CFANS

Meet Breckin Anderson, a rising second-year student studying plant science with a minor in agronomy and coaching.

“One class that will stick with me throughout life is Agro 1103 with Jake Jungers, as that was one of the first agronomy classes I took, and it created great memories, being a super informative course for someone like me who already had a solid foundation of knowledge.”

Once Anderson graduates, his goal is to help bridge the generational gap and disconnect between farmers and agronomists, helping them understand that when one succeeds, everyone does as well. Showcasing how everyone is trying to find the most optimal and sustainable way to feed the world.

Learn more about the CFANS students having a major impact through their minor in agronomy: https://cfans.umn.edu/news/agronomy-undergraduate-minor

📊 Meet Maggie, a senior majoring in Applied Economics with a Management minor!

This summer, Maggie is working as a Purina Animal Nutrition Income Optimization Intern with Land O'Lakes, Inc., where she’s gaining hands-on experience using data and analytics to support pricing decisions within the animal nutrition industry.

Throughout her internship, Maggie is learning how pricing strategies and revenue optimization help drive business decisions while collaborating with professionals across the company. She’s excited to apply the analytical skills she’s developed through her coursework to real-world business challenges.

CFANS students, we’d love to hear about your summer internship experiences. Send us a DM to be featured! 📩

"High school agricultural educators are on the front lines of inspiring the next generation of food scientists and innovators." — Job Ubbink, professor and head of the department of Food Science & Nutrition, UMN.

Earlier this summer, agricultural educators from across the state visited the University of Minnesota for a brand-new, immersive professional development event: the Food Science for the Classroom Workshop.

Specifically requested by the Minnesota Association of Agricultural Educators and made possible by grant funding through the Minnesota Agricultural Education Leadership Council, the two-day event equipped teachers with the tools, resources, and continuing education credits needed to bring high-impact food science concepts back to their local schools.

Teachers spent time conducting hands-on sensory science experiments, exploring food safety in our teaching kitchen, and touring our Pilot Plant to see real-world processing and extrusion technology in action.

The goal? Giving educators high-impact, research-backed concepts to bring directly back to their local classrooms and open exciting career pathways for students across Minnesota.

Learn more: https://cfans.umn.edu/news/educator-food-sci-workshop

Learn more:

Meet Kristen Rauch. Rauch is a second-year student studying food science and nutrition as a double major, and minoring in agronomy.

“My favorite experiences in courses have been the labs, although labs take up time, they have been the most interesting and enjoyable aspects in some of my classes, specifically within microbiology, growing a culture and looking at it under the microscope to see how small these organisms are, and then relating their impact on our bodies and agriculture within nutrient cycling, is incredibly interesting and puts into perspective how much each different organism on earth works together to affect one another.”

Upon graduating, Ra**ch wants to leave a positive impact on future generations so they, too, can follow suit and make a lasting difference in others' lives.

Learn more about the CFANS students having a major impact through their minor in agronomy: https://cfans.umn.edu/news/agronomy-undergraduate-minor

🌿 This summer, Plant Science graduate Lauren is spending her summer as a Summer Intern with Monrovia in Dayton, Oregon!

Lauren is gaining hands-on experience across the nursery’s production, propagation, and sales departments while learning about efficiency and sustainability in horticultural production. She is also helping celebrate Monrovia’s 100th anniversary. 🌱

She says CFANS courses like Plant Production Systems, Ecology of Managed Systems, and Plant Families for Plant People helped build the systems-thinking and plant identification skills that prepared her for this role.

In the fall, Lauren will return to the University of Minnesota to pursue a master’s degree in Applied Plant Sciences with a horticulture emphasis.

CFANS students, want your summer internship featured? Send us a DM! 📩

Meet Emily Day! Day is a soon-to-be graduate of CFANS, majoring in plant science with a double minor in agronomy and horticulture.

“Some of my most memorable coursework experiences took place in labs. The labs were very immersive and had activities that were both fun and exciting, which made me question my hypothesis and the techniques that were used for experiments. Being surrounded by great classmates within the same graduating year added to the joy, as each lab was filled with jokes and laughter.”

During her time here at the University, Day interned for Bob Stupar's lab, being involved with research relating to plant breeding for peas, cultivating ways peas can be more sustainably grown in the winter.

With Day’s stint here coming to an end, she hopes to contribute to the plant breeding community by breeding crops with strong traits to withstand harsh weather conditions.

Learn more about the CFANS students having a major impact through their minor in Agronomy: https://cfans.umn.edu/news/agronomy-undergraduate-minor

The final five flavors are here✋🤩 (Click through the photos to read the names and flavor descriptions)

A major milestone in the University of Minnesota 175th anniversary commemorative ice cream flavor contest. We received nearly 500 entries from our community, and a panel of experts helped us select the final five.

The five finalists moved on to micro batch production and taste-testing by our panel of judges. The winning flavor will be announced in early August and available anywhere Golden Gopher ice cream is sold 〽️

This summer, upcoming junior Gail is gaining hands-on research experience as a Freshwater@UW SROP Intern! 🐟🧪

Gail is conducting an independent research project studying mercury contaminants in multiple fish species from Milwaukee Harbor. Her work will help researchers better understand public health concerns, aquatic food web health, and provide valuable baseline data before the harbor’s planned dredging in 2027.

This internship has given Gail the opportunity to combine fieldwork and lab work while building connections that will support her future graduate school goals. We’re excited to see where this experience takes her!

CFANS students, want your summer internship shared? Send us a DM! 📩