New facility builds on long WSU, USDA partnership to boost agriculture
By Scott Weybright, College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences
Share on Twitter | Share on Facebook | Share on LinkedIn | Email | Share with Link
A nearly 100-year collaboration has culminated in a new building that could lead to improved foods for people across the country and the world.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Washington State University are opening the USDA-ARS Plant Bioscience Research Building on the WSU Pullman campus, with an official ribbon cutting on October 14.
“This new Plant Bioscience Research Building opens a new chapter in the nearly century-long partnership between ARS and WSU. By bringing federal and university researchers together under one roof, we are accelerating the discoveries and innovations that U.S. farmers, ranchers, and producers need to thrive. This facility reflects our shared commitment to advancing plant and soil science in ways that strengthen the agricultural prosperity of Washington state, the Northwest region, and ultimately American agriculture for generations to come,” said ARS Administrator Joon Park.
The WSU-ARS relationship dates back to 1931 and the famed USDA scientist, and WSU alum Orville Vogel.
“Vogel was an architect of the green revolution that led to huge food production gains for the world,” said David Weller, a research leader in the ARS Wheat Health, Genetics, and Quality Research Unit. “This new building is part of a through line from his work to the scientific partnership between the two institutions today.”
The new building is more than 20 years in the making and features broad support from ARS scientists, multiple WSU administrations, and Washington senators and representatives.
“Every member of the Washington delegation supported this building,” said Kristine Growdon, former WSU federal relations coordinator. “There were no territorial disputes. Everyone put agricultural research at the forefront to help our state and science succeed.”
The new facility will house ARS and WSU labs that work on soil science, wheat, legumes, potatoes, weeds, and more. One such lab includes the WSU post-harvest potato research team, who will have state-of-the-art storage facilities and kitchen to