The montana state university college of agriculture (COA) and the montana agricultural experiment station (MAES) are led by vice president of agriculture, dean, and director DR

Sreekala bajwa. Montana is home to the most land-grants in the nation, with one 1862 and seven 1994 land grant institutions. The MAES mission is to 'generate and disseminate superior knowledge and technological solutions to increase the competitiveness of communities capturing value from montana's agricultural and natural resources, preserve environmental quality, and improve the quality of life for all our citizens.' to fulfill this mission, MAES research focuses on addressing challenges facing montana's agricultural sector and communicating that research to a broad range of audiences. This ensures the research is both informed by, and informs, the stakeholder groups who will benefit the most from new knowledge. Eighty percent of MAES faculty are in bozeman. MAES has seven off campus research centers and six farms. All hatch projects at MSU are based within the COA/MAES. Hatch projects have an integrated focus on developing advanced solutions to diverse challenges facing montana, the region, the nation, and the world. Some of the top issues include water use and availability, understanding the impacts of climate change on food production and security, assessing barriers and opportunities to productivity and economic returns with scarce inputs, and improving cost-effective management of land and natural resources. In addressing these issues, COA/MAES uses science-based approaches such as implementation of precision and data-intensive agriculture, innovations in plant breeding, pest management, cropping systems, animal nutrition, assessment of environmental quality, economic sustainability, and infectious disease research to address animal and human safety. Department heads within COA/MAES review hatch projects. A committee of peers reviews the project and passes IT to the director for approval. Researchers present seminars to the review committee and interested stakeholders. The committeeprovides written recommendations on project relevance and importance, scientific and technical quality, and environmental, economic, and/or social impacts. Annual and long-term guidance are provided to faculty and administrators via local and project-based advisory committees and MAES advisory board. The review process is on MSU's website at https://agresearch.montana.EDU/projectreview.html. People who attend MAES programs are asked which issues are important to them, their families, and communities. Media is widely used to inform clientele about the opportunity to make requests for assistance. Conversations with attendees reveal issues that might not be heard otherwise. Stakeholder committees include the sustainable agriculture focus group, MAES state advisory council, AG coalition (includes representation from several AG commodity groups and organizations), and other state and local groups. The AG coalition meets periodically with DR. Bajwa to review program priorities, new initiatives, fundraising efforts, and legislative activities. The MAES advisory council meets three times per year to discuss program focus and direction, montana legislative priorities, and productivity/impact of research and outreach. Montana's open meeting law requires inviting the public, and the organizer must publish an agenda per montana code annotated 2-3-101. The newly implemented COA/MAES strategic plan includes several objectives to build and maintain enduring partnerships to inform and advance the land grant mission. This includes increasing engagement between faculty and stakeholders and making a concerted effort to increase input from historically under-represented and non-traditional stakeholder groups. Through these engagements, COA/MAES and extension listen to and consider defined problems or questions that research, outreach, and education programs can address.