About MAES

Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station (MAES) funds the research of University of Minnesota scientists to improve Minnesota's agricultural and forest products, horticultural crops, human nutrition, family and community life, and environmental quality.

MAES supports both basic and applied research with practical goals for improving the lives of Minnesotans. It is an organization that supports cross-disciplinary problem solving and responsiveness to emerging issues. It funds scientists who work in five different University of Minnesota colleges: 

Research results are brought to Minnesotans through a partnership with University of Minnesota Extension.

In any given year, MAES funding supports approximately 400 research projects conducted by more than 300 faculty. Their projects employ more than 600 field research and laboratory assistants, technicians, and postdoctoral research associates.

From soybeans to tourism, from Norway pines to new apple cultivars, from beef cattle to housing for families, Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station continues to seek, through its statewide research programs, a better life for all Minnesotans.

Download an overview of MAES (pdf)

MAES Partners

Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station works closely with a variety of partners within the University, the state, and both regionally and nationally to ensure research funding is being applied appropriately and research results are shared with the public and industry leaders.

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University Partners

University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota is one of the most comprehensive public universities in the world. It is both the state's land-grant university and its flagship research institution. The U's mission is to inspire students, pursue breakthrough discoveries, and share knowledge with the state, country, and world. 

University of Minnesota Extension
With the help of over 34,500 volunteers, U of M Extension delivers on the University's land-grant mission, working directly with Minnesotans to address important issues and creating a better world for future generations.

College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences
Representing 14 academic departments, CFANS is devoted to solution-driven science and uses critical and innovative thinking along with all the tools of the arts and sciences to make our planet a productive, friendly, and sustainable environment.

College of Education and Human Development
CEHD is driven by a belief in the value of every individual, an understanding that research and collaboration with community professionals will lead to solutions that will improve lives, and a dedication to preparing educational and human service professionals to make the world a better place. 

College of Design
CDES seeks to advance the quality and value of the natural, designed, and social environments with an emphasis on sustainable, socially responsible, civically engaged, user-sensitive, critical, and collaborative design work.

College of Biological Sciences
With its 7 majors and 5 graduate programs, CBS works to improve human welfare and global conditions by advancing knowledge of the mechanisms of life through breakthrough discoveries and to prepare today's students to create the biology of tomorrow. 

College of Veterinary Medicine
CVM is improving the health and well-being of animals and people, and strengthening Minnesota's economy by providing high-quality education, conducting leading-edge research, and delivering innovative veterinary services.

Office of the Vice President for Research
OVPR supports and guides U of M faculty in their research efforts. Their staff reviews applications for funding, manages grant awards, oversees regulations that govern research, and evaluates the commercial potential of discoveries. They also work to strengthen ties with business and industry partners.

Office for Technology Commercialization
OTC oversees all aspects of technology commercialization at the University, bridging the gap between the lab and the marketplace to connect faculty with companies to achieve results.

MnDRIVE
By aligning areas of University research strengths with opportunity and need, the goal of MnDRIVE is to foster innovation, cultivate strategic business collaborations, advance Minnesota's economy and enhance the University's ability to produce breakthrough research that addresses our state's and society's greatest challenges.

Minnesota Partners

Minnesota Department of Agriculture
The MDA's mission is to enhance Minnesotans' quality of life by ensuring the integrity of our food supply, the health of our environment, and the strength of our agricultural economy.

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
The DNR's mission is to work with citizens to conserve and manage the state's natural resources, to provide outdoor recreation opportunities, and to provide for commercial uses of natural resources in a way that creates a sustainable quality of life.

Minnesota Crop Improvement Association
MCIA provides services that enhance the value and improve the marketability of agricultural products. MCIA is officially designated as the certification authority for seed and noxious weed-free forage and mulch in Minnesota. 

Regional/National Partners

U.S. Department of Agriculture
The USDA works to expand economic opportunity through innovation, helping rural America to thrive; to promote agriculture production sustainability that better nourishes Americans while also helping feed others throughout the world; and to preserve and conserve our nation's natural resources through restored forests, improved watersheds, and healthy private working lands.

The National Institute of Food and Agriculture
NIFA is an agency within the USDA, part of the executive branch of the Federal Government. Congress created NIFA through the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008.

USDA Agricultural Research Service
The ARS is the USDA's chief scientific in-house research agency. Their job is finding solutions to agricultural problems that affect Americans every day, from field to table.

North Central Regional Association of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors
The NCRA of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors is one of five regional associations with responsibility for facilitating the cooperation of regional and national research. 

Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities
APLU is dedicated to excellence in learning, discovery, and engagement. The association's overriding mission is to support high-quality public higher education and its member institutions as they perform their teaching, research, and public service roles.

Land Grants Impacts Database
The land-grant university system is a uniquely American institution and has operated successfully for more than a century. This website documents and demonstrates the collective and individual impacts of this national system of joint teaching, research, and extension institutions.