Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Wendy Powers, Dr. Elizabeth Chilton, Sen. Patty Murray, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young and Dr. Simon Liu break ground on the facility.
PULLMAN - On Tuesday, July 26th, U.S. Agriculture Department Secretary Tom Vilsack participated in a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Plant Sciences Building that will be the home to scientists from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Washington State University (WSU).
The new facility, located on the WSU campus, will be a center for research focused on enhancing the health, sustainability, and profitability of dryland and irrigated agriculture in the Pacific Northwest.
During the ceremony, Vilsack emphasized the importance of agricultural research in addressing global challenges.
He said, "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."
The new building will accommodate four ARS research units - Wheat Health, Genetics, and Quality; Grain Legume Genetics and Physiology; Northwest Sustainable Agroecosystems; and Plant Germplasm Introduction and Testing.
It will also serve as a shared space for members of the WSU Departments of Plant Pathology, Crop, Soil Sciences, and Horticulture.
Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young, USDA Chief Scientist and Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics, expressed her appreciation for the collaboration between the USDA and WSU.
"The groundbreaking of the new USDA-WSU building reflects USDA's commitment to innovative research and cutting-edge solutions that make our farmers more productive, profitable, and resilient," she stated.
Several leaders and campus dignitaries also spoke at the ceremony, expressing their enthusiasm for the partnership and the potential impact of the new facility.
Wendy Powers, Cashup Davis Family Endowed Dean of the WSU College of Agricultural Human, and Natural Resource Sciences, lauded the building as a tangible marker of the 90-year partnership between USDA and WSU, stressing the scientific advancements this relationship has fostered.
U.S. Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, commended Pullman's significance as the "lentil capital" and its standing as a leading producer of wheat. She acknowledged agriculture's vital role and its impact on reducing poverty worldwide.
Also in attendance was current president pro-tempore of the the U.S. Senate Patty Murray, who noted her appreciation of being in the "better Washington," as opposed to her place of work in the national capital.
With this new facility on the horizon, the collaborative efforts between ARS and WSU scientists are expected to lead to significant advancements in supporting the nation's food supply and finding solutions to agricultural and environmental challenges.
Reid Thompson is an intern reporter at the Whitman County Gazette. Reid is enrolled at Syracuse University, where he studies journalism and international relations.
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