goods/services. In 51 percent of the registrations selected for audit in the pilot program, the trademark owners failed to supply the additional verified proof of use. Specifically, the owners of 35 percent of the registrations selected for audit asked that the USPTO delete certain goods/ services that the owners had initially claimed were in use with the mark. And 16
percent of the registrations were canceled because the owners failed to respond to the requirement for additional proof (or due to other issues raised). The Trademark Office audits the accuracy of claims made by registrants in their post-registration maintenance filings made between the fifth and sixth years after registration, and every 10 years after registration. If a registration is selected for audit, the owner will be required to submit proof of use of the mark in connection with additional goods and/or services in the registration (in addition to what has already been submitted). Audited registrations with unsubstantiated claims may be canceled in whole or in part. A registrant will learn if it is selected for a random audit by the issuance of a postregistration Office Action. The registrant will then have six months to respond to the audit, but if the registrant ignores the Office Action, the registration will be canceled. If the registrant responds to the audit by deleting any goods and/or services, the registrant will receive a second Office Action that will require the registrant to submit proof of use of all remaining goods and services. Thus, when filing a maintenance or renewal document, it is extremely important to review all the goods and services in a registration, and to confirm that the mark is actually in use with all of them. If it is not, those goods and services must be deleted. We have handled a number of postregistration audits already this year and it looks like they will become more and more common. By providing the correct specimens and making sure all related goods and services are included in your trademark registration, you’ll save significant amounts of time and money. And you won’t offend your trademarks by taking them for granted. FARGOINC.COM
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BOOK EXCERPT
“A GUIDE TO SERVANT LEADERSHIP” by Erik Hatch AN EXCERPT FROM
E
rik Hatch, the owner of Hatch Realty and Hatch Coaching, is passionate about leadership. After a career of starting businesses and leading people, Hatch has put what he’s learned down into words in his new book “A Guide To Servant Leadership.” Read the exclusive excerpt here.
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SERVANT LEADERSHIP IN ACTION Servant leadership is often talked about yet rarely demonstrated. I try to improve on it daily, but I still feel like a novice in this journey because I see the ultimate example in Jesus Christ and how he lived his life. Most days, I’m left staring at two sides of a pendulum: one side is grace; the other is the hard edge of business. If I’m trying to figure out how to be the best servant leader I can possibly be, I have to understand that it can mean making tough decisions that don’t necessarily sit well with everyone. I’m learning that both grace and authority should exist in the workplace. It’s not
About The Author Erik Hatch is an entrepreneur, public speaker, social media junkie, do-gooder and servant leader. He has built 18 businesses (and counting) in the last six years. From real estate to coaching, marketing to the nonprofit sector and more, Erik is passionate about building businesses and people.
Check out Erik’s radio show (Real Estate Radio) every Sunday morning on The Mighty 790, KFGO.
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a problem; it’s a polarity. Grace doesn’t cease to exist because authority is necessary (and vice versa). Rather, these two coexist in harmony — even though they’re sometimes seen as polar opposites of each other. A servant leader struggles knowing that someone or a small group won’t benefit. Intrinsically, this is tough. But it’s part of the responsibility we have to those in our care. Servant leaders have the ability to zoom in, analyze up close what’s best for the person and then zoom out to see what the consequences are for the whole team. We sometimes wrongly think that, as a servant, it’s always our duty to help every individual person, to lie down for them whenever they ask. But
we can’t take “being a servant” so literally. To serve does not mean letting someone walk all over you. I’ve been close to that line; I’ve let the pendulum swing too far toward grace, and people have taken advantage of situations. I can’t just do what’s right for one person when my responsibility is to see the entire puzzle. My job is to piece together everything. Consider why parents discipline their kids. They love them enough to discipline them because addressing problematic behavior is important to the entire family. Similarly, servant leaders bring grace and love. They also maintain that edge in order to act for the benefit of the entire team.
Your Hardest Working Employee is
WHAT IS GOOGLE DOING FOR YOU? Map Pack Local Finder Google Maps Localized Organic
Its tedious, hard work, but the rewards are bountiful.
HOW?
While you’re focusing on your outbound market and awareness, Google is busy funneling leads to what possible channels you have either set up or their artificial intelligence (AI) has been able to dig up.
By Simon Andrys, Creative Director
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TOOLS & RESOURCES Consider this an opportunity to think about Google as a new employee, and ask yourself basic questions like: • What do they need to do their job to the best of their abilities? • How should we invest in our new employee’s future? • What do they need to learn about my company? • What is their day-to-day work schedule? • How often do I need to check in to gauge expectations?
WHO?
If you have a physical location, your company needs to focus on the power of Google My Business. Assuming you serve a general geographical location, you need to make sure that you can be found within at least a 75-mile radius. Google has done a great job of gathering what resources you have available on your website, Facebook and other channels but this is your opportunity to claim your profile and build a robust profile and help your potential customers stay in the know.
