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 16
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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.
