Seed Production Research at Magnusson Research Farm

aerial view of Magnusson Research Farm

The College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resource Sciences Magnusson Research Farm continues to be the major location in the region for numerous research and outreach activities. The Magnusson Research Farm is comprised of forty acres of land located 3.2 miles from Roseau, MN. The Magnusson Research Farm serves as the base of research operations and the staff manage over 3,600 research plots per year. The research staff arranges for the on and off site locations of the trials and handles or assists with site preparation, seeding, treatment applications, note taking, and/or harvesting in collaboration with the project leaders.

The major focus of the Magnusson Research Farm is to address producer problems associated with the turf and forage seed production systems in northwestern Minnesota. The research farm plays a critical role in the turf, forage, and cover crop breeding projects at the University of Minnesota. Our goal as researchers is to deliver new technologies through variety development activities, the introduction of new species and crops into production, and the development of better agronomic practices to support producers in the region. The location of the Magnusson Research Farm is critical to meeting the research objectives of the grass and legume breeding projects at the University of Minnesota. Seed production of forage and turf species is highly environmentally sensitive and must be conducted in the specific production ecoregion. As we continue our breeding efforts to improve turf quality, winter hardiness, herbicide tolerance, disease resistance, it is imperative to test our experimental cultivars in the target production area to insure they have sufficiently high levels of winter hardiness and seed production potential. 

Seed production research plots

The grass seed producers in Minnesota continue to recognize and appreciate the value the research provided by the University of Minnesota researchers and are ardent supporters of the University of Minnesota. The Minnesota Turf Seed Council, the grass seed grower group, provides both financial and in-kind support to the University of Minnesota which helps fund graduate students, technical support, and the research programs. For more information on our research:

Seed Production Research - Progress Reports

Seed Production Research - Newsletters

Minnesota Hardy: Turfgrasses

If you have questions about this project, please contact:

Nancy Jo Ehlke, Professor
Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics
University of Minnesota
[email protected]
Telephone:  612-625-6104
Mobile:  612-802-6740