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Published on 11/13/24

UGA Grand Farm wins stage two of 2024 Growth Accelerator Fund competition

By Jordan Powers
Site plan for UGA Grand Farm showing phased plots, irrigation systems, parking areas, and surrounding roads, including Perry Parkway.
Funding from the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Growth Accelerator Fund Competition will enable UGA Grand Farm — and nationwide partners — to further expand its efforts to support innovative agriculture technology startups and strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Situated on 250 acres in Perry, Georgia, UGA Grand Farm plans to deploy its first field projects in 2025.

Startups in the agricultural technology sector face significant barriers on the path to establishment, including access to training and capital. These barriers are heightened for underrepresented entrepreneurs seeking to start new companies. 

The University of Georgia Grand Farm, part of a historic partnership between UGA and Fargo, North Dakota-based Grand Farm, aims to change that — in part with a Stage Two grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Growth Accelerator Fund Competition (GAFC).

This funding will enable UGA Grand Farm and its nationwide partners to further expand its efforts to support innovative agriculture technology startups and strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem. The grant was part of $3 million in awards from the Small Business Administration to 44 accelerator partnerships across the country.

“We're very excited to be part of the Growth Accelerator Fund competition with Grand Farm and our other partners. This initiative is designed to bring together ag ecosystem builders from across the country to support underserved and underrepresented ag-tech founders,” said Chris Rhodes, recently named executive director of the UGA Innovation District. “This funding comes at a particularly opportune time, as we are getting UGA Grand Farm up and running. The award will give us the ability to include some new partners that we might not have otherwise been able to include and will add to the richness of the first year of operation.”

Expanding opportunities for diverse agriculture technology founders

Through the GAFC Stage Two grant, UGA Grand Farm will collaborate with nationwide partners, including Grand Farm, AgLaunch, University of North Dakota, Colorado State University, gener8tor, and the Wabash Heartland Innovation Network, to create transformative opportunities for underserved and underrepresented founders of agriculture technology companies. By providing access to training, capital, technology validation and commercialization support, the partnership aims to empower entrepreneurs to bring their ideas to market and address critical challenges in agriculture.

“We are incredibly honored to receive this prestigious GAFC Stage Two grant,” said John Mann, Grand Farm startup ecosystem program manager. “This funding will allow us to scale our programs and reach even more aspiring entrepreneurs. By fostering a supportive and inclusive environment, we are committed to driving innovation in agriculture.”

The GAFC Stage Two grant builds upon Grand Farm’s previous success in the competition, having been awarded a Stage One grant earlier this year. This recognition underscores Grand Farm’s dedication to nurturing a collaborative, national innovation ecosystem and advancing STEM-based entrepreneurship.

Driving sustainable agriculture innovation across Georgia

Situated on 250 acres in Perry, Georgia, next to the Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter and at the heart of the state's agricultural landscape, CAES and Grand Farm have come together to build the UGA Grand Farm, a working innovation farm, with plans to deploy the first field projects in 2025.

The farm will serve as a hub for research, education and sustainable agriculture practices and will harness the power of precision agriculture, robotics and data analytics to increase productivity, conserve resources and ensure food security for future generations. 

“I’m excited to be a part of the vision that is being built here,” said Kaytlyn Cobb, recently hired as regional assistant director of UGA Grand Farm in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. “Seeing what has been built with Grand Farm in North Dakota makes me optimistic for the quality of what we can build in this area"

To learn more about UGA Grand Farm and partnership opportunities, visit ugagrandfarm.caes.uga.edu. For information about the forward-looking research projects at CAES, visit caes.uga.edu/research.

Jordan Powers is the public relations manager for UGA's College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Authors:
Jordan Powers
Experts/Sources:
Chris Rhodes
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