WSDA Dedicates New State-Of-The-Art Greenhouse

Officials with the Washington State Department of Agriculture gathered on the WSU Prosser campus Thursday to cut the ribbon on a new state of the art greenhouse.  The greenhouse, nearly 4,800 sq. ft in size was built on 7.5 acres leased from WSU.  The new structure includes three separate growing bays, with individual temperature controls, that better duplicate temperature ranges where fruit tree viruses can thrive.

WSDA Director Derek Sandison told the Washington Ag Network this greenhouse will help promote the tree fruit industry across North America.

“Help provide disease free, virus free, certified fruit trees when those are basically sold all over the U.S., sold in Canada and sold in Mexico, so it’s a very important part of the tree fruit industry.”

Helps the whole fruit industry, from growers, to producers and consumers.  Sandison added this improves a well-established relationship between WSDA and WSU.

“This gives us the ability to run our own greenhouse, it’s a much larger, 5,000 sq. ft. facility, it gives us the where with all to really do a tremendous job in terms of supporting our tree fruit industry.”

WSDA has been on the Prosser campus since 1956, and the hope is this greenhouse will be available for the next five decades.

We also had a chance to chat with WSDA's Cindy Cooper, and C&O Nursery Gary Snyder about what this new Greenhouse means for the industry:

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