Northland Potato Growers Association Going to Bismarck for Grand Forks

(KNOX) – Gary Shields, Northland Potato Growers Association Executive Director, says he will be at the capitol in Bismarck this week to go to bat for landing a potato processing plant in Grand Forks.

“A bill has been drafted to go into the House of Representatives that we’re hoping to get into the Senate. This week we’ll state our case through our North Dakota council,” Shields says.

Belgian company Agristo says that they would like to locate a plant in Grand Forks. Shields was before the Grand Forks Committee of the Whole this week to update them on the proposed potato processing facility. He says thanks to Mother Nature, Agristo chose Grand Forks.

“The glacier put the fine soil here, which is why we won this contract. It is our soil that got us this contract from the competing states,” Shields says.

Landing the facility would benefit beyond Grand Forks.

“So the potential is greater than Grand Forks. It encompasses 12 counties,” Shields told the committee.

Ground breaking on the plant is slated for this year with operations starting in the summer of 2028. Agristo is expected to create 300 to 350 direct jobs and stimulate local and regional economies.

The Grand Forks Committee of the Whole approved a working draft of memorandum of understanding. That document will be sent to the full Grand Forks City Council for them to review and vote on at their next meeting, which is January 21.