TAKEAWAYS
Localized Organic Factors
* According to Moz.com
Link Signals 27.9%
Citation Signals 8.4%
On Page Signals 26%
Personalization 7.3%
Behavioral Signals 11.5%
Review Signals 6.5%
Google My Business Signals 8.9%
Social Signals 3.5%
Inbound anchor text, linking domain authority, linking domain quantity, etc.
Presence of NAP, keywords in titles, domain authority, etc.
Click-through rate, mobile clicks to call, check-ins, etc.
Proximity, categories, keyword in business title, etc.
JYP/aggregator NAP consistency, citation volume, etc.
Review quantity, review veolicty, review diversity, etc.
Google engagement, Facebook engagement, Twitter engagement, etc.
WHY?
Blame that light-up brick in your pocket for the surge in Local SEO. According to Statista, since 2016, Google has been reporting over 50 percent of its searches occur on mobile devices. Also, in April of this year, Google rolled out a new penalty for websites that aren’t mobile-friendly — sites even with great on-page SEO disappeared from the first page and were even deemed irrelevant. It’s fair to say that search results aren’t entirely keyword-based anymore, they’re entity-based, which means that the best way to market your business is to get back to grassroots marketing. Not only does Google work for you non-stop, but it’s your all-encompassing marketing platform. If you give your Business Page the necessary attention on a reoccurring basis, you will see the results of an administrative employee working an 80-hour workweek.
WHAT?
VERTICALS & PROXIMITY As seen above, Google has multiple ways for your potential customers to find you, and the results all depend on the things and places in proximity to your device. And just like what works in one city won’t necessarily work everywhere: what works in one vertical, doesn’t always work in another. LOCATION HISTORY Android devices, Google Maps and other Google products are tracking your location history. That means that they will cater to searches, results and ads based on your AI-learned schedule and physical GPS location. This algorithm should encourage you to harness your Google My Business Page, to keep it up-to-date and encourage reoccurring visits through content or events. QUALITY VISIT SCORES This is a new patent obtained by Google to rank businesses based on the number and frequency of repeat visits by users.
TRY TO FIND YOURSELF Search for your type of services in your physical location, then try it at home. Now, search your services at the grocery store or gym — you may have only traveled a cummulative of 10 miles, but you’ll find that the results are drastically different from West Fargo to Moorhead. That’s how hyper-localized Google has become. FIND YOUR RESOURCES Take a meeting with a local SEO expert. In your meeting, you can expect to receive some guidance about where your company is lacking and ways to improve your Google My Business Page. This is your opportunity to dig into the best ways to dip into Google AdWords and learn about the best ways create a few awareness or engagement campaigns. This is just another way to automate your marketing and make the internet work for you.
spotlightmediafargo.com
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MARKETING
CORNER
STAND OUT From The Competition
"We have a great product (and/or service), a market with healthy demand, talented employees and a strategic business plan. Why aren't we occupying a larger share of the market?" It's time to sit back and ask yourself, "Are we standing out from the competition?" Standing out from the competition is critical to your company's success. While most people understand that concept, far too many businesses fail to put it into practice.
By Tommy Uhlir, Digital Marketing Specialist
1. FIND A NICHE While demand may be healthy, is your market too saturated? Is your audience too broad? By focusing on a niche, you open yourself up to the opportunity to cure the pain points of an untapped or less saturated market.
2. KNOW AUDIENCE’S PAIN POINTS
3. CURE AUDIENCE’S PAIN POINTS
The most successful businesses aren’t necessarily the ones with the highest-quality product or service.
Once you’ve gained a deep understanding of your audience’s pain points, you can create a product or service no one else can. A product or service your audience DEPENDS ON YOU to provide.
It’s the ones with the deepest understanding of their target audience’s pain points that create products and services their audience TRULY need.
Moreover, you can provide a level of customer service no one else can. This is the heartbeat of customer loyalty.
4. INTELLIGENT, OMNI-CHANNEL MARKETING STRATEGY You can’t simply market a product or service. You market your unique solution(s) to your customers’ unique pain points. With a targeted, multichannel, content-driven marketing strategy, you present memorable, relevant, action-inspiring experiences to those who need it. Those who will become loyal customers.
About Spotlight Spotlight is the parent company of Fargo INC! and has a marketing division that has everything you need from magazine publications, video production, multichannel advertising, performance-driven marketing strategies and project management to help you compete and grow. We are more than a service, we are your dedicated marketing and creative team.
spotlightmediafargo.com
How can I assess the performance of my business?
I
n my role with the North Dakota Small Business Development Centers (NDSBDC), I have the privilege of working every day with founders of ND small businesses in our region. A common question I hear is, “How can I assess the performance of my business?” My answer is, “Start by looking at your financial statements.”
But what role does each of these financial statements play? How are they related? And how can you interpret and use the data to make better financial, investment and management decisions for your business? Let’s start with an overview of the three basic financial statements.
