Regional agriculture enthusiasts will swarm to MSU next week as part of Agriculture and Natural Resources Week.
Agriculture and Natural Resources Week includes a variety of agriculturally and environmentally focused meetings and events to enrich the lives and communities of people who attend, program coordinator Megghan Honke said.
The event, also known as ANR Week, is hosted by the MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, MSU Extension and the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station.
Honke said ANR Week began more than a century ago as a week for farmers to visit MSU and retrieve research-based information to put to use on their farms.
Since then, MSU has continued to conduct research and disseminate information for the public, carrying on its land grant mission, ANR Communications Manager Laura Probyn said.
Probyn said topics addressed throughout the week have been updated to apply to today’s society, but ANR Week is still deeply rooted in a rich tradition.
“It’s important not just because of the heritage but as we move into the future,” Probyn said. “MSU is doing so much important work in things like climate change, natural resources management and water quality and quantity, (and) organic foods.”
Jeffrey Armstrong, dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, said ANR Week is the highlight of his year. He said it gives him the opportunity to highlight MSU’s accomplishments over the past year, as well as what is in store in the future.
“It’s bittersweet with our economy,” Armstrong said. “We’re working to be very frugal … but there are also tremendous opportunities, because one of the liveliest economies in Michigan is the agriculture sector.”
This year’s events range from conservation, stewardship and food safety to meetings such as the Quiet Water Symposium and the Rabbit Breeders Association. Other events include the Great Lakes Energy Program, organic food discussions and a beekeepers program, Honke said.
More than 11,000 people from Michigan, bordering states and Canada are expected to attend.
“From the 4-year-old that comes toddling in with their family to the 80-year-old, the variety is wide,” Honke said.
“Each of them is passionate about their specific interest.”
Animal science freshman Dustin Baker, who has been involved in planning ANR Week, said agriculture is important to MSU.
“Agriculture affects everybody,” Baker said.
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