CFANS at the 2026 Minnesota State Fair | Gopher It!
Join CFANS at the 2026 Minnesota State Fair, Thursday, August 27–Monday, September 7 (Labor Day), in the Agriculture Horticulture Building. Whether you're a budding scientist or just curious about the world around you, there's a hands-on learning activity for everyone.
Play Gopher It, an interactive trivia game where you’ll face off in fast-paced questions about everything from pollinators to poop science. Guess, grab, and discover the surprising science behind food, farming, and the natural world. Plus, get your pair of Goldy Gopher ears while supplies last.
Plan your State Fair visit
- Find us in the southwest wing of the Agriculture Horticulture Building, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
- We're #CFANSProud that many members of our College community are participating in a variety of activities across the Fairgrounds. Take a look at the full list →
- We're hosting hands-on pop up learning sessions every day! Chat with CFANS students, staff, and researchers about programs and discoveries: View the full CFANS Pop Up Learning Schedule below.
Pop-Up Learning Schedule
Pop-Up Learning Schedule
Thursday, August 27
- 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Explore Science with CFANS Youth Outreach: Dive into hands-on fun with science. Ask questions and discover how the University of Minnesota College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences is driving breakthroughs in food, agriculture, and the natural world. Learn more about CFANS Youth Outreach.
- 3 to 6 p.m. | Field Research Challenge: Get hands-on with Minnesota ecology! Explore field research from Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve, featuring fun activities on mammals, birds, plants, and more to discover the science happening in your backyard. Learn more about Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve.
Friday, August 28
- 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Vote for your favorite apple! Vote for your favorite apple variety and explore what the University of Minnesota Department of Horticultural Science — Home of the Honeycrisp — has to offer! Learn more about Horticultural Science.
- 3 to 6 p.m. | Field Research Challenge: Get hands-on with Minnesota ecology! Explore field research from Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve, featuring fun activities on mammals, birds, plants, and more to discover the science happening in your backyard. Learn more about Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve.
Saturday, August 29
- 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Are you smarter than AI? Compete against an artificial intelligence (AI) image classifier to identify common management challenges in agriculture and forestry. Learn more about the AI-LEAF Institute.
- 3 to 6 p.m. | Insect Zoo: See and touch creepy crawlies from the University of Minnesota Puparium Insect Zoo! Learn more about the UMN Insect Club and the Department of Entomology.
Sunday, August 30
- 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Society for Ecological Restoration: Interactive pop-up learning session hosted by the Society for Ecological Restoration. Learn more about the UMN Society for Ecological Restoration.
- 3 to 6 p.m. | Salvage Wildlife with the Bell Museum: Help the Bell Museum learn more about Minnesota’s wildlife and ecosystems through Salvage Wildlife, a project that turns tragedies into scientific data. Learn more about Salvage Wildlife.
Monday, August 31
- 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Park Boss: 60-second Ranger Challenge: Spin, solve, & save the forest! Spin the wheel for your ranger job, tackle a real-world scenario, and see if you have what it takes to protect Minnesota's great outdoors in our 60-second ranger challenge. Learn more about the UMN Department of Forest Resources.
- 3 to 6 p.m. | Environmental Trivia Challenge: Put your green knowledge to the test! Whether you are a nature enthusiast or a full-blown climate champion, this is your chance to show off what you know about our amazing planet and the people that inhabit it—and walk away with a prize. Learn more about the UMN Environmental Sciences, Policy and Management major.
Tuesday, September 1
- 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Vote for your favorite apple! Vote for your favorite apple variety and explore what the UMN Department of Horticultural Science — Home of the Honeycrisp — has to offer! Learn more about the UMN Department of Horticultural Science.
- 3 to 6 p.m. | Who eats your guts? Learn about scavengers at hunter-provided gut piles and explore Minnesota food webs. Learn more about the University of Minnesota Offal Wildlife Watching project.
Wednesday, September 2
- 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Mycology Astrology: Find your birth date on our chart to see what fungus matches your astrological sign! Learn more about the University of Minnesota Department of Plant Pathology.
- 3 to 6 p.m. | Build a Better Future with BBE | Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering: Discover how creative problem-solving can build a better future with the University of Minnesota Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering (BBE). Put your hands and brain to work with fun, interactive activities that explore real-world challenges in sustainability, science, and engineering. Learn more about UMN BBE.
Thursday, September 3
- 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Park Boss: 60-second Ranger Challenge: Spin, solve, & save the forest! Spin the wheel for your ranger job, tackle a real-world scenario, and see if you have what it takes to protect Minnesota's great outdoors in our 60-second ranger challenge. Learn more about the UMN Department of Forest Resources.
- 3 to 6 p.m. | Grow Roots with UMN Community Plant Breeding: Learn about the University of Minnesota Community Plant Breeding Team, who works to adapt vegetables to the Minnesota climate, and create a space where everyone can have access to the fresh produce important to them. Learn more about the UMN Community Plant Breeding Team.
