College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Alumni & Friends

If nothing else, 2016 will bring changes to the Michigan State University (MSU) College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR). Quite honestly, though, every year brings changes to our college.

It’s the nature of our business. For more than a century and a half, we’ve been changing. Whether it’s applying what’s been learned in the lab to the field or bringing new voices into our ranks, change has been our constant. 

You see change in this magazine. It’s a departure from anything we’ve done in the past. We want you to engage in this piece – there’s more to this magazine than meets the eye. When you visit the links, you’ll see that we are developing a podcast, videos, and more stories about our students, faculty and staff members, and you, our alumni and friends. 

We chose to name this piece “In the Field” because we think it does the work of rooting us in our tradition, but we will show that the fields are changing. While the  fields where we grow food, biofuels and feedstock remain, many of the fields we work in are across the globe. They are laboratories on campus and around the state. They are homes and doctors’ offices where people learn about nutrition. And they are virtual -- phone calls and video chats with colleagues around the country. The places we work – our fields – are changing because the people we serve are everywhere. 

As you read these stories and learn more about what’s going on in CANR, I hope that you will be inspired to connect with us in some way. Send an email, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, join us for an event in your area, or come to one on campus. 

This year will find the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources with a new dean, a new crop of students, new faculty members, and research and innovation across the globe. We are truly at an exciting time in food, energy and the environment. I can barely remember a time when so many of the issues we research and teach about have been so important to so many people. 

In many respects, we are all in the same place right now … experiencing the anticipation of what comes next, what does the future hold now? The future of CANR is undoubtedly bright – with the people in place to get this important work done, there’s nothing standing in the way.  

Doug Buhler
Interim Dean, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Michigan State University