FAARM vision comes more into focus

The University of Minnesota’s vision of its proposed Future of Advanced Agriculture Research in Minnesota (FAARM) is becoming a little more refined for a facility that looks to create a one-health approach to agriculture and environment.

According to Dr. Brian Buhr, the dean of the school’s College of Food, Agricultural & Natural Resources Sciences, the project has reached the predesign step of the project and has just wrapped up its final report of that stage.

The next step is to begin working with the Board of Regents in order to move forward with bonding requests to the Minnesota Legislature.

At the same time, Buhr said even though a big step has been taken, there are still many steps ahead of the facility.

“There are still other design phases,” he said Thursday. “We’ve been spending a lot of time with farmers, construction people who build these things, companies that do drainage work … Does this look like what we need to be able to do that research? What are we missing?”

Planning for FAARM began before the COVID pandemic and then a feasibility study was conducted during the pandemic that took a deeper look into the viability of the project.

The cost of the project, which will include several facilities spread about on land already purchased in Udolpho Township in Mower County, is projected to cost around $220 million, with Buhr adding that that number could change depending on shifting construction costs.

As planning continues, that number will become more refined with the hope that the cost continues to hover on or near that $220 million projected cost.

Buhr went on to say that it’s hoped that prep work on the project could start in 2027 with site construction possibly starting in 2028.

“From what we know now, we’re probably going to phase in over a few years. Ideally, it takes a couple more years. When I say that, we do have the land (options) acquired,” Buhr said, going on to explain that they want to know the lay of the land including things like how water flows. “We want to understand what the drainage systems are.”

Another step in the process will take place on Thursday, when a project listening session will be held at the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center’s Ruby Rupner Auditorium.

An open house will be held from 5-5:30 p.m. with a panel discussion from 5:30-6:30 p.m. with an informal question and answer to follow.

Panelists will include Buhr, Riverland Community College President Dr. Kat Linaker and Assistant Vice President of Planning, Space and Real Estate for the University of Minnesota, Leslie Krueger.

The reason for the session is to further hear from area landowners and invested parties on their thoughts regarding FAARM.

“We want to hear from people on what they see as opportunities,” Buhr said. “We’re going to be a part of the community there. What can we do to advance the community?”

“There’s an education piece,” he continued. “Hopefully we become a place where young people come and check this out.”

On the surface, FAARM will ultimately act as a hub as it plays host to this “One Health” goal surrounding food sustainability that looks at the overall cycle of animal health, ecosystem health, human health, crop health and soil/water health.

A part of that are the highly advanced looks at the environmental aspects of farming. How to keep the nutrients from fertilizers and manure in the soil with crops rather than with runoff, looking at pests and plant diseases detrimental to plant health and how to improve soil health are just some of the areas FAARM will be able to approach in answering these questions.

“We’re looking at that whole cycle to the plants, to the animals, to the humans,” Buhr said. “As we are able to understand big data, we can really start to understand those interactions. Can we really understand what those influences are and start to manage those outcomes.”

The idea of being a hub extends outward from there as it is hoped that FAARM will work as a place where people can come from the state, region and world locals in order to do the necessary work.

That hub concept is what led the University of Minnesota to consider Mower County in the first place as it looks to connect resources already established through RCC, The Hormel Institute, Hormel Foods and more.

“We view it as global,” Buhr said, adding that Minnesota’s overall value for research is its location on the planet’s surface. “If you look at the map of the world, we’re on the 45th parallel. Forty-five percent of the value is around that parallel on the globe. We just represent a large segment of the world’s agricultural productivity.”

In particular, Buhr highlighted the education importance of FAARM and through RCC and other avenues, students across the board will be able to make use of research opportunities through FAARM.

This is made possible because when completed, FAARM will very much resemble a working farm with facilities for turkey, dairy, beef and swine along with feedlots spread out across the facility’s footprint.

There will also be a welcome center that will include meeting rooms, research labs, classrooms and more. On top of that, FAARM will have a heavy tech focus in the field making use of both robotics and drone technology.

“We’re going to be saturating it with instrumentation,” Buhr said. “Students can go out there and do that work. They can actually go out and do the data collection in the crops.”

“We’re looking at environmental health, human health, animal health,” he added. “ It is about sustainability. We’re trying to advance healthy people with healthy foods.”

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