Outreach

The technologies and practices we develop, test and demonstrate at CAST have the potential to effect large-scale positive change for the agriculture industry. To promote their development, marketization, acceptance and adoption, we encourage the active involvement of stakeholders.

CAST Network for Extension and Teaching (CAST-NET) is a diverse network of people from across the United States who have a stake in the technologies and techniques that will optimize sustainable farming for the 21st century. Members include farmers, manufacturers, consultants, academic experts and others. These stakeholders learn from CAST and help steer it via feedback on research directions and user experience with technologies.

We provide CAST-NET members with access to in-person and virtual demonstrations, testing and evaluations. Through participation, members have input into various aspects of farm technology development, including:

• problem identification
• research planning
• implementation and evaluation of new innovations

CAST’s unique ecosystem supports integration and testing of commercially available technologies and the development, deployment and testing of technologies in the research pipeline. We offer industry partners access to CAST for proof-of-concept demonstrations of innovations in technology and management practices.

CAST provides and leverages unique infrastructure and human capital to facilitate development, refinement, testing and demonstration of technological innovations and data-driven best management practices from industry partners.

Partners have different levels of access to CAST infrastructure, resources and outputs through a Partnerships and Collaborations program, including a menu of options for engagement.