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

The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded Montana State University $2,028,911 under the Hatch Act formula grant program on October 1, 2025. The award funds agricultural research conducted by the College of Agriculture and Montana Agricultural Experiment Station (MAES), led by Vice President of Agriculture, Dean, and Director Dr. Sreekala Bajwa.

MAES research addresses water use and availability, food production security, pest management, plant breeding, animal nutrition, economic sustainability, cropping systems, and infectious disease research affecting animal and human safety. The station employs science-based approaches including precision agriculture, data-intensive methods, and innovations in disease management. Eighty percent of MAES faculty are located at the main campus in Bozeman; the station also operates seven off-campus research centers and six campus farms. MAES participates in regional multistate projects addressing challenges at Montana, regional, national, and global scales.

The award carries a period of performance from October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2027. Place of performance is Bozeman, Montana. The Hatch Act program assists State Agricultural Experiment Stations in conducting broad agricultural research, with a requirement that at least 25 percent of funds support multistate projects addressing problems affecting more than one state. Hatch funding is expected to be fully expended in the fiscal year of appropriation; up to 100 percent may be carried over for up to one year after the end of the year for which funds were appropriated without prior approval.

Sreekala bajwa. Montana is home to the most land-grant institutions in the nation, with seven tribal colleges, or 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 relevant challenges facing montana's agricultural sector and effectively communicating that research across a broad range of audiences. This ensures the research is both informed by, and informs, the stakeholder groups who will most benefit from new knowledge. Eighty percent of maes faculty are located on the main MSU campus in bozeman. Maes also has seven off campus research centers and six campus farms. All hatch multistate projects at MSU are based within the COA/maes. Multistate projects have an integrated focus on developing advanced solutions to the pressing challenges facing montana, the region, the nation, and the world. Some of the top issues include water use and availability, innovating advancements in domestic 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 d ATA-intensive agriculture, innovations in plant breeding, pest management, cropping systems, animal nutrition, economic sustainability, and infectious disease research to address animal and human safety. Faculty participate in regional multistate programs tracked through the national information management and support system (nimss). Committees report annually through the nimss system. Projects are reviewed and approved by administrative advisors to the committee and review committees. Funds to travel to multistate committee meetings are available to the state contact, and funds for research are distributed proportionally to department heads for assignment to individual principal investigators. People who attend maes programs are asked which issues are important to them, their families, and communities. Media is used to inform clientele about the opportunity to make requests for assistance. Conversations with program attendees and community members reveal concerns/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 the full range of impacted producers and stakeholder groups. Through these engagements, COA/maes listen to and consider defined problems or questions that research, outreach, and education programs can address.