Kathy Henderson
“Being a farm kid, he can walk the talk.”
That description of Brian Buhr was made 13 years ago by Professor Mike Boland when Buhr was appointed as dean of the University of Minnesota’s College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS) and director of the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station (MAES) at the St. Paul campus.
Buhr is leaving that position as of July 1. However, the U will still benefit from his presence, as he said that following his sabbatical, he plans to return to the faculty in the Department of Applied Economics.
A comprehensive reflection on his years as CFANS dean and MAES director is available at the CFANS webpage: cfans.umn.edu.
Along with his belief that “education, research and outreach still matter deeply,” it covers the challenges he faced as dean (including unprecedented COVID-19 safety protocols), lessons learned over 13 years, and the “importance of strengthening relationships with Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities.”
Buhr grew up on a farm in northeast Iowa. He earned his doctorate in agricultural economics and his bachelor’s in animal science and agricultural business from Iowa State University. He joined the University of Minnesota in 1992 as an applied economics professor and in 2008 headed the Department of Applied Economics. He began serving as the CFANS interim dean and MAES director in August 2013 and was officially named to the position in June 2014.
Prior to becoming dean, Buhr held the prestigious E. Fred Koller Chair in Agribusiness and Information Systems from 2004-2010 and received many honors, including the Outstanding Policy Contribution Award from the American Agricultural Economics Association, a CFANS Distinguished Teaching Award and a CFANS Distinguished Faculty award.
Linda Nagel, professor and head of the Department of Forest Resources, will serve as interim dean and interim director of MAES until a permanent dean and director is appointed.
Kathy Henderson lives in St. Paul and is a freelance writer for the Park Bugle.
