Campuses:
Key Relationships: College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (.pdf)
Constituents: One of our college’s great strengths is the longstanding relationships it maintains with commodity associations, business and industry, advocacy groups, federal and state agencies and other key stakeholders, alumni and donors. These groups represent both the traditional agricultural side and the environmental component of our heritage; balancing these sometimes opposing worldviews can be challenging. Thousands of individuals each year experience our college through exhibits and programming targeted to key statewide and national audiences often involving expert faculty and staff to tell the University of Minnesota’s story.
University: About 26 percent (31.6 FTEs out of 247) of CFANS faculty have joint appointments with University of Minnesota Extension; we work closely with Extension to ensure the translation of food, agricultural and natural resource discovery and innovation to producers, communities and citizens. Many of our faculty members also are involved in work at the University of Minnesota’s Institute on the Environment, and we share joint departments with the colleges of Science and Engineering, and Biological Sciences.
Interdisciplinary Centers: We are home to number of large interdisciplinary centers including the Water Resources Center, The Center for Changing Landscapes, Great Lakes Northern Forests Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Healthy Foods, Healthy Lives Institute; The Food Industry Center, Minnesota Obesity Center, Center for Farm Financial Management and many others. These partnerships offer significant strength in interdisciplinary research.
U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS): The agency’s St. Paul site includes three units tied closely to our college: the Cereal Disease Laboratory, Plant Science Research, and Soil & Water Management Research. ARS researchers are adjunct faculty in the departments of Agronomy and Plant Genetics; Plant Pathology; and Soil, Water and Climate.
U.S. Forest Service Northern Research Station: Federal scientists located on campus and in Grand Rapids collaborate with scientists across the university and nationally to provide leading-edge forest science and technology applications to serve a wide range of clients in the 20-state region of the Northeast and Midwest.
Minnesota Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: U.S. Geological Survey researchers are adjunct professors in the department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology; this unit facilitates cooperation among federal and state agencies, non-profit organizations and the university by conducting programs of research and education related to fish and wildlife resource management.
