Current Endowed Chairs
Sophia Benrud and Zoe Holloman propose to support development of the Midwest Farmers of Color Collective to support the ecosystem of farmers of color. The Collective was established in February 2020 at a Racial Justice & Farm Policy convening with 45 farmers of color. Since then the MFCC has grown to 82 participating farmer of color with this mission: We are a collective of Black, Indigenous and Farmers of Color (BIPOC) centered in racial justice and the development of food and farming systems that honor our communities, past, present and future. They have a series of goals to deepen relationships, create a directory of farmers of color in Minnesota, and to create interactive maps and tell stories about people in the network. 2022-2024
Valentine Cadieux proposal is to develop tools to bring the social sciences to students in CFANS by developing a course for graduate students and upper division undergraduates to discuss the social aspects of sustainable agriculture that are sorely lacking in CFANS course now. She was encouraged to apply for this opportunity by Gary Muehlbauer, head of the Dept of Agronomy & Plant Genetics as he continually heard from students in the Applied Plant Sciences that they wanted to learn more about the social implications of sustainable agriculture systems. Dr. Cadieux is currently a faculty member at Hamline University and is the Director of Sustainability Studies at Hamline. 2023-2024
Scott Peters and Daniel O'Connell were jointly awarded the School of Agriculture Endowed Chair in Agricultural Systems. Scott, who received his PhD from the University of Minnesota in 1998, is a professor in the Department of Global Development at Cornell University. Dan, Ph.D. from Cornell University, serves as the Executive Director of the Central Valley Partnership, based in Fresno, California. During their two-year tenure in the Endowed Chair position, they will use participatory action research to illuminate, document, analyze, and publicize core lessons from a 35 year partnership between farmers, community activists, government, and University of Minnesota faculty, staff, administrators, and students. Their work will narrate a history spanning time and geography that begins with Minnesota's farmers and communities pushing to strengthen the university and its public mission of democratic revival and community well being. Scott and Dan will generate a variety of publications that will be intentionally designed as resources for current work on issues of justice, sovereignty, equity, and sustainability in food and farming systems, in and beyond the state of Minnesota. 2022-2024
Mary Rogers is serving as faculty advisor for Cornercopia, the student organic farm at the University of Minnesota. The endowed chair funds allow Dr. Rogers to ‘reboot’ the student organic farm after a pause from the pandemic. Students, staff, and faculty feedback will be used to create a new strategic plan and vision for the farm for the next 5 years (2023-2027), and formally re-establish the student organic farm in alignment with its original mission with support from the Department of Horticultural Science, MISA, and College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS.) 2022-2024
To reach any of the Chair holders or for more information, please contact the MISA office: misamail@umn.edu, 612-625-8235 or toll free 800-909-MISA (6472).
MISA
411 Borlaug Hall
1991 Buford Circle
St. Paul, MN 55108
612-625-8235
800-909-6472
fax: 612-625-1268
