AGREETT is a strategic partnership between the University of Minnesota, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA), and agricultural, food, and natural resource (AFNR) industry leaders that aligns state investment with the needs of Minnesota’s farmers and rural communities. AGREETT funds directly support 35 faculty and extension educator positions to address the challenges facing Minnesota's AFNR industries.
Learn more about AGREETT expertise in these critical areas:
AGREETT faculty and educators lead research and outreach programs central to Minnesota’s AFNR economy. Their work spans soil health, water quality, climate resilience, livestock and crop productivity, agricultural technology, pest and disease threats, and microbial science to protect the long-term health and vitality of Minnesota's crops, animals, people, and environment.
In addition to the benefits to Minnesota's farms, forests and environment, AGREETT faculty secure competitive federal and private grants that bring outside dollars into Minnesota.
AGREETT in action across Minnesota
Workshops allow growers to explore innovative storage options
May 18, 2026AGREETT Extension educator Annalisa Hultberg partnered with Whole Farm Strategies to host a hands-on workshop to walk farmers through how to build a produce cooler themselves. Walk-in produce coolers are beneficial for maintaining produce quality and safety as well as for farmers' profits, but the upfront cost of a new, traditional cooler are often cost prohibitive.
UMN team launches new project to better understand PRRSV-2 and other viruses
April 24, 2026AGREETT associate professor Kim VanderWaal is a co-lead on a $2.8 million dollar grant from the USDA-NIFA dedicated to understanding viral "fitness.” This project aims to identify where the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus, which costs the U.S. swine industry roughly $1.2 billion annually, is most dangerous and use that data to understand why some new variants are more likely to become the next national epidemic.
Dr. Angela Varnum helps sheep and goat owners build confidence and skills for springtime births
March 12, 2026AGREETT Extension veterinarian Dr. Angela Varnum, along with other Extension educators, led lambing and kidding workshops to help producers prepare for the busy spring season. To create a low-stress environment in which even difficult births end in learning rather than loss, the workshops utilized a lambing simulator, a life-sized fiberglass sheep with three lambs that can be placed inside to mimic the time of giving birth, to give participants hands-on learning opportunities.