Oklahoma State University’s Agronomy Research Station will undergo a major renovation following a donation totaling $6 million for facility improvements. OSU has designed a multi-phase plan to transform the research station and build the Agronomy Discovery Center.

The Agronomy Research Station is home to one of the best wheat breeding programs in the world, and two agricultural organizations made the first donations to get the renovations underway. Oklahoma Genetics Inc. donated $5 million and the Oklahoma Wheat Commission contributed $1 million to start the planning process and open the door for more donations.

“The work of the Agronomy Research Station is truly important and has a major impact on producers and consumers across Oklahoma and beyond,” said Jayson Lusk, vice president and dean of the OSU Ferguson College of Agriculture. “We are doing cutting-edge research, but in outdated facilities. The Agronomy Discovery Center will provide us with the infrastructure we need to be competitive in the modern era and fulfill our mission to feed the world. We are incredibly grateful to Oklahoma Genetics Inc. and the Oklahoma Wheat Commission for allowing us to begin the first phase of this project.”

According to OSU, some of the highlights of the renovations will include a new main building, 12 research greenhouses and a multi-purpose research and education center. The research and education center will include classrooms and laboratories and will house the laboratory space for the wheat quality laboratory, the soil, water and forage analysis laboratory and the plant disease and insect diagnostic laboratory.

“The Agronomy Research Station directly serves OSU’s land grant mission, channeling research and education to empower farmers, improve food security and promote sustainable practices,” said OSU President Kayse Shrum. “With the Agronomy Discovery Center, we reaffirm our commitment to advance agricultural innovation to serve our community and the world.”

Although the project has already received an initial donation of $6 million, additional funds are needed to complete the transformation. For more information about donating to the Agronomy Discovery Center, contact Megan Smith at 405-747-1977 or (email protected).

Lacey Vilhauer can be reached at 620-227-1871 or (email protected).