Industrial Crops Institute of Shanxi Agricultural University was founded in 1950. Its predecessor was the Fenyang Specialized Farm in the lvliang District. TheInstitutewas renamed several times. In 1980, it was named theInstitute of Industrial Cropsat Shanxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences. In 2014, it was relocated to Building 2, No. 81 Longcheng Street, Taiyuan City. Due to the merger of Shanxi Agricultural University and Shanxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences in 2019, it was renamed the Industrial Crops Institute of Shanxi Agricultural University.

The Institute covers more than 70 hectares. At present, it mainly carries out research on oil crops, grain crops, and wheat industrial crops. The oil crops include soybean, peanut, sesame, sunflower, industrial hemp, and castor. Grain crops refer to things like millet, sorghum, and miscellaneous beans. Wheat industrial crops include Chinese medicinal materials, long yam, and fruit tree seedlings. The Institute also carries out agricultural products post-processing and animal science. At the same time, the Institute also carries out technique demonstration and promotion, agricultural science and technology training, personnel training, cultural inheritance, and relevant international exchanges and cooperation projects.

The Institute has 6 administrative departments: the Party And Government Office; the Scientific Research Office; the Social Service Office; the Organization and Personnel Department; the Financial Assets Department; and the Logistics and Security Department. It has 15 laboratories; the Taiyuan Comprehensive Laboratory; the Soybean Laboratory; the Millet Laboratory; the Medicinal Plant Laboratory; the Sunflower Laboratory; the Industrial Cannabis Laboratory; the Sesame Laboratory; the Peanut Laboratory; the Sorghum Laboratory; the Castor Laboratory; the Miscellaneous Bean Laboratory; the Wheat Laboratory; the Agricultural Products Processing Laboratory; the Economic Forest Laboratory; and the Animal Science Laboratory.

The leading group consists of four members: Zheng Hongyuan (Director and Secretary of the Party Committee), Zhang Hongbin (Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee), Tian Hongling (Deputy Director) and Li Jian (Deputy Director). Currently, the Institute has a total of 158 staff members, including 11 senior staff, 42 deputy senior staff, 45 intermediate staff, and 17 master supervisors. Of the staff, five members have PhD degrees 59 have Master degrees. There are two experts enjoying special allowances awarded by the State Council, one Scientific and Technological Hero and one Outstanding Expert. There are two Academic and Technical Leaders, six Model Workers, two Sanjin Talents，and one recipient of the Award for Outstanding Talents appointed by Shanxi Province.

The Institute has 8 national comprehensive test stations. There is 1 observation and experiment station, which is the Huanghuaihai Soybean Observation Station of the Ministry of Agriculture. Since its establishment, the Institute has obtained a total of 359 scientific research achievements and 127 awards (including ten national awards and 85 provincial and ministerial awards). It has accrued 164 approved crop varieties- including 27 national approved varieties- and compiled 12 local standards of Shanxi Province. It has also published more than 730 research papers.