Planting new roots: Fundraising initiatives continue to support OSU Agronomy Discovery Center
Friday, December 13, 2024
Media Contact: Sophia Fahleson | Digital Communications Specialist | 405-744-7063 | sophia.fahleson@okstate.edu
More than half of the wheat varieties planted in Oklahoma come from genetics that can be directly traced to research done at the Oklahoma State University Agronomy Research Station.
“Food security starts with the seed, and OSU’s wheat genetics are beingused in a lot of food to feed a lot of people,” said Brett Carver, OSU Wheat Improvement Team leader.
As part of The Innovation Foundation at OSU, the Agronomy Research Station is located northwest of the intersection of Highway 51 and Western Road in Stillwater, just southwest of OSU’s campus.
Behind the station’s doors, the OSU Wheat Improvement Team houses the innovative research behind 34 commercialized wheat varieties and nearly 300 multidisciplinary agronomy research projects.
We are a world-class team of researchers operating successfully in spite of substandard greenhouses,” said Wade Thomason, OSU plant and soil sciences department head.
The greenhouses at the Agronomy Research Station were built more than 60 years ago, he added, but the life expectancy of a standard greenhouse is just 15 to 20 years.
However, the OSU Board of Regents’ stamp of approval granted access to begin a draft of construction plans for 12 new greenhouses and updated facilities, Carver said.
To help launch fundraising efforts for renovations, Oklahoma Genetics Inc. and the Oklahoma Wheat Commission pledged donations of $5 million and $1 million respectively.
“Our research has the ability to be doing so much more,” Thomason said.
The vision for Phase 1 is to replace the current wheat breeding greenhouses and headhouse at the Agronomy Research Station, which will be renamed the Agronomy Discovery Center when the project is complete.
From there, a multi-phased renovation plan will help researchers continue down a path of success to help feed the world, Thomason said.
Having access to facilities to showcase the impact of research is a critical component in the research’s continuation and survival, he added, and this project will provide this support.
“Students need to be able to tour one of the country’s best wheat breeding programs,” said Everett Daugherty, OSU plant breeding and genetics master’s student.
Daugherty began working at the station as a student research assistant during his freshman year while he was earning his bachelor’s degree in plant and soil sciences at OSU.
“I am the only master’s student working on the wheat improvement team,” Daugherty said, “which is hard when we’re preparing samples at the farm, but we have to drive to mill them and test them on campus.”
Undergraduate research assistants provide additional support, he added, but updated structures will increase productivity by eliminating the need to leave the farm and go to campus.
“The importance of this project only increases with passing time,” Carver said. “The improvement of our wheat genetics is critical to maintaining a steady food supply.
“We have to be able to get better every year,” Carver added. “If we don’t have the best genetics going into seeds, or if we don’t have seeds going into the ground, that’s a big risk we’re taking. People’s diets depend on wheat.”
The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry estimates Oklahoma will produce more than 110 million bushels of wheat in 2024, making it the most-produced crop in the state and Oklahoma fifth in the nation for wheat production.
While Phase 1 of the project focuses on greenhouse renovation, Phase 2 includes building structures for purposes such as meeting rooms, offices, classrooms and research labs, Thomason said.
“At the Agronomy Research Station, currently we have no proper classrooms, only a lot of field-based labs,” Thomason said.
“In the event of inclement weather, instructors have to try to reserve study rooms on campus,” he added, “or likely just cancel class.”
The addition of classrooms would expand the development and teaching of skills learned hands-on in the field, Thomason said
The long-term effects of these renovations travel far past the borders of OSU’s campus, Carver said. Research feeds the future of wheat genetics, which plays a significant role in the food supply for the public, he added.
“Professionals, producers, consumers and even the people doing the research rely on the research happening at OSU,” Carver said, “no matter the industry.”
With fundraising initiatives active, the Agronomy Discovery Center is one step closer to helping OSU research feed the world, Carver added.
Story by Delia Crawford | Cowboy Journal