Central ND News

Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring has announced that the North Dakota Agricultural Products Utilization Commission (APUC) approved $1,069,107 in funding for nine projects. The awards were decided at the commission’s quarterly meeting held July 23-24 in Medora.

APUC operates under the North Dakota Department of Agriculture and provides grants to support research and development of new uses for agricultural products from the state. The program aims to help rural communities and agriculture operations by funding basic and applied research, marketing, farm diversification, agritourism, prototype technology, and technical assistance.

The latest round of funding includes a $250,000 grant to Gevo Inc. for a study on water supply needs for an ethanol and sustainable aviation fuel production facility. Premier Technologies LLC also received $250,000 to further develop a liquid fertilizer flow monitoring system designed for row crop planters.

Yellowstone River Beef was awarded $75,000 to launch a targeted marketing campaign for its USDA-certified meat processing and retail business. Greenfield Robotics Corporation will use its $180,000 grant to advance a foliar feeding attachment for autonomous robots.

Lilac Agriculture LLC secured $140,000 to commercialize microbial inoculant technology tailored for North Dakota’s climate. The University of North Dakota received $55,497 to work on a carbon-free nanoscale system that removes common agricultural pesticides from water.

Key-Lix of ND LLC was granted $30,750 to market supplemental lick tubs and promote expansion of its manufacturing facility in Dickinson. North Dakota State University (NDSU) received two awards: one totaling $57,860 for a feasibility study on co-locating data centers with agricultural infrastructure using heat energy; another grant of $30,000 will support development and commercialization of a non-toxic thermoset coating based on plant-derived products from local crops.

"APUC is a program of the North Dakota Department of Agriculture that administers grant programs for research and development of new and expanded uses for North Dakota agricultural products which support the development of concepts and products that support our rural communities and agriculture operations. The grants can be used for basic and applied research, marketing and utilization, farm diversification, nature-based agritourism, prototype and technology and technical assistance," said Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring.

Applications for APUC’s next meeting are due by October 1, 2025. More information about APUC programs is available at https://www.ndda.nd.gov/apuc.