Friday, September 4
- 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. | The Water Bar: Dive into the Water Bar! Discover where your drinking water comes from. Sample water from municipal and rural sources, and ground and surface water. Can you taste the difference? Test your taste buds and your knowledge with fun water trivia. Learn more about the University of Minnesota Water Resources Science graduate program.
- 3 to 6 p.m. | Let's Talk Plants: Look at and touch seed and plant displays, study the parts of a flower, play a "Guess the Crop Wild Relative" game, and ask researchers questions about plant and agricultural science. Hosted by the Applied Plant Sciences graduate program at the University of Minnesota.
Saturday, September 5
11 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Aquatic Invasive Species Research Innovations: Explore aquatic invasive species research and discover the latest advancements in aquatic invasive species (AIS) research at the Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center (MAISRC). Learn how our cutting-edge science and innovative approaches are protecting Minnesota’s lakes and rivers from invasive threats.
In addition to AIS themed activities for all ages, this pop-up will offer an opportunity for consenting adults to participate in a research study conducted by the University of Minnesota. The purpose of the study is to understand how the public uses and values Minnesota waterbodies, and how they perceive AIS risks. If you volunteer to participate in the study you will be asked to complete a 5-7 minute online survey.
- 3 to 6 p.m. | Build a Better Future with BBE | Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering: Discover how creative problem-solving can build a better future with the University of Minnesota Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering. Put your hands and brain to work with fun, interactive activities that explore real-world challenges in sustainability, science, and engineering.
Sunday, September 6
- 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Let's Talk Plants: Look at and touch seed and plant displays, study the parts of a flower, play a "Guess the Crop Wild Relative" game, and ask researchers questions about plant and agricultural science. Hosted by the Applied Plant Sciences graduate program at the University of Minnesota.
- 3 to 6 p.m. | Learn About Farm Animals: Get to know farm animals with the University of Minnesota Department of Animal Science. Discover fun facts and learn how amazing animals are part of agriculture and our everyday lives.
Monday, September 7
- 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Sensational Food Science: Learn how your five senses let you experience food. Hosted by the University of Minnesota Department of Food Science and Nutrition.
- 3 to 6 p.m. | Mycology Astrology: Find your birth date on our chart to see what fungus matches your astrological sign! Learn more about the University of Minnesota Department of Plant Pathology.
References for Gopher It trivia
References for Gopher It trivia
🍎 Amazing apples
- A CFANS Insights survey shows that more than half of Minnesotans (52 percent) claim the University of Minnesota-born Honeycrisp as their favorite, and nearly one-third (32 percent) are willing to pay a premium for it
- The beloved apple variety (designated as the official state apple in 2006) is just one of 29 varieties to sprout from the U of M’s iconic apple breeding program since its inception in 1878.
🐝Bees
- The University of Minnesota Bee Lab promotes the conservation, health, and diversity of bee pollinators through research, education, and hands-on mentorship.
🐄 Burps and agrivoltaics
- “Reducing Methane in Dairy Cattle” explores red seaweed in cow diets to cut burp-produced methane
- WCROC News: “Solar plus cows = green dairy” (agrivoltaics shading cattle under solar arrays)
🪲 Emerald ash borer
🎣 Gar, a living fossil fish
🦫 Giant beaver
- Meet the Giant Beaver at the Bell Museum - the largest rodent ever to have lived in North America!
🧊 Ice cores
- Drilling on the edge: To understand the glaciers holding back meters of sea level rise, CFANS climate scientists swoop in to extract ice from Antarctica’s remote west coast
Lester, Minnesota’s State Soil
- Spanning over 500,000 acres in south-central Minnesota, Lester soil is highly valued for agriculture. It is exceptionally well-suited for growing corn and soybeans.
- Are you curious about the plant nutrients in your soil for growing veggies, flowers, trees, grass? The University of Minnesota Soil Testing Laboratory is an analytical service laboratory providing Universities, state and federal agencies, private companies, and the general public with quality environmental analyses. With over 100 tests available, our goals are to provide a high level of analytical precision, quality, and accuracy, with timely results, to every client, for every sample tested.
💩 Manure and the microbiota
- Human Microbiota Transplant: “Microbiota transplantation restores normal fecal bile acid composition in recurrent Clostridium difficile infection” — University of Minnesota-led study on fecal microbiota transplant (FMT)
- Manure as crop nutrients: “Nutrient availability in manure” explains how CFANS researchers measure nitrogen and phosphorus to optimize manure use for crops
- Follow-up work on integrating manure with cover crops: “Manure and cover crops for soil health”
🌱 Soybean
- Learn more about the soybean, Minnesota's "Miracle bean!" CFANS scientists are working to identify the gene that dictates how many soybeans grow in each pod. By growing more beans in the same field, farmers can harvest more food without needing more land.
🦃 Turkey
- Minnesota exports around $100 million in turkey products to the global markets each year. CFANS scientists study how to keep turkeys healthy by preventing disease outbreaks and finding ways to make their immune systems stronger.
🪵 Tree rings
- Trees get a new ring each year, and record any injuries from fire or insects in the form of scars. Researchers in CFANS' Department of Forest Resources study tree rings to learn about what climates were like in the past.
