Microsoft is investing $1.5 million in a technology-driven farm project in North Dakota.
Led by Emerging Prairie, an organization that works to connect the entrepreneurial ecosystem through “innovative programming,” the Grand Farm project was launched with the goal of creating a “farm of the future.” The project aims to solve labor shortages and rising operational costs, critical issues to family farms worldwide, according to the Grand Farm website.
Microsoft will bring in technologists and data scientists to help infuse technology into the Grand Farm’s strategy. The company will back the initiative with drone technology, FarmBeats, an AI-driven data farming program, rural broadband and computer science programs.
“For generations, farmers throughout North Dakota have traditionally hired seasonal farm hands to help with planting, harvesting and other jobs,” wrote Kate Behncken, vice president and head of Microsof