The Income Statement Think of the income statement as a performance report card. It’s a useful tool for providing an overview of how your business is performing over time. It breaks down revenue or income generated, direct and fixed expenses incurred and profitability over a period of time.
By Paul Smith ND, SBDC
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Many small business owners are quick to refer to their income statement (or profit and loss statement), and that’s a good starting point. However, the P&L can provide only limited perspective. To have a more holistic view of the business, one needs to consider the other two basic financial statements: the balance sheet and cash flow statement. Together, these three basic financial statements can provide a more complete view of an organization’s financial situation.
The Balance Sheet Think of the balance sheet as a window into your business’s financial strength. Unlike the income statement, the balance sheet summarizes key financial information on a given date. It lists your business assets (what you own), liabilities (what you owe) and owner equity (what’s left over for the owners) or the “book value” of the business. It’s a good indicator of company stability and liquidity, which are both important factors in determining your business’s ability to sustain itself without outside financing. The basic accounting equation Assets = Liabilities + Owner’s Equity The Cash Flow Statement The cash flow statement is the often neglected but critical link between the income statement
and balance sheet and answers the question, “Does your business have sufficient cash to stay afloat?” While the income statement shows business performance over a period of time, and the balance sheet tells you about your overall financial health at a particular point, the cash flow statement tells you how much money (from operations, investing and financing) is moving into and out of your business during a given month. If there is more cash in the bank at the end of the month than when you started, your business is cash flow positive. If you have less cash at the end of the month, your business had negative cash flow. For example, if you received $15,000 in cash from your customers last month and paid out $10,000, your total cash flow would be $5,000.
The basic formula Cash Flow = Cash Received - Cash Paid Out More businesses fail because of cash flow issues than for any other reason. Your business can be profitable yet still have cash flow problems. For example, I work with a client who owns a service business, which looks profitable on the P&L statement but has to wait 30-60 days to get paid by its customers. That money owed for services provided will be listed as accounts receivable on the balance sheet, and until a receivable has been paid and gets converted into cash, the money can’t be used to purchase more inventory, buy equipment or pay employees. That’s why it’s possible for companies to grow themselves right out of business. The faster a company grows, the more working capital is needed. Cash truly is the lifeblood of any business. With a basic understanding of the three financial statements, we can do some basic financial statement analysis. The purpose
is to identify patterns or trends over time and understand the relationship among the various accounts in order to make better operational, financial and investing decisions. This analysis includes: 1. Internal trends analysis ••Horizontal analysis – The actual or percentage change from the previous to current period. »Steps: » • Calculate change: Current – previous • Divide by previous – Amount of change/ previous »Examples: » • Income statement: Change in sales, COGS, gross profit margin, expenses, net income • Balance sheet: Change in AR, inventory, AP, current liabilities, longterm debt, retained earnings ••Vertical analysis – The percentage analysis of the relationship of each component in a financial statement to a total within a
statement »For » the balance sheet, the percentages are computed as follows: • Each asset item is stated as a percent of total assets • Each liability and stockholders’ equity item is stated as a percent of total liabilities and stockholders liabilities • Component account/total = % • Example: Accounts receivable as % of total assets »For » the income statement, each item is stated as a percent of sales • Account/sales = % • Example: Gross profit margin as % of sales 2. Financial ratios – Financial ratios are used to measure solvency, profitability, efficiency and risk in a business. Below are some common ratios, which can be calculated using numbers on the income statement and balance sheet. ••Current ratio: Shows how many dollars in current assets for every dollar in current liabilities. »CR » = Current assets/ current liabilities ••Quick ratio: Similar to current ratio but includes only those assets that can be converted to cash immediately (excludes inventory and prepaids). »QR » = Quick assets/ current liabilities ••Working capital: Used to evaluate a company’s ability to pay its current liabilities. WC = Current assets/current liabilities ••Accounts receivable turnover: Measures how frequently during the year the AR is being converted to cash. »AR » Turn = Sales/
average AR ••Inventory turnover: The relationship between the volume of goods sold and inventory. »Inventory » Turn = Cost of goods sold/average inventory ••Sales to assets: Measures how effectively a company uses its assets. »Sales » to assets = Sales/ total assets ••Return on investment: »Net » profit (before tax)/ net worth ••Debt-to-worth: Represents a comparison of company financing provided by lender investors compared to financing provided by owner investors. »Debt-to-worth » = Total liabilities/net worth As important as it is to spot trends, it can be even more important to forecast and budget future revenue, expenses and cash flow so you can anticipate when your business might need additional capital to fund seasonal fluctuations, purchase inventory to support sales growth or buy a new piece of equipment. You can then plan ahead and talk with your lender about obtaining a commercial loan or line of credit to ensure your business has sufficient cash when it needs it. About Paul Smith is Center Director of the ND Small Business Development Centers – Fargo. He was also named 2019 State Star for the organization. The ND SBDC assists each year more than 1,000 ND small business owners across the state to start, manage and grow their businesses. The SBDC provides free, confidential business advising, technical assistance and training in a wide range of areas. The Fargo Center is located in the NDSU Research and Technology Park Incubator. To register for services, visit their website: ndsbdc.org
