agriculture

Waseca County sits squarely in the heart of some of the nation’s richest farmland as agriculture remains an integral part of life in the region.

While corn and soybeans remain the prominent cash crop in the county, Midwest Hemp Farm launched an innovative, indoor production facility in the city of Waseca during 2018. Entrepreneur Matt Little and developer Mike Drummer teamed up to open the facility in Waseca’s industrial park. Since opening in 2018, the Midwest Hemp Farm has expanded to an extraction center in a portion of the former Quad Graphics building along with adding a CBD store front in Waseca.

Agri-businesses have been major employers and led the way in both economic and innovative ways. Birds Eye-Pinnacle Foods remains one of the country’s major frozen vegetable producers, as well as a manufacturer of specialty dairy food ingredients, All American Foods. And one of the state’s largest ethanol plants, Guardian Energy, is located between the cities of Waseca and Janesville just off Highway 14.

Waseca is the home of the University of Minnesota’s Southern Research and Outreach Center, a rich part of the county’s agricultural significance.

In 1999, the research facility -- which began as the Southeast Demonstration Farm and Experiment Station, took the name the Southern Research and Outreach Center (SROC), now part of the University of Minnesota’s College of Food Agricultural and Natural Sciences (CFANS). Today, 926 acres are dedicated to research, outreach and extension activities.

In the center’s early years, increased agricultural production was of paramount importance and the focus of most of the facility’s activities. While efficient and effective production practices remain a major focus of the research, education and outreach programs at the SROC, the development of new technologies and practices that have positive impacts on food production systems, human health, renewable energy and the environment. explore. discover. connect.

Experience the evolution of Minnesota agriculture at Farmamerica, Minnesota’s Center for Agricultural Interpretation, just 5 miles west of Waseca.

On Farmamerica’s 120-acre farmsite, people of all ages can connect with agriculture during self-guided tours, camps, field trips and special events. Explore an 1850s settlement, the prairie, a one-room schoolhouse, country church, blacksmith shop and 1930s farm, complete with iconic red barn and fully-furnished farmhouse. Self-guided tours are available June through September. Download the Farmamerica app to enhance the self-guided tour experience. Call ahead to schedule a guided tour. The corn maze is open July through October. Pack a picnic lunch and enjoy the serenity of rural Minnesota.

Volunteers bring the sites to life during special events and school tours by providing tours and historic interpretations, repairing artifacts, providing demonstrations like threshing oats, caring for the animals and crops, and operating the tram around the Time Lane trail, a ¾-mile paved walking path.

Farmamerica is also a great location for business meetings and wedding celebrations with a conference center that holds 250 guests.

explore. discover. connect.

Experience the evolution of Minnesota agriculture at Farmamerica, Minnesota’s Center for Agricultural Interpretation, just five miles west of Waseca.

On Farmamerica’s 120-acre farmsite, people of all ages can connect with agriculture during self-guided tours, camps, field trips, and special events. Explore a 1850s settlement, the prairie, a one-room school house, country church, blacksmith shop and 1930s farm, complete with iconic red barn and fullyfurnished farmhouse.

Self-guided tours are available June through September. Download the Farmamerica app to enhance the self-guided tour experience. Call ahead to schedule a guided tour. Corn maze open July – October. Pack a picnic lunch and enjoy the serenity of rural Minnesota.

Volunteers bring the sites to life during special events and school tours by providing tours and historic interpretations, repairing artifacts, providing demonstrations like threshing oats, caring for the animals and crops, and operating the tram around the Time Lane trail, a ¾-mile paved walking path.

Farmamerica is also a great location for business meetings and wedding celebrations with a conference center that holds 250 guests.