Get to know Joleen Hadrich

Because there are several new faces on our collegiate leadership team, we’d like to give faculty, staff, and students an opportunity to get to know a bit more about them. Joleen Hadrich, PhD, started in her role as interim associate dean for the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station and Research and Outreach Centers on July 18, 2022. She is an associate professor in the Department of Applied Economics and Extension educator. Her research engages with agricultural finance and production economics with an emphasis on farm-level profitability, and her Extension work focuses on farm management decision making as it interacts with environmental and applied economic constraints.

What do you hope to accomplish during your time in this role?

MAES and the ROCs are the foundation of innovative place-based research in CFANS. This place-based research is further enhanced with the eROC initiative, which leverages our existing research expertise with a sustainable baseline electronic infrastructure of real-time weather data to streamline data collection across regions while also creating the potential to increase the competitiveness of research funding. Being a champion for the eROC initiative showcases CFANS’ ability to extend our research and outreach to a broader audience. Additionally, I look forward to engaging with faculty and staff that work with the ROCs and MAES to identify improved ways to facilitate collaboration within CFANS and the broader UMN system.

How will you be an advocate for the ROCs and MAES?

The success of the 10 ROCs and MAES is 100% due to the amazing people working in each of these locations. So far I have been able to visit 4 of the ROCs and I have the remaining 6 visits scheduled in the coming months. During these visits I plan on taking the time to listen and learn about the work completed at each ROC. The same holds true for the MAES with the St. Paul research plots and farm, Plant Growth Facilities, Controlled Environment Growth Chambers, and the Soil Testing Research Analytical Laboratories. Communicating the stories of our faculty and staff working at and with the ROCs and MAES allows us to showcase our work and further build our connection across Minnesota.

How will you foster diversity and inclusion in CFANS?

One of my favorite parts of my job is learning from others and through those experiences I have observed that some of the most creative solutions to problems present themselves when there is a welcoming environment that allows for diverse perspectives and viewpoints to be heard. This is my focus with my day-to-day interactions and will continue to be my focus in this new role.

What are three words that best describe you?

Organized, driven, and down-to-earth.

What books and/or podcasts are on your reading and listening lists right now?

Right now I am in the middle of the two books. The first is one was recommended by my friends LaRose by Louise Erdrich.  And, my neighborhood bookclub is currently reading Remember: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting by Lisa Genova.