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BY Adrienne Olson, Kilbourne Group PHOTO COURTESY OF Kilbourne Group
Using
OPPORTUNITY
ZONES
to Strengthen our Communities
A
s a multi-disciplinary, passionate team dedicated to the redevelopment of downtown Fargo, we are never short on big ideas. We’ve experienced the deep sense of gratification that comes from bringing a treasured historic building back to life. We find it easy to imagine every surface parking lot as a multistory mixed-use building full of people living, working and enjoying this vibrant downtown neighborhood. In a way, the vision is the easy part. But nothing happens without adequate capital behind each idea. In the world of real estate, small Midwest cities – no matter how incredible they are – are not the first places that come to mind for institutional investors looking for low-risk, high-reward investment opportunities. The creation of the Qualified Opportunity Zone program in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 has provided a new tool
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for attracting investment capital from all corners of the country to our part of the world. This new tax law is designed to incentivize the reinvestment of an estimated $6.1 trillion in private, unrealized capital gains into designated low-income communities nationwide. From Urban Land Institute: Here is how it works: if a taxpayer sells an appreciated asset, such as stock, real estate, or some other capital asset, that taxpayer is normally liable for payment of a capital gains tax of up to 20 percent. Under the new tax law, the taxpayer may now defer payment of this capital gains tax liability by reinvesting it in a “qualified opportunity fund” (QOF) within 180 days of the sale. If the QOF invests its capital in a [Qualified Opportunity Zone] for at least 10 years, the taxpayer/ investor will have received a 15 percent tax break on the
initial amount invested and the investor’s share of capital profits in the QOF will be treated as 100 percent tax-free. The program doesn’t put public funds into projects; instead it incentivizes private funds to be invested into locations in the United States that need them. There are 25 designated Opportunity Zone tracts in North Dakota, many of which cover our downtowns across the state and all of which meet the federal government’s definition of low income. In Fargo, the zones were identified by City staff through Census tract data, put forth by the Mayor, then approved by the Governor’s office. The Great Plains Opportunity Zone Fund (GPOZF) is one of many being created across the state. Sponsored by Kilbourne, LLC, the GPOZF will be dedicated to Opportunity Zone eligible real estate development primarily in downtown Fargo and other urban areas in the Great Plains. Thinking of starting one in your community? Start with the needs and desires of your community. In Fargo, we have a head-start with multiple citizen-driven comprehensive plans that layout an exciting community vision. These plans drive our development decisions. The Opportunity Zone program should be paired with the goals of a community to ensure the development creates a positive impact. Identify the characteristics of your community and your project that would make it attractive to an investor. What are your thriving economic centers that create strong jobs that attract and retain residents and opportunities for growth? Accurately assess your construction, development
and maintenance costs, as well as the support or resistance you’ll receive from your city government and surrounding neighborhoods. Determine that demand exists for the space you will create. Create fully vetted, shovel-ready projects. A pro-forma will tell a bank what it needs to know to decide whether a project should be financed. The vetting process will flesh out risks and tailwinds, such as competing development, market trends, expectations for lease-up, rent levels and effect on the neighborhood. How does your project create value in your community? Plan for the long run. Because the Opportunity Zone program requires a 10-year holding period, what is your plan for caring for the project and its tenants for years to come? Promote your community and projects to investors. One of Kilbourne Group’s key performance indicators to judge the impact of our work and the health of our neighborhood is the count of people walking on the sidewalks. We’ve watched this grow year after year, telling us that more and more people are enjoying what downtown Fargo has to offer. We are often reminded when we are in other parts of the country attempting to attract capital investors to downtown Fargo that our sidewalk traffic is uncommon and impressive. Downtown Fargo has a seemingly endless variety of unique, local shops and fabulous places to grab a drink and a bite to eat. These local businesses are quite special. Make it a point to support them in your community. They are what makes your community unique, creating an environment that keeps people living there and attracts newcomers.
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O C T- N OV
BUSINESS EVENTS
2019 CALENDAR
Fargo, Moorhead & Dilworth Events
OCTOBER 11 Live2Lead
Friday, October 11 from 7 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
The beauty of John C. Maxwell’s Live2Lead Simulcast is that attendees can learn from world-class leaders who are presenting via video at a fraction of what it would cost to attend a live event. In addition, attendees will meet and network with other like-minded leaders in the community. growingforward.ticketspice.com/ live2leadfm-2019 Prairie Heights Community Church
OCTOBER 1 The Route to Removing Barriers for Employment: United Way Workforce Transportation Project Tuesday, Oct. 1 from 7:30 - 9 a.m.
