Ten years of Service

Anniversaries are worthy milestones, chances to look back and celebrate accomplishments — to reminisce a bit about the good times and remind ourselves of lessons learned from the struggles.

Ten years ago, September 1989, AURI opened its doors for business. At the time, the concept of a nonprofit public corporation to help develop new uses and markets for agricultural commodities was unique to the state and the nation. Through the years, numerous other states have added programs to encourage new uses for farm goods. AURI, however, still stands out for blending business assistance with technical support and applied research.

AURI represents an alliance of commodity groups, farm organizations and legislators. These leaders foresaw the need for a mechanism to promote value-added agriculture and to help farmers capture more profit by developing alternative products and markets for their crops.

Today, those forward-thinking individuals who developed the AURI concept are just as vital to its mission. That’s why we put time and energy into partnering with commodity groups and organizations to develop ag-based products.

Times change and needs change. Over the course of ten years, we’ve made some adjustments. We’ve monitored our services to see what works and restructured our financial and technical assistance programs accordingly. Our facilities also evolved. AURI began with a food pilot plant and oils and fats lab, then saw a need for a waste utilization lab, and most recently, a meat lab. We’ve tried to remain flexible to meet the needs of Minnesota business while prudently using our state-allocated funds.

Although some original AURI employees remain, many faces have changed over the years through retirement and other opportunities. I would like to thank all the current and former AURI employees for the contributions that have shaped this organization. Their commitment to rural Minnesota should be applauded.

Finally, I can’t look back at the past without thinking of the future. We’re all aware of the dangerously low prices our farmers face today. AURI’s aid in developing new uses and markets for commodities carries an ever-increasing significance and urgency for the rural community. Helping to keep producers profitable and their economic options open is one of the reasons we’re all looking forward to the next ten years.