![]() The total estimated cost for the project is roughly $220 million. Leslie Krueger, the university's assistant vice president for planning, space and real estate, told regents the U is in "active negotiations" for another 500-plus acres of land, as it works toward it goals of buying 1,200 to 1,600 acres to support the complex. ![]() Last month, regents voted to pay $1 million to buy 80 acres of land in the same area. Regents approved the purchases in a meeting Friday morning. "We can understand those linkages now," Buhr said. Ultimately, he added, that all impacts human health as well. "What you feed animals turns into plant nutrients manure, comes back into animals, and we can start to see the dynamics of those changes," Buhr said. ![]() For example, remote sensors will allow them to gather temperature and soil quality data where crops are planted, while trackers akin to an Apple Watch or Fitbit will allow them to monitor heart rate and other metrics for livestock. ![]() The university's College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences has 10 research and outreach centers across the state, but administrators say many of them are in poor condition and becoming increasingly expensive to operate.īrian Buhr, dean of the college, said the new complex will allow researchers to use more advanced technology to monitor changes in soil, crops and livestock, and the ways they're interconnected. "It's going to be vital to the future of this state, in terms of doing things right on farms and taking this to the next level," he said. In a public meeting Friday, Regent Doug Huebsch said the new center will be "probably the biggest thing in agriculture to happen since I've been born." University administrators hope the new center will allow researchers to build more sustainable farming techniques to adapt to climate change while feeding a growing population. The complex will be located in Udolpho Township, about 20 minutes outside the city of Austin. The $10.3 million purchase will give the university about half the land it hopes to acquire for the new Future of Advanced Agricultural Research Minnesota (FAARM) center. The University of Minnesota is buying nearly 750 acres of land in Mower County as it moves forward with plans to create a new complex for agricultural and climate change research and teaching. ![]()
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