October 2025

This issue of Ag Innovation News highlights AURI’s first-term Board Director, Rep. Rick Hansen. A member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party, Rep. Hansen was elected to the Minnesota House…

Ella VanKempen’s test plots at the West Central Research and Outreach Center (WCROC) in Morris, Minnesota, look a little different than most of the agricultural research locations around the state.…

Leading the way in renewable energy is nothing new for Minnesota, which for decades has been a pioneer in biofuels like ethanol, biodiesel, and, most recently, sustainable aviation fuel. The…

To introduce more Minnesota farmers to the benefits of on-site anaerobic digesters, the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute (AURI) published a new report, The Biogas Opportunity for Minnesota Farmers: A Business…

The Agricultural Utilization Research Institute (AURI) recently began working on a project to help protein businesses expand or relocate to Minnesota. Earlier this summer MBOLD and AURI launched the Protein…

A Minnesota company is finding market success using recaptured dairy ingredients for animal and human nutrition. After operating as Milk Specialties Global, the company, based in Eden Prairie, rebranded in…

In June 2025, Charlie Lucas joined the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute (AURI) as a senior food scientist. He co-leads AURI’s food innovation efforts across Minnesota’s value-added agricultural ecosystem. He supports…