Position Overview: Agriculture faces numerous challenges as the global human population grows and environmental pressures on agriculture intensify. To address these challenges, agricultural practices must be intensified while reducing our environmental footprint. Expanding the use of perennial crops, increasing continuous cover systems, reintegrating livestock agriculture into our landscapes, and exploring novel value-added biomass and protein sources will be essential to meeting global demands. Forage crops, such as alfalfa, play a vital role in this transformation by providing ecosystem services, enhancing landscape diversity, and supporting livestock production. The Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics is committed to increasing perennial acreage, including both agronomically managed feedstock production and management-intensive rotational grazing systems. The department seeks a Forage Extension Agronomist to lead research and extension efforts focused on improving agronomic practices that support Minnesota’s dairy and beef operations, while contributing to the economic and environmental resilience, sustainability, and food security of the state and beyond.
This position is a full-time, nine-month (academic year) tenure-track appointment with extension (60%) and research (40%) responsibilities. Alfalfa production in Minnesota spans 700,000 acres, with total hay acreage reaching 1.3 million acres, and the state has approximately 4.6 million acres of pastureland. This position will focus on alfalfa and the integration of forages, perennial crops, and managed pastures into Minnesota’s cropping systems to support livestock, enhance crop diversity, control pests, improve soil and water quality, and boost nutrient cycling — all while maintaining profitability for producers. This position will assist farmers to produce alfalfa and forage mixtures across Minnesota’s varying environments and agricultural systems, while addressing short- and long-term risks and resiliencies.
Close collaboration with animal and food scientists, crop breeders and geneticists, entomologists, plant pathologists and other plant scientists, economists, environmental scientists, and soil scientists will be essential in addressing challenges related to cropping systems diversification and ecological services, while ensuring the economic sustainability of agricultural landscapes. External constituents include producers and producer groups (including the Midwest Forage Association), government agencies, and industry partners. Funding for the position may come from many sources, including USDA , commodity groups, industry, NRC-SARE, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Forever Green Initiative, and the National Alfalfa & Forage Alliance.
Responsibilities: The Assistant Professor, Forage Extension Agronomist position will be expected to develop an independent, externally funded, and widely recognized Extension and research program at the state, regional, national, and international levels while collaborating with others. The extension and research efforts must be closely integrated, with both components working to advance scientific understanding while directly benefiting Minnesota’s farmers and agricultural stakeholders. Research will be highly interdisciplinary, with possible collaborations in animal and food sciences, applied economics, biosystems agricultural engineering, and other plant, soil, and environmental science departments. The candidate will be expected to lead and contribute to cooperative research projects focused on alfalfa and other forage-based systems, with strong engagement in multistate and international collaborations. Additionally, the candidate will mentor and advise graduate and undergraduate students, fostering a collaborative environment to promote student, post-doctoral, and professional development.
Extension efforts will be centered on locally generated and translated research-based knowledge, aimed at supporting Minnesota farmers and strengthening agricultural practices. The candidate will be expected to build and sustain impactful forage and crop extension programs that directly address the needs of agricultural producers. They will develop, contribute to and deliver effective extension programming to key agricultural stakeholders, such as farmers, consultants, agronomists, and agency staff, and the public. The successful candidate will be an active member of the interdisciplinary University of Minnesota Extension Forage, Livestock, and Crops Teams, as well as the Institute for Agricultural Professionals. Collaborative extension projects are encouraged with Department faculty and colleagues throughout University of Minnesota Extension, including campus-based Extension specialists, field-based Extension Educators, and Extension/Research colleagues at Research and Outreach Centers in the state. This position will also contribute to the outreach and service functions of the department, college, university, and relevant professional societies.
The University of Minnesota is especially interested in candidates who can contribute to the diversity and inclusive excellence of the academic community through their teaching/extension, service, and research, scholarship, or creative arts.
Required Qualifications:
Ph.D. degree in relevant discipline
Proven ability to conduct innovative field-based research in a relevant discipline
A publication record in peer-reviewed journals
Demonstrated ability to collaborate with other researchers
Strong written and verbal communication skills with experience developing communication strategies to meet the needs of various target audiences
Preferred Qualifications:
Experience in developing and delivering Extension programs focused on forage, crop management, or related areas.
Experience in research fields including forage agronomy and production systems.
Grant writing experience
Demonstrated mentoring experience at the university-level
Ability to work collaboratively with interdisciplinary teams, including crop breeders, animal scientists, environmental scientists, and others.