With nearly 20,000 jobs, the Fargo Industrial Park is an important driver for the local, regional and statewide economy. One consistent barrier was the lack of reliable public transportation, which hadn’t been available since the 1990s…until now. Through an innovative collaborative effort among United Way of Cass-Clay, MATBUS, the City of Fargo and private businesses and investors, an on-demand bus service via TapRide technology launched in August. Join the Chamber to learn about the genesis of this collaboration and how United Way is working collaboratively to increase access and remove barriers so more people can access good jobs, and employers can fill their workforce needs. fmwfchamber.com DoubleTree by Hilton & West Fargo Conference Center
319 32nd Ave. E, West Fargo
Thoughts from the experts
"You can stream great presentations at any time, but you learn more when you discuss the message with someone who hears it at the same time. Check out Live2Lead. You’ll enjoy the caliber of the simulcast speakers, but the bonus value comes from the conversations you’ll have with the other attendees." Anita Hoffarth, co-owner of Reach Partners * Reach Partners helps organizations hold stand-out events and manage successful projects. reachpartnersinc.com
825 East Beaton D, West Fargo
OCTOBER 9 Building Cohesive Teams: A Roadmap to Effective Teamwork in Today's Workplace Wednesday, Oct. 9 from 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
In today’s high-paced and diverse workplace, many leaders, teams and organizations find it difficult to effectively work together and execute on their projects and strategic plans. This workshop builds on Patrick Lencioni’s Five Behaviors of Cohesive Teams. In this interactive one-hour session, you will receive a roadmap and practical advice on how to improve organizational results by building truly cohesive and effective teams in your business. fmwfchamber.com Holiday Inn
OCTOBER 9 Possibility Symposium on Social Business Wednesday, Oct. 9 from 3:30 - 7 p.m.
Join the Bush Foundation, Minnesota State University Moorhead and Emerging Prairie for the fourth annual Possibility Symposium on Social Business. Social entrepreneurs are applying business models to solve unique social challenges in our communities every day. These entrepreneurs are developing and implementing solutions that focus on social, cultural or environmental issues. emergingprairie.com/possibilitysymposium-on-social-business MSUM Comstock Memorial Union
OCTOBER 15 Design & Clients: The Horror Tuesday, Oct. 15 from 5:30 - 6:30 p.m.
This is a spooky, Halloween edition of design and where we share our scariest client horror stories and eat candy corn until we explode. This event is 4 of 8 in the Made from Concentrate series Design & — a meetup where craft and designers intersect. madefromc.com Historic Dakota Business College 11 8th St. S. 2nd Floor, Fargo
615 14th St. S, Moorhead
3803 13th Ave. S, Fargo FARGOINC.COM
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CALENDAR
Fargo, Moorhead & Dilworth Events OCTOBER 17 Business After Hours - October 2019
Voices of Vision 2019
Business After Hours continues to set records as the region's largest networking event. Booth space is often sold out, and attendees can connect with their peers and exhibitors ranging from cell phone companies to financial institutions and more. Join the Chamber for a great time over apps, networking and fun! This month is sponsored by Spotlight, Fargo INC's parent company. fmwfchamber.com Hilton Garden Inn
This year marks the 10th anniversary of The Chamber's Voices of Vision event, and they're pulling out all the stops for an incredible event. Coming to Fargo to share his legendary story and inspirational message with you is none other than Peyton Manning, NFL legend and philanthropist, entrepreneur, spokesman, host and author. fmwfchamber.com Sanford Health Athletic Complex
Thursday, Oct. 17 from 4:30 - 6:30 p.m.
4351 17th Ave. S, Fargo
OCTOBER 21 Worksite Wellness Summit Monday, Oct. 21 from 8 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
“Start a Movement” to cultivate employee health by attending the 2019 Worksite Wellness Summit. Four inspiring speakers will share fresh ideas on how to integrate employee well-being strategies into your workplace: Patty de Vries, Sarah Nikle, Dr. Jill Nelson and Kat Perkins. 2019worksitewellnesssummit. eventbrite.com Holiday Inn 3803 13th Ave. S, Fargo
OCTOBER 15 Chamber 101: Connect. Engage. Maximize. Tuesday, Oct. 15 from 4 - 4:45 p.m. and Thursday, Oct. 17 from 9 - 9:45 a.m.
If you’re not familiar with The Chamber, are a new member, new contact, new hire or just want to re-engage with them, this session is for you! Chamber 101 is a laid-back discussion designed to share some of the great benefits of Chamber membership and what opportunities exist that you need to know. No need to dress in business attire; they welcome you to come as you are! fmwfchamber.com The Chamber office 202 First Ave. North, Moorhead
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OCTOBER 25 Integrated Leadership: How to Use Mindfulness Practices to Lead with Intention Friday, Oct. 25 from 3:30 - 5 p.m.
