The Agricultural Utilization Research Institute (AURI), Compeer Financial and Georgetown University’s Rural Opportunity Initiative are partnering to present the Fourth Annual New Uses Forum during March 23-24, 2022 at the Earle Brown Heritage Center in Brooklyn Park, Minn.
The theme for this year’s event is exploring the intersection of sustainability, innovation and investment in food and agriculture.
The New Uses Forum brings together some of the most knowledgeable voices in business, agriculture, nonprofits, commodity groups and academia for in-depth discussions and informal knowledge sharing. Organizers are offering an in-person and virtual option for speakers and participants this year. To register, learn more information and see a detailed schedule of events, visit the event website.
The engaging forum will feature expert speakers, panel discussions and break-out sessions that will explore practical approaches for advancing innovative ideas to commercial markets in an effort to help create new sustainable, economic benefits for the region’s agricultural industry.
The multifaceted programming features a wide range of content and perspectives, including innovations in new uses, agricultural processing, digital strategies, finance and investment capital trends, automation, new or expanded market possibilities, novel crops, entrepreneurship, sustainable protein and more.
In addition to the schedule of sessions, participants will have time to interact and share experiences with fellow attendees via networking breaks to advance innovative food and agricultural ideas throughout the two-day conference.
Registration is open to join this can’t miss event to explore trends and needs in innovation and investment, as well as to connect with industry leaders in the ag, food, and investment sectors.
The program partners extend their gratitude to the 2022 New Uses Forum sponsors: Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council, Bremer Bank, CoBank, Faegre Drinker, Great River Energy, Lathrop GPM, Minneapolis Saint Paul Regional Economic Development Partnership, Northern Crops Institute, RAHR, Ag Country Farm Credit Services, Avisen, MinnWest Technology Campus, Bargen Incorporated, EPAC flexible packaging, GREENSEAM, Minnesota Farmers Union, Chippewa Valley Ethanol Company, Great Plains Institute, Hill Capital Corporations and Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation.
About AURI
The Agricultural Utilization Research Institute’s mission is to foster long-term economic benefit through value-added agricultural products. It accomplishes this by using science and technology to help develop new uses for agricultural products. It partners with businesses and entrepreneurs to generate economic impact in Minnesota communities by helping businesses take advantage of innovative opportunities in four focus areas: biobased products, renewable energy, coproducts and food. AURI provides a broad range of services, including applied research and development, scientific assistance and a targeted network of resources to develop value-added uses for crops and coproducts.
About Compeer Financial
Compeer Financial is a member-owned Farm Credit cooperative serving and supporting agriculture and rural communities. The $27 billion organization provides loans, leases, risk management and other financial services throughout 144 counties in Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Based in the Upper Midwest, Compeer Financial exists to champion the hopes and dreams of rural America, while providing personalized service and expertise to clients and the agricultural industry.
Compeer Financial is one of the largest cooperative of the Farm Credit System, a nationwide network of lending institutions supporting agriculture and rural communities with reliable, consistent credit and financial services.
About the Rural Opportunity Initiative Center
The Rural Opportunity Initiative (ROI) aims to serve rural American communities by driving financially and socially-sustainable rural development. It has been well-established that rural businesses lag behind their urban counterparts in terms of venture and early growth capital investment and accessing debt and operating capital. At the same time, private investors are eager to identify and support rural growth opportunities. However, most are not aware of what’s available, and often the deals are misaligned with traditional investment models. The investor experience in U.S. rural communities in some ways mirrors that of impact investors in search of deals overseas in developing regions, where the amount of capital is more robust than the pipeline of deals, and a mismatch exists between the levels and kinds of returns investors seek, and what small and growing businesses can offer.
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