Local News

Tours, food and more at North Central Research and Outreach Center Visitor’s Day

KAXE

Published July 25, 2023 at 2:35 PM CDT

The University of Minnesota's North Central Research and Outreach Center is located near Grand Rapids. A large barn, a few silos, and other buildings are shown behind large fields with yellow flowers. The scene is framed by branches of a fir tree. — The University of Minnesota's North Central Research and Outreach Center is located near Grand Rapids.

This Thursday, the University of Minnesota’s North Central Research and Outreach Center (NCROC) is having its annual Visitor’s Day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The director of operations at NCROC, Dan Braaten, joined the KAXE Morning Show to talk about the event.

GRAND RAPIDS – Ever wonder where they created the Honeycrisp apple variety?

Honeycrisps were bred locally at the University of Minnesota’s North Central Research and Outreach Center in Grand Rapids (NCROC). At NCROC’s annual Visitor’s Day on Thursday, July 27, the public is invited to take a tour of apple orchards where other varieties like Sweet Tango are being studied.

Tour schedule for Visitor's Day at the North Central Research and Outreach Center, July 27, 2023

Director of Operations at NCROC Dan Braaten said on the KAXE Tuesday Morning Show, “A lot of the apple and berry varieties that you see in the in the grocery stores have come through our center and it it's a big part of what they do [at NCROC’s orchards].”
Apples are not the only focus of the event. The day also includes free food, bus and wagon tours to the orchards, wild rice paddies, and research fields, and a chance to visit with vendors, scientists, and Daisy the cow calf. The Bell Museum’s Traveling Planetarium ExploraDome will also be on-site.

The event runs from 9 AM to 4 PM on Thursday, July 27. Registration is requested. All ages welcome.