Central ND News

Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring has announced the allocation of funds by the North Dakota Agricultural Products Utilization Commission (APUC) for three projects. The awards, amounting to $341,300, were approved during APUC's quarterly meeting held on May 29 in Minot.

APUC operates under the North Dakota Department of Agriculture and manages grant programs aimed at researching and developing new and expanded uses for agricultural products in North Dakota. These grants are intended to support rural communities and agricultural operations through various initiatives such as basic and applied research, marketing, farm diversification, agritourism, prototype development, technology advancement, and technical assistance.

The recipients of the funding include Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative, which received $200,000 to advance an autonomous truck platoon program for sugar beet harvests. For more information on this project, contact Mike Metzger at 701-642-8411.

Picketa Systems was granted $75,000 to enhance technology for real-time plant tissue analysis using their LENS (Leaf Evaluated Nutrient System) platform. Xavier Hebert-Couturier can be contacted at 506-426-1423 for further details.

Carbotech Technologies Inc. secured $66,300 to conduct a feasibility study for an industrial fertilizer production facility that utilizes lignite coal. Brandon Rust is available at 619-357-2930 for inquiries about this initiative.

APUC has scheduled its next grant application hearing for July 23-24, 2025, in Medora. Applications must be submitted by July 1, 2025.

Further information can be found at https://www.ndda.nd.gov/apuc.