PULLMAN, WASHINGTON, US — The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) of the US Department of Agriculture and Washington State University (WSU) broke ground on a new agricultural research facility that will be located on the campus of WSU. The facility will house approximately 30 scientists from the ARS and WSU with research focused on improving the health, sustainability and profitability of dryland and irrigated agriculture in the US Pacific Northwest.

The ARS and WSU have been research partners since 1931.

The new facility will feature four ARS research units: wheat health, genetics and quality; grain legume genetics and physiology; Northwest sustainable agroecosystems; and plant germplasm introduction and testing. In addition to the four ARS research units, the USDA said members of the WSU departments of plant pathology, crop, soil sciences, and horticulture will share laboratory and office space with federal researchers.

“Robust and innovative agricultural research is a requisite to confronting many of the challenges we are facing, from feeding a growing world population and improving farming practices, to tackling the effects of a changing climate,” said US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. “The collaboration between USDA and Washington State University we celebrate today opens a new era in a long research partnership and pushes the boundaries of what is possible for agriculture through a commitment to ensuring our farmers are equipped with world-class research that leads to real-world, practical solutions.”

Chavonda Jacobs-Young, USDA chief scientist and undersecretary for research, education and economics, said the groundbreaking of the ARS-WSU facility reflects the USDA’s commitment to “innovative research and cutting-edge solutions that make our farmers more productive, profitable and resilient.”