This session will explore the attributes of Midwest leaders and has the potential to inform your leadership practice from the inside out. You will learn to build the case for viewing life and livelihood as integrated elements, human resource development and policy implications that build connectedness to organizational mission, vision and values. You’ll also learn how to develop your inner life as a way to nurture the attributes of integrity, respect, compassion and being nonjudgmental as well as consider organizational initiatives that see things whole and seek ways to respect the unique needs among employees. fmwfchamber.com Women Connect- Delta by Marriott 1635 42nd St. South, Fargo
NOVEMBER 5 Design & Branding
Tuesday, Nov. 5 from 7:30 - 8:30 a.m.
What makes a brand memorable? Join Made from Concentrate to chat about the ins and outs of branding, why it’s more than just a logo and the impact branding can have on organizations, products and people. madefromc.com Historic Dakota Business College 11 8th St. S. 2nd Floor, Fargo
Tuesday, Nov. 5 from 12 - 1:30 p.m. 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM CST
1300 17th Ave N, Fargo
NOVEMBER 12 ACTIVATE Your Financials: Financial Review and Forecasting
Tuesday, Nov. 12 from 11:45 a.m. - 1:15 p.m.
Dakota Business Lending has started its very own FREE “Activate Women” learning workshop series - Activate Your Financials: Financial Review and Forecasting. Learn from entrepreneurs throughout the community and dive into perhaps one of the most crucial aspects of your business: your human resources. dakotabusinesslending.com Dakota Business Lending 5630 36th Ave. S, Fargo
NOVEMBER 13 Elevate IT
Wednesday, Nov. 13
Today’s world is more integrated than ever. But navigating the ever-changing technology realm is a challenge. That’s where True IT comes in. Kick back and let them showcase the latest and greatest technology trends. Watch demos to see how they can use tech to leverage human capital. Speak with their trusted partners. Chat with their team. Share pain points and solutions with like-minded peers. And strategize to build a better business with technology that works! trueit.com/elevate Courtyard Marriott 1080 28th Ave. S, Moorhead
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BUSINESS EVENTS
CALENDAR OCTOBER 2 Small Business Committee Meeting
Wednesday, Oct. 2 from 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
The purpose of this event is to provide value to the Chamber’s small business members through educational, programming and other small business services by working with SBA, SCORE and other small business programs. gochamber.org Ramada by Wyndham Grand Forks 1205 N 43rd St, Grand Forks
OCTOBER 8 Agribusiness Committee Meeting Tuesday, Oct. 8 at 7:30 a.m.
The purpose of this meeting is to promote agriculture and its importance in the region. Some of the goals include: Continue to grow the annual Farm Appreciation Banquet. Work on agriculture education in the community. Recruit monthly speakers to discuss agriculture issues at meetings. Research and develop policy positions on agribusiness issues. City to farm tour. gochamber.org Ramada by Wyndham Grand Forks 1205 N 43rd St, Grand Forks
OCTOBER 8 SHARPHub SourceLink Resource Partner Meeting Tuesday, Oct. 8 from 10 a.m. - noon
With the help of the SHARPHub grant, the University of North Dakota Center for Innovation embarks on the second year of a five year state life science commercialization grant. In order to provide entrepreneurs and innovators crucial resources for life science commercialization, SHARPHub has teamed up with Sourcelink to help organize a resource database for the grant’s five-state region (Oklahoma, Nebraska, Kansas, South Dakota and North Dakota). The Center for Innovation is hosting a meeting with Sourcelink to launch their work on the online, searchable database of life science entrepreneurial resources. At the meeting, Sourcelink staff will learn more about the services you provide, facilitate a discussion about opportunities and challenges for your organization and make sure that the resources you provide are identified accurately to ensure your success. innovators.net Center For Innovation
Grand Forks OCTOBER 10 ACTIVATE Your Finances: Understanding Your Cash Flow Statement Thursday, Oct. 10 from 11:45 a.m. - 1:15 p.m.
Dakota Business Lending is offering its first-ever FREE “Activate Women” learning workshop series - Activate Your Finances: Understanding Your Cash Flow Statement. Learn from entrepreneurs throughout the community and dive into perhaps one of the most crucial aspects of your business: your financials. dakotabusinesslending.com UND Center for Innovation 4200 James Ray Dr, Grand Forks
OCTOBER 10 Networking Social
Thursday, Oct. 10 from 4:30 - 6 p.m.
Join the Greater Grand Forks Women’s Leadership Cooperative for their October networking social. This bi-monthly social will feature information about a nonprofit organization. Members are invited to bring an item of need, as requested in advance by the nonprofit, to the social. All items will be donated to the nonprofit at the conclusion of the evening. ggfwlc.com Ramada 1205 N 43rd St, Grand Forks
OCTOBER 17 2019 September Business After Hours
OCTOBER 25 High Touch Business in a High Tech World Friday, Oct. 25 from 9 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
So you love everything about being in the service industry! Face time with your clients. A hands-on approach to healing. But seriously?! How are we, as high touch professionals, expected to operate in a high tech world?? How are we supposed to find our ideal clients whom we know want what we have to offer? It can be an endless cycle of hemorrhaging money to find the perfect marketing strategy. But, it doesn’t have to be. If you’ve ever wondered how to find your audience and turn that into cold hard cash using social media, this class is for you. Search eventbrite.com Healing Grounds of Harrison Therapeutics 215 North 3rd St. Suite 204B, Grand Forks
NOVEMBER 7 Sheila Gerszewski: Finding Your Confidence Thursday, Nov. 7 from 4 - 6 p.m.
