Mission Statement
The mission of the Research Centers is to serve the specific needs of the clientele in local production areas and the broader needs of Montana agriculture in general through applied research directed to the problems and impacts of agricultural production.
New knowledge generated by Agricultural Research Center programs benefits Montana agriculture and the scientific community at local, state and national levels. This knowledge is disseminated to the agricultural industry in Montana through publications and teaching to improve the economic status and quality of life of its citizens. Research information also reaches the scientific community through publication in professional journals and presentations at professional meetings, thereby enhancing and promoting the individual professional development of faculty members. Faculty appointments are predominantly research-oriented, with limited opportunities for traditional academic teaching activities.
The Montana State University Agricultural Experiment Station's mission as established in 1893 by the state statute is "to conduct and promote studies, scientific investigations and experiments relating to agriculture, natural resources and rural life, and to diffuse information thereby acquired among the people of Montana." Thus, the research centers fulfill the agricultural research component of Montana State University's federal Land Grant University mission of teaching, research and extension.