A Minnesota Corn-supported capital campaign for a renovation and expansion project at a Waseca-based agriculture-education center has reached a key milestone.

Over half of the $850,000 needed for the project at Farmamerica, also known as the Minnesota Agricultural Interpretive Center, has been raised, the organization announced July 15.

Through farmers’ investment in the corn check-off, Minnesota’s corn organizations have long been supporters of Farmamerica’s mission to better connect youth and adults to agriculture. This recent capital campaign offered an opportunity to make a significant impact in helping to share the story of modern agriculture.

Now, with the halfway point reached, Farmamerica will begin the public phase of the capital campaign. It has also begun renovations and remodeling at its welcome center.

Executive Director Jessica Rollins said Farmamerica is humbled by the support from Minnesota’s corn growers.

“We’re honored that you have that faith in us,” she said. “Thank you for being a believer in our mission to connect people with the evolving story of Minnesota agriculture.

The expansion and renovation project will include upgrading classroom space, adding year-round ag-literacy opportunities and remodeling the welcome center with interactive exhibits and experiences, including a new “Ag Around You” discovery center.

Farmamerica also plans to add an inclusive outdoor playground and convert its feed mill into a three-season classroom and exhibit space to showcase feed manufacturing and innovations in ag engineering.

The project will allow Farmamerica to offer year-round educational programming starting in 2022 and to better serve the thousands of school-age children who visit each year.

With the upgraded facilities, Farmamerica expects to draw more visitors from the south Twin Cities metro and for visitor attendance and student engagement to increase by at least 50% the first year.

Rollins said the project will help visitors better understand modern farming practices.

Established by the state Legislature in 1978 to preserve, celebrate and promote Minnesota’s connection to agriculture, Farmamerica has grown from a few acres into a 360-acre educational site.

Visitors can walk a milelong trail lined with historic buildings, including an interpretive center, an 1850s settlement, a country church, a one-room schoolhouse, a blacksmith shop and a 1930s farmstead.

Farmamerica also offers special events like summer camps, goat yoga and a fall festival, and during the pandemic, it has offered virtual field trips and career-exploration programming.

Thanks in part to the grassroots efforts of Minnesota Corn, the renovation project received an additional $250,000 from the Legislature in the 2022 fiscal year.

Grower-leaders said it’s critical to support opportunities for the public to learn about modern agriculture, given that fewer Minnesota residents than ever are connected to a farm.

“We are proud to support Farmamerica’s efforts to create meaningful and hands-on learning opportunities for young people and the non-farming public,” said Angela Guentzel, a Minnesota Corn Growers Association board member. “Agriculture is critical to our state’s economy, and we look forward to our continued partnership with Farmamerica on ways to strengthen the connection that all Minnesotans have to this important field.”

To learn more about Farmamerica and its capital campaign, visit farmamerica.org.