Join Sheila Gerszewski, S VP, Director of Retail at First International Bank and Trust, as she talks about finding your confidence. This event is free for Greater Grand Forks Women’s Leadership Collaborative members. Admission for non-members is $25. All attendees are encouraged to register in advance for accurate planning purposes. ggfwlc.com Ramada by Wyndham Grand Forks 1205 North 43rd St, Grand Forks
Thursday, Oct. 17 from 4:45 - 7 p.m.
Choice Financial invites all Chamber Members and their employees to join them for a fun Business After Hours. Business After Hours is FREE for Chamber Members to attend. It is a great way to unwind after work, meet up with friends and make new contacts. gochamber.org Location: TBD
4200 James Ray Dr, Grand Forks FARGOINC.COM
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CALENDAR
Minot & Wahpeton Events
OCTOBER 3 Business After Hours
Thursday, Oct. 3 from 5 - 7 p.m.
Always a favorite, the 2019 Y’s Men’s Rodeo Business After Hours, is set for Thursday, October 3 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the ND State Fair Center. Enjoy a cowboy dinner, with burgers, beans and the works. Have a rootin’ tootin’ good time while networking with other Chamber members. $5 per person charge at the door. minotchamber.org Y’s Men’s Rodeo - ND State Fair Center
NOVEMBER 12 ACTIVATE Your Financials: Financial Review and Forecasting (Minot)
Tuesday, Nov. 12 from 11:45 a.m. - 1:15 p.m.
Dakota Business Lending is offering its first-ever FREE “Activate Women” learning workshop series - Activate Your Financials: Financial Review and Forecasting. Learn from entrepreneurs throughout the community and dive into perhaps one of the most crucial aspects of your business: your financials. dakotabusinesslending.com Minot Public Library
OCTOBER 16 Chamber Annual Meeting Wednesday, Oct. 16 at 11:30 a.m.
The Minot Area Chamber of Commerce annual meeting will be Wednesday, Oct. 16 at 11:30 a.m. at the Sleep Inn & Suites Convention Center. This year’s annual meeting will feature Joe Mahon, regional outreach director of the Federal Reserve, Minneapolis, speaking about the region’s economy and trends. Cost is $30 per person and $300 for a reserved table up front, with guaranteed seating for eight. Lunch is included. minotchamber.org Sleep Inn & Suites 2400 10th St. SW, Minot
516 2nd Ave. SW, Minot
NOVEMBER 14 Showcase of Business Thursday, Nov. 14 from 5 - 8 p.m.
The 29th Annual Showcase of Business will be November 14 from 5 to 8 p.m. at the ND State Fair Center Magic Place. The theme this year is “Super Hero!” This is an opportunity for businesses to decorate around this theme and for Chamber members to showcase their products and services to nearly 1,000 attendees. minotchamber.org ND State Fair Center Magic Place 2005 E Burdick Expy, Minot
OCTOBER 7 Business Start-Up Course Wednesday, Oct. 7 from 5 - 7 p.m.
Would you like to start a business but are not really sure how to begin? This FREE event is for you. Join the Southern Valley Economic Development Authority for their Business Start-Up Course where they will go over the basics of starting your own business and help answer any questions you may have. sveda.biz/events The Boiler Room Wahpeton 404 Dakota Ave., Wahpeton
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Bismarck Events OCTOBER 9 Disrupt HR Bismarck 1.0
Wednesday, October 9 from 7 - 9:30 p.m.
Once in a while an event series is born that shakes things up, it makes you think differently, it leaves you inspired. That event is DisruptHR. If you’re an HR professional, a CEO, a technologist, a community leader – and you’ve got something to say about talent, culture or technology – Disrupt is the place. disrupthr.co/city/bismarck Black Leg Ranch 24401 62nd Ave. SE, McKenzie, N.D.
OCTOBER 20 North Dakota Women’s Business Summit
Sunday, Oct. 20 from 6 - 8 p.m. and Monday, Oct. 21 from 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
The North Dakota Women’s Business Center is bringing together women from across North Dakota and the region for training, networking, business growth opportunities, personal development, professional focus and, of course, fun! Whether you’re a professional in the workplace, a business owner, or a woman seeking a growth opportunity, you’ll have access to a variety of activities, breakout sessions, and more. We’re not kidding when we say there’s something for everyone! ndwbc.org Bismarck Event Center 315 5th St. S, Bismarck
OCTOBER 28 BMHBA Fall Awards Mixer Monday, Oct. 28 from 5:30 - 8 p.m.
