CFANS

We are thrilled to welcome 10 incredible undergraduate researchers from across the country to the University of Minnesota for the SOAR REEU program!

Over the next 10 weeks, these talented students will work alongside CFANS mentors on hands-on research in sustainable agriculture, food systems, and plant and soil sciences.

Join us in giving them a warm welcome! We can't wait to see the positive impact they make in our labs and fields this summer.

Learn more about this year's cohort: https://cfans.umn.edu/news/2026-soar-reeu-welcome

Today is World Digestive Health Day! 🌍🦠 When it comes to gut health, there is no single "miracle food." Instead, a healthier gut microbiome is shaped by our unique, daily behavioral patterns.

Researchers at CFANS and The Hormel Institute are leveraging mobile health technologies and AI to build a personalized approach to nutrition. By studying how "core foods" (our everyday staples) and "secondary foods" interact, the team is moving away from a one-size-fits-all diet model to help individuals cultivate a thriving gut ecosystem.

Learn more:

Analyzing individual food patterns for healthier gut microbiomes University of Minnesota researchers are developing a personalized approach to track how individual food choices impact the gut microbiome.

🎣Live-imaging sonar allows anglers to track fish in real time — but how does it impact long-term fish populations?

Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology researcher Cam Mosley is leading a new 3-year study with Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to find out. Read more via MPR News:

U of M researchers to study how forward-facing sonar could affect Minnesota fish Also known as forward-facing sonar, the technology lets anglers spot and track fish in real time. A team of researchers will study whether live-imaging sonar changes catch rates and what the long-term effects could be for fish populations in Minnesota lakes.

"Indigenous voices are leading the vision and direction of the Native American Medicine Garden." — Jennifer Garbow, CFANS tribal engagement and outreach liaison

We are honored to welcome the community back to the Native American Medicine Garden on Saturday, May 30, from 10 a.m. to noon. Located right across the street from the Bell Museum on the St. Paul campus, the garden serves as a vital space to connect, learn, and honor the deep connections Indigenous communities have to the land.

Let's gather, listen, and grow together.

Reawakening the Native American Medicine Garden | College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences The University of Minnesota’s College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS) is honored to support and join in celebrating the reopening of the Native American Medicine Garden on the St. Paul campus on May 30, 2026, from 10 a.m. to noon. The Native American Medicine Garden is ...

As we approach on May 25, there's no better time to raise a glass honoring the cold-hardy Marquette grape, introduced by the University of Minnesota twenty years ago.

“Marquette has almost by itself created a cold-climate wine industry in the northern tier of U.S., Canada, and soon plantings will be made in northern Europe,” says Drew Horton, an enology specialist at the University of Minnesota’s Grape Breeding and Enology project.

Marquette isn’t just tough; it’s tasty. With notes of cherry, black pepper, and spice, it produces a medium-bodied, ruby-red wine that can hold its own against famous cousins like Merlot or Syrah.

Whether you’re enjoying a bottle from a local Minnesota winery or a vineyard in Quebec, you’re tasting years of UMN innovation—cheers!

The grape that came in from the cold: Celebrating 20 years of Marquette | College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences Twenty years ago, a star was launched in the labs and vineyards of the University of Minnesota — and it had nothing to do with Hollywood.In 2006, the University officially introduced the Marquette grape. At the time, growing high-quality red wine in the frozen North was a bit like trying to grow p...

🌲 Protecting the future of Minnesota’s North Woods requires forward-thinking science. Through the UMN Hubachek Wilderness Research Center, CFANS is proud to announce funding for four innovative research projects via a newly designed competitive request for proposals process.

These projects maximize the impact of the F.B. Hubachek research endowment, ensuring the University of Minnesota has the long-term resources needed to study and protect northern forest health:

🔥 Forest Recovery After Fire: Tracking how the North Woods has naturally regenerated and changed 15 years after the massive 2011 Pagami Creek Fire to help predict future wildfire risks.

🌱 Below-Ground Soil Health: Investigating beneath the surface of the Pagami Creek burn area to see how well the ground is sequestering vital carbon and nutrients.

🌡️ Climate Change Stress Test: Continuing the 18-year B4WarmED experiment by using heat lamps and rain covers to simulate the future climate's impact on young trees and berry-producing shrubs.

🦫 Beavers as Wilderness Engineers: Studying the link between beaver wetlands, forests, and wildfires to see if these habitats act as natural, climate-resilient firebreaks.

Read more about these "Guardians of the North Woods" and their vital work:

Guardians of the North Woods: New research initiatives explore the future of Minnesota’s wilderness | College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences The Quetico-Superior border region — a vast, watery expanse of towering pines and boreal beauty — is more than just a crown jewel of Minnesota’s landscape. It is a living laboratory. Recently, the University of Minnesota’s College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS) t...

The moment the years of hard work pay off ✨🎓

For a PhD student, the hooding ceremony represents the ultimate milestone—officially receiving your doctoral hood from the advisor who guided you there.

Congratulations to the CFANS PhD Class of 2026! You earned every bit of this.

CFANS students are hands-on learning from day one 'til they cross the stage at commencement 🌹🌻🌷

This year’s incredible floral arrangements were student-designed with the guidance of Neil Anderson, professor in the Department of Horticultural Science.

Major kudos to Samantha Birch, Sara Cleary, Pearl Havercamp, and Claire Jacobi for making our graduation traditions even more memorable.

Mortarboard appreciation post 🎓🫡

🌻🍄♻️🪶🫶

Hats off to you, Class of 2026!

Did we miss your hat? Share in the comments and we'll add it to this post.