Skip to main content Skip to office menu Skip to footer
Capital IconMinnesota Legislature
Skip Navigation Links > >

Minnesota Agencies

Information on Minnesota State Agencies, Boards, Task Forces, and Commissions

Compiled by the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library


Agricultural Utilization Research Institute

Also known as:
AURI
Active dates:1988 -
Function:

The nonprofit corporation finds new uses and markets for Minnesota agricultural products using applied research and technology.

History:

Calling it "the most significant legislation" that he has seen in his six years as governor, Governor Rudy Perpich signed into law in June, 1987, a bill that would spend $38 million to further economic development throughout the state. The heart of the legislation is the formation of the Greater Minnesota Corp., a public corporation which will use state money to promote research and product development in the state. The corporation will use $3.5 million to establish an Agricultural Utilization Research Institute, that will develop new uses for the state's farm products.

The Agricultural Utilization Research Institute was originally a Greater Minnesota Corporation (GMC) operation but was given increased independence by the 1989 Legislature. At that time, there was concern that GMC wouldn't give agriculture adequate priority. But in 1990, when the agricultural institute sought independent funding from the Legislature, it was turned down. By October, 1990, the agencies were back in a cooperative mode.

AURI has facilities in Crookston, Marshall, St. Paul, and Waseca.

Agency heads:

Executive director: Tom Jorgens, 1988-1989 (interim); Virgil Smail, May, 1989-; Richard Nelson, August 5, 1991- ; Teresa Spaeth, March 5, 2006 -

Notes:

Dan Skogen, who served in the Legislature from 2007 to 2010, has been hired by AURI (Agricultural Utilization Research Institute) as their planning and government relations director. (Noted by Politics in Minnesota Confidential, December 19, 2012).

Note: The Legislative Reference Library may have additional reports on or by this group available through our catalog.
Documents/Articles:
News clippings and documents. Agencies Notebook Collection, 2012-2015.
Record last updated: 06/28/2021
 

All information on this group from the Library’s collection of agency notebooks has been digitized. These materials are incorporated into the “documents/articles” section of the record. Please contact a librarian with any questions. The Minnesota Agencies database is a work in progress.

Agencies image