Project Launch Outcomes
Project Whitewater
Inspired by two area farmers’ desire to use less water irrigating their crops to reduce cost and conserve water, the Engine connected them with Aperture, a Boston-based tech company that developed an AI model that uses satellite imagery and weather data to build daily soil moisture maps to guide precision irrigation without sensors.
Currently, Aperture, led by Dr. Zachary Kabellac, has test sites in Oakes, ND, and Grand Farm in Casselton, ND. Project Whitewater was featured on the 2025 North Dakota Water Foundation Water Tour.
Project Whitewater is currently in a detailed analysis phase testing for efficacy. The next phase will be evaluating the return on investment for growers who adopt the technology.
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University-based Research and Development Projects
Through partnerships with North Dakota State University and the University of North Dakota, university-led research is advancing crop genotypes, phenotypes, and gathering data to enhance nutrition, drought resilience, pest and pathogen resistance, and higher yields for food in the North Dakota growing region.
In partnership with Montana State University, the NSF AgTech Engine is supporting research focused on trust, user experience, and adoption of agriculture technology. This research will be developing diagnostic tools to assess community readiness and perceptions of AgTech adoption, as well as design approaches for safe AgTech adoption.
In partnership with the North Dakota Tribal College System, the AgTech Engine is working towards the rematriation of traditional corn varieties once grown in North Dakota by tribes engaged in place-based agriculture. These varieties are of high nutritional value. This project integrates Tribal generational knowledge and insights into agricultural research.
Bison Guard
This project is innovating to revolutionize bison herd management utilizing robotics and artificial intelligence.
Led by Dr. Armstrong Aboah, Assistant Professor of Civil, Construction & Environmental Engineering at North Dakota State University, and Wozu, an organization in the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation dedicated to regenerative land, cultural, and social practices, Bison Guard hopes to reduce bison loss, minimize animal stress, improve herd health, and promote regenerative agriculture.
Bison Guard is in the early stages of development. Initial equipment was installed in a test pasture during year two.
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Click on image for full view
Canada Thistle
Pretty to see, but invasive in cropland and grazing areas, Canada Thistle can reduce crop yields and livestock food sources.
The Canada Thistle project, led by Dr. Arjun Upadhyay, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at North Dakota State University, and Botlink, a Fargo-based drone flight software company, is utilizing high-resolution images captured by camera-carrying drones to identify Canada Thistle colonies through an AI-based algorithm developed by the project.
There are test sites in North Dakota and Minnesota.
Wozu Thima
Wozu is a Lakota word meaning “to plant.” The Wozu Thima project, located at Wozu in Cannonball, ND, on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, utilizes greenhouses built four to six feet in the ground to extend the growing season in cold climates.
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