Northwest Minnesota and eastern North Dakota offer a robust agricultural base with abundant raw materials, advanced infrastructure and a skilled workforce, making the region ideal for value-added processing. Proximity to major grain, pulse and specialty crop production zones significantly reduces supply chain costs and accelerates time-to-market.
North Dakota is the top producer of several key crops, including flaxseed, canola, honey, spring wheat, durum wheat and dry edible beans. It also holds significant rankings in the production of other crops like soybeans, sunflowers and lentils. Here's a more detailed look:
Top Producer:
Second in Production:
Minnesota is the top producer of sugar beets and processed sweet corn and green beans. It also ranks second in the nation for wild rice.
Here's a more detailed ranking of some of Minnesota's top crops:
Founded in 2013 by local farmers and industry professionals, Abbiamo Pasta has been producing short goods pasta since 2014. The company expanded its production capacity in 2017 and 2021 to meet growing customer demands.
Belgium-based Agristo plans to build a $450 million potato processing facility in Grand Forks, creating 250-350 new permanent jobs. This will be Agristo's first North American facility, marking a significant investment in the region's agricultural landscape.
A third-generation packer and shipper of premium quality red potatoes, NoKota Packers has been providing quality and service to the potato industry for over 40 years. The company has made several additions and equipment upgrades to remain one of the most progressive wash plants in the area.
Specializing in processing and marketing dry edible beans, Lake Agassiz Bean LLC plays a crucial role in the region's value-added agriculture sector.
Minn-Dak Ag assists growers in planning and implementing all aspects of farming operations to fit specialty crops profitably into their cropping systems. Their comprehensive crop production research addresses major issues faced by growers raising buckwheat, mustard and safflower.
The Grand Farm Innovation Campus, just west of Casselton, North Dakota, is a collaborative hub where the AgTech ecosystem comes together to solve agricultural challenges through technology and innovation. Each growing season, the Innovation Campus hosts dozens of field trials in partnership with industry leaders, startups and researchers to test and validate technologies in a real-world setting. These trials, along with tours, workshops and community events, foster connections across the AgTech ecosystem and support the development of practical, grower-informed solutions.
