Minnesota’s Food Research Shines Brightly

University of Minnesota’s Joseph J. Warthenson Food Processing Center. (Photo courtesy of UMN via Minnesota News Connection)

(By Mike Moen. Minnesota News Connnection) – The current struggles seen by U.S. farmers raise questions about the future of food production. Minnesota researchers are helping the agricultural community adapt to trends, including working with emerging farmers seeking out a prosperous future.

Those independent farms are being celebrated at this weekend’s Farm Aid concert, with Minneapolis serving as the host site for the event’s 40th anniversary. At the same time, national polling highlights farmer’s concerns about labor shortages, extreme weather and shifting consumer demands.

Mitchell Maher, University of Minnesota’s Food Science and Nutrition pilot plant manager, said amid the ebbs and flows, food producers need a testing ground.

“The early work that we were doing, there was a lot of work on soy and then it’s shifted and there’s been a bunch of work on like sunflower, something that doesn’t have the allergen,” he explained. “There’s always a shift in what’s new and how do you process and make a value out of some of these products.”