Nonprofit’s work also helped create and retain 686 jobs, further ag innovation across the state
CROOKSTON, Minn. (January, 2026) — The Agricultural Utilization Research Institute (AURI) continued its mission to accelerate the expansion of the agricultural economy by helping Minnesota agricultural businesses earn over $188 million in new annual sales and create and retain 686 jobs over the last five years. These highlights and more are outlined in AURI’s fiscal year 2025 Annual Report.
“AURI continues to find innovative ways to enrich and support our agriculture economy and our local farmers,” says Shannon Schlecht, AURI executive director. “We work alongside agribusinesses and entrepreneurs to develop new uses and markets for agricultural products so they can be successful.”
Along with helping businesses generate sales, AURI’s partnership with these organizations over the last five years has led to derisking ideas that led to over $129 million in capital investments. What is even more exciting is that these same entities project their future capital investments could reach $604 million in the coming years. During the 2025 fiscal year, AURI worked together with businesses on 196 projects—100 in the food arena, 58 in the bioindustrial space, and 38 that had broader applications across multiple sectors.
“AURI has covered many bases in helping us develop as a company, from lab testing services to business development and introductions,” says Eugene Alvey, chief executive officer of Swinergy. “AURI’s technical team is top-notch, providing us with lab services for tests we do not have in-house and making technical recommendations based on our lab results.”
Other AURI highlights from the 2025 fiscal year include:
- Hosting 10 events that had a combined total of 691 participants.
- The launch of AURI’s food team virtual office hours twice a month, which offers small food businesses the valuable opportunity to access AURI’s resources and industry expertise for free.
- Further developing AURI’s Virtual Assistant (AVA), a free AI-powered online tool designed to help food entrepreneurs, agricultural producers, and innovators across the food chain gain 24/7 access to AURI’s curated expertise on food business, science, and safety.
- Assisting several biogas projects, including creating biogas from beef feedlots, processing and using swine manure for biogas production, and developing a farmer guide on the biogas sector.
- Assisting in pet product innovation, developing animal feed opportunities for emerging crops, and advancing biobased products from industrial hemp.
“We’re eager to innovate, add value to the products we produce, and help provide solutions for the challenges facing our members right now,” says Gary Wertish, president of Minnesota Farmers Union. “We’re grateful to AURI for their work and investments, and we know partnerships and collaboration with groups like AURI is the best way to overcome challenges.”
Learn more about how AURI has made an impact on agriculture in Minnesota by reading the full Annual Report, or by visiting the AURI website at auri.org.
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ABOUT AURI
The Agricultural Utilization Research Institute is a nonprofit whose mission is to accelerate the expansion of the agricultural economy by empowering expanded uses and markets of agriculturally derived products. It accomplishes this by using science and technology to help develop new uses for agricultural products. It collaborates globally, acts regionally, and is known as an economic catalyst for Minnesota with a focus on bioindustrial products and food. AURI provides a broad range of services, including applied research and development, scientific assistance, and a targeted network across the value chain to foster collaboration. To learn more, visit auri.org.
