From the vantage point of the Greater Fargo Moorhead Economic Development Corporation (GFMEDC), a recent partner-trip hosted by Grand Farm in St. Louis was more than a networking excursion—it was a deliberate strategic move to strengthen the region’s agricultural-technology (AgTech) ecosystem and attract new investment and innovation to the Fargo-Moorhead region.
Why We Participated
As the region’s lead economic-development organization, GFMEDC is committed to “cultivating an economic environment where all people and organizations flourish.” In our view, the Grand Farm partner trip — which brought together growers, technologists, startups, corporates and researchers in the heart of AgTech in St. Louis — offered several leveraged benefits for the region including:
- Showcasing the Fargo-Moorhead / Grand Farm ecosystem to national‐/global AgTech leaders, so they see our region as a compelling opportunity.
- Learning first-hand from the St. Louis ecosystem (e.g., Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Pivot Bio, Bayer CropScience, AnheuserBusch, 39 North AgTech Innovation District) about how innovation, research, corporate collaboration and scale co-exist.
- Identifying prospects for investment, relocation or scale-up that could be steered toward our region. This visit included engagement with several business development prospects who are considering expansions or investments in the Fargo-Moorhead region.
- Strengthening the brand of Fargo-Moorhead as a meaningful AgTech hub – thereby supporting talent attraction, startup interest, corporate partnerships and capital flows.
Highlights from the Trip
Here are some of the key takeaways and experiences from our vantage:
- Deep-dive site visits: We visited the Danforth Plant Science Center’s field research site in the St. Louis region, where we observed applied plant science and innovation in action.
- Industry & corporate engagement: Discussions with organizations such as Bayer Crop Science and Pivot Bio revealed how large-scale firms partner with research, startups and growers to drive innovation. This helped illuminate potential models for collaboration we can localize or attract.
- Networking & relationship building: The intimate, invitation-only structure of the trip enabled meaningful conversations around challenges, goals, and ecosystem building. Grand Farm itself described the agenda as “relationship-driven designed to highlight real-world approaches to sustainability, innovation and cross-sector collaboration.”
- Showcasing our region: It wasn’t only about what we learned, it was about how we presented the Fargo-Moorhead / Grand Farm opportunity. We engaged in dialogue with attendees about our region’s assets: Grand Farm Innovation Campus, our growing cluster of AgTech startups, area universities as engines of research and talent, and the supportive business environment.
- Pipeline for prospects: The trip produced tangible leads that GFMEDC is now following up on including prospects for relocation, expansion or joint-venture partnerships focused on agriculture and advanced technologies.
What It Means for Fargo-Moorhead
From our organization’s perspective, the implications of this trip are significant:
- It reinforces that Fargo-Moorhead is not on the periphery of AgTech—it is actively leading at the national level.
- It enhances our credibility when we talk to companies, startups, or investors about locating, scaling or partnering here.
- It builds a bridge between local growers/researchers/startups and larger innovation ecosystems, which can accelerate technology transfer, capital flow and growth opportunities.
- It supports workforce development and talent attraction: when national players see the region, the message to local students, entrepreneurs and researchers is reinforced: “There is opportunity here.”
- It strengthens the case for continuing investment in Grand Farm and the broader agtech infrastructure (which is fully aligned with GFMEDC’s mission).
What comes next?
Our organization is taking the following actions:
- Follow-up with prospects: We are actively engaging with the companies and organizations with whom we had conversations in St. Louis, exploring potential projects in the Fargo-Moorhead region.
- Leverage learnings: We will share internally and with partners the insights from the ecosystem visits (e.g., collaboration models, research-industrial interfaces, talent-corporate linkages) and evaluate how similar approaches can be applied locally.
- Integrate into regional strategy: We will ensure the momentum from the trip feeds into our regional economic-development strategies, including AgTech-cluster development, attraction of capital, workforce pipelines, and infrastructure needs.
- Promote the story: We will elevate this narrative—“Fargo-Moorhead engaging with national AgTech at St. Louis” — in our marketing, investor-relations, talent-attraction and regional-branding communications.
- Support Grand Farm’s work: The trip is evidence of the value of Grand Farm’s network and why continued funding/support is critical for our region. We will continue to advocate for public/private investment in this ecosystem.
Final Thoughts
The Grand Farm partner trip to St. Louis was far more than a visit—it was a strategic investment in relationships, visibility and future opportunity for the Fargo-Moorhead region. At GFMEDC, we view it as a catalyst—one that helps link our region’s agricultural heritage, innovation potential and business-friendly ecosystem with national- and global-scale AgTech networks.
We remain optimistic and committed: the future of agriculture, technology and regional prosperity is increasingly converging in places like ours, and with partners like Grand Farm, we are actively shaping that future.
