New Plant Bioscience Research Building Opens On WSU’s Campus

On Wednesday, USDA’s Agricultural Research Service and Washington State University cut the ribbon on a state-of-the-art research facility focused on improving the health, resiliency, and profitability of dryland and irrigated agriculture in the Pacific Northwest. The 100,000-square-foot Plant Bioscience Research Building features laboratories, collaborative workspaces, and research infrastructure designed for ARS and WSU researchers. ARS Administrator Joon Park said this facility will have a big impact on consumers nationally and internationally.

"The work being done here with ARS and WSU is really helping to feed America," said Park. "And I recognize that many of the producers here in Washington state is also not just providing support to the domestic market, but also a lot in terms of our export market as well. And so, yeah, the wonderful producers here are doing great work for the U.S. and really exporting to really help feed the world.”

This Facility Will Benefit The Next Generation Of WSU Researchers

The new facility will house ARS research units focused on wheat, legumes, sustainable agroecosystems as well as plant germplasm. Raj Khosla, Cashup Davis Family Endowed Dean, College of Agricultural Human and Natural Resource Sciences [CAHNRS] stressed this facility will promote great creation now and well into the future.

“I think possibilities are only limited by our imagination," Khosla said. "What our faculty, our graduate students, and undergraduate students who are working under their supervision will be able to create in the years to come. So, I'm very excited about that.”

The new ARS building replaced Johnson Hall, which opened on the Pullman campus in 1960.

Wednesday’s grand opening was attended by several individuals who were key in funding the $125 million project, including Senator Patty Murray, eastern Washington Representative Michael Baumgartner, former Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, and Washington State Department of Agriculture Director Derek Sandision.

Washington State University, ARS A Relationship 95 Years Strong

The collaboration between ARS and WSU began in 1931 and ARS said it is one of the nation’s most robust federal-state partnerships, resulting in a host of accomplishments for the agriculture industry:

Plant genetic resources to collaborators and stakeholders through the USDA-ARS National Plant Germplasm System to support U.S. food security and advances in agricultural research.
Superior wheat breeding lines and commercial varieties with resistance to multiple pests and diseases.
Food-grade winter peas, in both green and yellow varieties, which provide growers with pulse crops that can be planted in the fall.
The national WSU Cook Agronomy Farm Long-Term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) site that has advanced precision and regenerative farming systems by enhancing nutrient and water use efficiency, water and air quality, soil health, and cropping system productivity.
Predictive models to forecast the occurrence of low wheat Falling Number, a major wheat quality problem, using decades of statewide variety testing trial data.

Visit Our Facebook Page for more photos from Wednesday's ribbon cutting ceremony.