The Fall Awards Mixer and GMM will feature presentation of the spring Parade of Homes awards, remarks from BMHBA President and Executive Officer, hot appetizers and open bar and the election of new board members. bmhba.com/events Ramada Inn 1400 Interchange Ave, Bismarck
GRACIOUS GIVERS
5 Ideas to Get Inspired for
Giving Hearts Day
with Catalyst Medical Center The team at Catalyst Medical Center, led by founder Dr. Susan Mathison, is made up of compassionate people who love to give. With help from Karisa Shuck, the company’s marketing director, Mathison shared how they keep the Giving Hearts Day spirit thriving throughout the business.
1. Gift cards
2. Teamwork
Mathison has always encouraged her team to give to local nonprofits, if they can, but she also recognizes every individual is at a different place. To help make an impact, the business provides every staff member with a gift card to be used specifically for a nonprofit of their choice. Along with the gift card, Catalyst will match each donation up to $50.
Something Shuck believed made last year’s Giving Hearts Day unique was that the company’s team participated in a variety of activities together. “We used these opportunities to find ways to raise money as a team,” she said. Some of these activities included small contests like Minute to Win It games and having a Jeans Day on Fridays.
3. Employee spotlights
4. Visually show your spirit
To raise awareness, Catalyst used its social media accounts. Picking an individual employee to talk about which nonprofit they’re donating to and why, the company shared these employee spotlights on its platforms for the month leading up to Giving Hearts Day.
“It seems like the entire building was decorated with hearts and everyone is wearing red,” Mathison said. The company even parks its Giving Hearts Day truck in front of the building — the perfect location to promote the event to every person who drives along I-94.
5. Use your resources & stay ahead of the game Did you know that Dakota Medical Foundation has training opportunities that businesses can partake in to learn how they can best support local nonprofits? The organization is also a fountain of ideas and provides yard signs, t-shirts and other items to get the party going. Also, be on the lookout for fun activities to add. “Even though we start in December, we constantly have our thinking caps on for what to do,” Dr. Mathison said, “noticing things throughout the year that we could implement.”
If you love what Catalyst Medical Center stands for and know someone who could benefit from an encouraging gift, reach out for a donation opportunity by emailing Marketing Director Karisa Shuck at KShuck@CatalystMedicalCenter.com for more information.
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GRACIOUS GIVERS
How Laney’s is impacting
FargoMoorhead’s Nonprofits
Laney’s Inc. is a local plumbing, heating, cooling and electrical business led by its president, Kevin Wolf. The company has been giving back to its community for more than two decades but in the past several years, the Laney’s team has taken supporting local nonprofits a few steps further.
Warm Homes, Warm Hearts
In honor of Giving Hearts Day, Laney’s enacted an arrangement that with every purchase of a furnace or air conditioner from January through February, the business donated $100 to local nonprofits. This past year, the company even got its vendors involved to help with matching funds. Additionally, for every service call, $2 was given to nonprofits. The company is excited to keep this tradition up for years to come. Top 10 Voting Leaders As part of the Warm Homes, Warm Hearts campaign, and with help from Dakota Medical Foundation, Laney’s created four categories with each hosting 20 nonprofits: youth, arts & culture and a separate crisis intervention/basic needs section for both small and large organizations. The company
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hosted a contest, allowing one vote per person every day leading up to Giving Hearts Day. “It spread like wildfire,” said Wolf, as nonprofits started sharing the contest with their own followers, wanting to get the votes. “We ended up getting connected with a lot of nonprofits we hadn’t been involved with before,” Wolf said. “We also received great feedback from our customers who enjoyed learning more about organizations they didn’t even know existed.” The event went smoothly with each winner receiving $2,500, and the only thing the business wants to do differently next year is starting earlier. Wolf is also passionate about the idea that businesses can use their own platforms to promote nonprofits. “I think businesses have a great opportunity to leverage their exposure for a nonprofit that may not have an advertising budget,” he said.
Last year’s winners: • Youth: North Dakota Autism Center • Arts & Culture: FM Ballet • Crisis Intervention/Basic Needs (small): Emergency Food Pantry • Crisis Intervention/Basic Needs (large): Rape and Abuse Crisis Center
Annual Chili Feed
What started several years ago as a one-time benefit to raise money for a team member who was diagnosed with cancer, has become an annual chili cook-off to impact nonprofits throughout the Fargo-Moorhead area.
“After the first time, the employees loved it so much they wanted to keep it as an annual event,” Wolf said. “Now, every year, we pick a new small nonprofit that may often get overlooked and donate all of the funds to them.” Some organizations that have recently benefited include 4 Luv of Dog and GiGi’s Playhouse.
Service from the Heart
Laney’s partners with local nonprofits to manage their facilities. In this partnership, the business does all of the organizations’ maintenance and manages their heating and plumbing for free. If a nonprofit happens to have any breakdowns, Laney’s will also act as a consultant to find the best possible solution. Nonprofits taking part in Service from the Heart: • Ronald McDonald House • Dorothy Day House • Churches United