UMN Agricultural Education, Communication and Marketing

10/20/2026

Thank you to the organizations that provide financial support for our program through the Minnesota FFA Foundation's Star Partner initiative. Because of your generosity, our students have access to a richer educational experience through events, professional development, and more. A list of Star Partners can be found on our website https://ag-ed.cfans.umn.edu/about/star-partners

10/13/2026

Current AECM undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and staff are invited to Fall on the Farm, an AECM community gathering hosted by alumni Joe and Madi Joyer at Joyer Adventure Farm! Join us on October 28 for an evening of hayrides, barnyard exploration, corn maze adventures, food, and time to connect outside the classroom and beyond campus! RSVP here by October 21: https://z.umn.edu/JoyerAECMSocial

10/07/2026

Today, CFANS and AECM faculty and staff are excited to welcome nearly 700 Minnesota FFA members from over 60 chapters to compete in a variety of Career Development Events (CDEs) for the 34th annual UMN Invitational. In addition to Dairy, Livestock, Poultry, and Soils, we are hosting a new event called Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources (AFNR) Explorer! This event is designed as a CDE sampler activity for new and beginning FFA members.

We hope that all attendees enjoy their campus experience! Wishing all those competing the best of luck.

of Minnesota, Department of Animal Science Department of Soil, Water, and Climate

09/30/2026

The second UMN Agricultural Education, Communication & Marketing Club meeting of the semester is TONIGHT! 🥳

Join us for our second meeting of the semester featuring guest speaker Sue Knott, UMN alumna and current Minnesota Agriculture in the Classroom (MAITC) Education Specialist! 🎓🌱

📅 September 30th
⏰ 7:00 PM
📍 Ruttan Hall B35

Come hear about Sue’s experiences, career, and work in agricultural education. We hope to see you there! 👋

umnaecm

09/28/2026

Ever wonder what our AECM faculty do when they aren't teaching? Last week, Dr. Amy Smith presented to The National Council for Agricultural Education Board of Directors, sharing updates and seeking collaboration around the National Ag Ed Supply & Demand project. "The NSD project is a major focus of my research, and I'm proud to be part of an awesome team of researchers, collecting and sharing valuable data regarding the agricultural education teacher workforce," Dr. Smith said.

09/25/2026

Last weekend, Dr. Amy Smith and a group of UMN-TC Agricultural Education students traveled to Marshall, Minnesota, for the first ever Ag Ed United event!

Thanks to generous financial support from Minnesota Agricultural Education Leadership Council (MAELC), AgCentric, and the Minnesota FFA Foundation, our students were able to spend two days learning alongside other developing agricultural educators from Southwest Minnesota State University School of Agriculture and U of M Crookston Agricultural Education. The weekend blended professional development, hands-on learning, and plenty of opportunities to build connections across Minnesota’s agricultural education community.

Students visited a local flower farm, toured agricultural education facilities, and gained practical ideas and insights they can carry into their future classrooms and programs. We were especially glad to have Gopher Ag Ed alumni involved in the experience, including Brad Schlosser, Executive Director of Minnesota Agriculture and Rural Leadership (MARL), who served on a career panel, and Sarah Lee, Marshall High School agricultural educator, who welcomed students into her program for a facility tour and shared insights from the profession.

We’re grateful to our friends at SMSU for hosting such a meaningful weekend, and for the opportunity to learn, connect, and grow together as Minnesota’s next generation of agricultural educators.

09/24/2026

Meet Mattea Quigley, Minnesota 4-H'er turned CFANS student! Mattea was highlighted in the latest episode of Minnesota Conversations with UMN President Cunningham, where she talks about how Dakota County 4-H helped shape her leadership skills - and why she chose CFANS. She is double majoring in Agricultural Communication and Marketing and Animal Science, and we're so happy to have her as a part of our program! https://z.umn.edu/bnak

09/17/2026

Come visit us! 🎉 CFANS is offering personalized tours! Visit z.umn.edu/DiscoverCFANS2026 to learn more.

Are you a high school or transfer student curious about all things agriculture, food science and natural resources? Sign up now for a tour of CFANS designed around ✨your✨interests. You can tour a facility like the greenhouses, chat with a faculty member and more! Visit z.umn.edu/DiscoverCFANS2026 to learn more and sign up.

09/15/2026

Congratulations to Amber Kongsjord on her MS program completion! Amber currently teaches middle school agriculture at Robert J Elkington Middle School in Grand Rapids, and she recently completed her Masters of Science Initial Licensure through our AECM program. In August, she presented her final capstone project, showcasing an 18-week curriculum for 8th grade agricultural education programming to complete her program requirements. Congratulations on this huge accomplishment, Amber!

09/10/2026

There was a lot happening inside the Miracle of Birth Center during the Minnesota State Fair, but we wanted to highlight some of the important work that was done by the FFA members working as "Barnies." These student-leaders spent their days welcoming fairgoers, answering questions, sharing what they know, and helping thousands of people better understand animal agriculture. In other words, they were educating, communicating, and telling agriculture’s story!

This year, our program wanted to recognize that work with a little something to help them through some very full State Fair days: AECM State Fair Survival Kits! 💛〽️ We’re proud of these young people for representing Minnesota agriculture and agricultural education so well!