About ANR Week

Michigan State University and the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources extends a cordial welcome to visitors to Agriculture and Natural Resources Week (formerly Farmers Week). Founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, Michigan State University was the nation’s first agricultural college. This national movement to make useful advanced education available to a broad public was guided by a philosophy to serve all the people of the state, an idea that still prevails today.

History

Agriculture and Natural Resources Week continues to be one of the largest events of its kind in the nation. Foundations for the week were laid by the Farmers’ Institute more than a century ago. In 1898, Michigan Agricultural College hosted the first statewide Farmers’ Institute “Round-Up.” Agriculture Hall was completed in 1909, and a fourth floor auditorium provided the meeting place. Five years later, the round-up combined with farm association meetings to become the first Farmers Week. In 1982, Farmers Week was renamed Farmers’ Week and Natural Resources Days followed in 1985 by a name change to Agriculture and Natural Resources Week, better known today as ANR Week. With more than 50 programs and annual association meetings, ANR Week has developed into a late winter gathering of minds deeply concerned and involved in the today’s world of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Topics of interest have changed with the industry over the past century to coincide with trends and technology from machine based farming equipment to chemical and biological advances, and commodity specialization. Themes have also changed to reflect the times; during the 1960s the space age was topical, the 1970s featured science and cybernetics, and the 1980s bought forth issues related to world hunger.