Building bridges

The University of Minnesota Research and Outreach Centers (ROCs) serve as engagement hubs across Minnesota to connect agricultural and natural resource management stakeholders with networking and training opportunities. 

Training today and tomorrow’s natural resource stewards

Across the state, each ROC has a wide research portfolio which informs land use, providing opportunities for external partners to utilize these spaces in annual training programs. Several ROCs serve as host sites for education in silviculture, forest management, wildland firefighting, conservation, and more. Day or week-long workshops bring together industry professionals to make use of ROC facilities and land in furthering their professional development.

Near Cloquet, several forestry organizations utilize the U of M’s experimental forest – maintained by the Cloquet Forestry Center (CFC) – to train current and future professionals in the logging industry. The Minnesota government Forest Resources Council utilizes CFC’s meeting spaces for their annual meeting and takes advantage of guided walks into CFC’s research projects. The United States Forest Service hosts a National Advanced Silviculture Program at CFC for two weeks and utilizes the forest for training modules. The annual Minnesota Logger Education Program trains foresters in current sustainable management practices while updating their safety training as required by federal and state agencies.

At the North Central Research and Outreach Center (NCROC) in Grand Rapids, the Minnesota Incident Command System hosts an annual Minnesota Wildfire Academy. This weeklong event attracts wildland firefighters from Minnesota and beyond to train in wildland fire operations, planning, safety, and leadership development. They use NCROC’s forested and natural regeneration lands to train on initial attack responses, leading hand and engine units, wildfire air and helicopter crew support, and more.

Conservationists from private industry and public agencies convene in Morris to participate in the USDA National Resources Conservation Services training course for Conservation Planning. The weeklong event is hosted at the West Central Research and Outreach Center (WCROC), where the unique land use provides the perfect space for this style of course from the USDA. Attendees cover the conservation planning process and field inventory skills in areas such as livestock facilities, cropland, pasture, and more.

Non-profits also partner with the ROCS, like at the Northwest Research and Outreach Center (NWROC) in Crookston, where the MN Soil Health Coalition hosted a 5-Stop Soil Health Tour. The event featured demonstrations, rainfall simulations, and soil health assessments. Approximately 120 farmers, ag professionals, and conservationists attended to hear about topics like ecosystem processes, reducing inputs on their fields, soil health principles, and improving their return on investment.

In-field education for agribusiness professionals

ROCs conduct research into agricultural challenges in both field and livestock management and are also able to utilize their land and facilities to provide hands-on learning opportunities for ag and animal care professionals. 

Every July, agricultural crop insurance agents attend the National Crop Insurance Services training, held at the Southwest Research and Outreach Center (SWROC) near Lamberton. In addition to indoor classes, the SWROC staff use a specially-designed ‘hail machine’ to simulate damage on crops so attendees can see how crops at different growth stages recover from hail events.

For insurance agents in the central part of the state, irrigation plays a unique role in the fields they insure. At the Sand Plain Research Farm (SPRF) near Becker, the Rural Community Insurance Services holds an event to learn about the impacts of irrigation and irrigation management utilizing SPRF unique irrigated landscape. 

Faculty and staff at the WCROC collaborate with the local Ridgewater College veterinary technician program to provide a site for hands-on training of vet tech students. The swine and dairy units provide animals and facilities for the instructors to teach students about injection practices, animal handling, physical exams, and other procedures which are required for licensing. This collaboration has gone on for more than a decade and has approval from the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) to ensure future vet techs in rural areas are prepared for the types of animals they may be called to help on farms. 

At both the WCROC and the Southern Research and Outreach Center (SROC) in Waseca, swine staff assist the Minnesota Department of Agriculture with the Certified Swine Sample Collector program. This training is an effort to teach industry professionals how to collect samples should there be a foreign animal disease outbreak in Minnesota. A grant from the National Pork Board supports these hands-on training events.

Building community connections across the state

ROCs serve as a crucial connection between the University of Minnesota and greater Minnesota, bringing the latest research into rural communities. Through outreach events and collaborating with community partners, ROCs build connections between the academic community, industry, and rural communities in Minnesota. 

Community members in the 8th District Garden Club utilize the NCROC facilities and land during their quarterly meetings. Depending on their agenda, they may visit the community garden plots, the south farm, the apple orchard, or other unique landscapes like the bog. NCROC staff members are frequently asked to speak to the group about some of the programming or land uses at NCROC during their meetings.

At the SROC, a local agribusiness nonprofit organization called GreenSeam collaborates with SROC staff to host tours for industry groups and local producers. They also utilize the facilities to host economic workshops accessible to the public where local agribusiness professionals gather together to discuss steps to becoming a successful business in southern Minnesota.

Across the ROCs, staff connect with different groups within the community. Many ROCs host tours for their local elementary, middle, and high schools with topics growing in complexity with student level. ROCs often host public events for members of the community to attend and learn more about the research going on in their backyard. Several ROCs have connections to a local nonprofit organization, such as food shelves, to provide support in their communities.

Together, building a stronger Minnesota

These collaborations are only a small part of the mission that each ROC carries out within their communities across Minnesota, but they are vital for connecting Minnesotans from all walks of life and career paths. These partnerships foster the exchange of ideas, promote the development of practical solutions to real-world challenges, and ensure that agricultural practices evolve along with technological advancements and environmental needs. By leveraging the resources, expertise, and networks of the ROCs, stakeholders from academia, industry, and community can work together to build a resilient agricultural landscape that benefits farmers, consumers, and the environment for generations to come.