Using technology and innovation was the topic for one of the forums at the AgriGrowth Fall Summit. Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative Executive Vice President Mike Metzger highlighted its leader-follower autonomous trucks. “To date, we’ve logged 70,000 miles autonomously on the North Dakota side of the river, bringing sugarbeets from our receiving stations to the factories for processing.” Metzger remains hopeful that the State of Minnesota will provide a variance to utilize the same technology on its roads. “Government regulations will never keep up with the pace that technology moves forward and that’s a real problem for those who want to be early adopters,” said Metzger. “Minnesota has legislation for autonomous vehicles, but it is only allowed on four-lane roads. How many four-lane roads do we have in rural Minnesota? In our area, we have I-94 and Highway 10, that’s it.” Change needs to happen through the legislative process and at the Minnesota Department of Transportation. “It comes down to being a little more metrocentric and a lack of education for the needs in rural Minnesota.”
