Midwest Area

Welcome to the Agricultural Research Service, Midwest Area Office Web Site!  We have recently done some remodeling and, as a result, your bookmarks may no longer be accurate.  Please feel free to browse around to find your favorite pages to create new bookmarks.

Welcome and thanks for visiting the Midwest Area (MWA) website of the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS).

ARS scientists within the MWA conduct research at 12 locations across Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin.  Working together with numerous cooperators across the country, our ca. 1300 employees, including 340 scientists develop solutions to agricultural problems of high priority to the Midwest and the Nation.  Our research provides information that enables the United States to:

• Ensure high-quality, safe food, and other agricultural products
• Sustain a competitive agricultural economy
• Enhance our natural resource base and the environment
• Assess the nutritional needs of Americans
• Provide economic opportunities for rural citizens, communities, and society as a whole

MWA scientists are leaders in all facets of ARS science programs.  Their comprehensive research portfolio covers plant, animal, environmental, and product sciences, and has impact from the field to the dinner table, from commodity production to product safety, from food to biofuels, and from DNA to the watershed.  Our ultimate goal is to use the best science to develop new tools and products that are transferred to users, thus enabling scientists, producers, consumers, and policy makers to make informed decisions, reduce risks, and solve real problems.  To achieve our mission we partner with other Federal agencies, some of the largest and most dynamic public universities in the country, stakeholder groups, and state agencies, as well as other ARS laboratories across the nation.  Our employees are dedicated to maintaining and enhancing the economic strength of American agriculture while improving the quality of life for all our citizens.