Agronomy Discovery Center
Oklahoma State University is doubling down in its efforts to impact the world by modernizing and improving its Agronomy Research Station, home to one of the world’s top wheat breeding programs. The research station includes 28 buildings used for classroom instruction, greenhouse trials, research, Extension efforts and support services.
Giving
The Oklahoma Legislature has approved $40 million in state funding to create the Agronomy Discovery Center at Oklahoma State University’s Agronomy Research Station in Stillwater. OSU Agriculture will continue to raise $10 million to support this investment.
This comprehensive modernization will enhance OSU's agronomy research enterprise – from its world-renowed wheat breeding progrm to its nationally recognized turfgrass science program and broader crop and soil research.
87.1% of funds raised out of $10M goal
$8,712,841 Total Funds Raised
48 Total Donors
8 Major Gift Donors (>$50K)
Innovative Research
OSU Agriculture has multiple teams that utilize the Agronomy Research Station, and they research the ever-changing environment in Oklahoma. Discoveries made at the research station significantly impact the state's $42 billion agricultural industry.
Research by Liuling Yan, Regents professor and endowed Dillon and Lois Hodges professor in plant and soil sciences, has resulted in the discovery of the taCol-B5 gene in wheat plants that enhances wheat yield by more than 10%.
Wheat Improvement Team
This team directly and significantly impacts food security around the world with wheat supplying 20% of the energy from food required by humans. OSU scientists create new varieties each year that account from more than 70% of all wheat acres planted in Oklahoma and around 10% across the country, helping to make the United States one of the top producers and exporters of the food crop globally.
OSU Wheat Varieties Core Trait System
- Minimal yield losses from stocker cattle crazing.
- Disease resistance from viruses, rusts, mildew and leaf spotting.
- Resistance to the Hessian fly and Bird Cherry Oat Aphids.
- Acid soil and drought tolerance.
- Nitrogen-use efficiency.
- Competitive kernel size, product-driven dough quality and targeted enzyme activity.
- Increased levels of antioxidants and resistant starch, one of three principal sources of total dietary fiber, supporting consumer health.
- Increased kernel size, protein content, dough strength and water absorption.
By the Numbers OSU Wheat
Outdated Infrastructure
Much like the clientele it serves, OSU Agriculture has stretched resources over the last several decades and maintained facilities to the best of its ability. But many spaces were constructed in the 1940s and create unnecessary obstacles, limitations and threats to research. Maintenance costs are too prohibitive, and the scientific innovation exceeds the capabilities of the facilities.
Modern Movement
A modernized research station will remedy the major challenges OSU Agriculture's researchers face and simultaneously create exciting opportunities for program growth and the breadth of its impact. Specifically, OSU scientists are especially eager to move into new areas of plant phenotyping and its effect on milling, baking, human health, etc. New laboratories, classrooms and capabilities will also aid OSU as it recruits and retains the next generation of innovative wheat breeders.
Agronomy Discovery Center Vision and Planning
Headhouse and Greenhouses
Updated and new facilities will bring a vitality and competitive edge to teaching, research and Extension initiatives at the university. Early focus will prioritize creating a new headhouse and research greenhouses, which will become the birthplace of all of OSU's new wheat lines.
Classroom and Lab Building
Plans also include a dynamic and multipurpose classroom and lab building that can accommodate industry audiences. The building will house the Wheat Quality Laboratory; Soil, Water and Forage Analytical Laboratory; and the Plant Disease and Insect Diagnostic Laboratory.
Better Wheat for Tomorrow
"When products of the wheat breeding program — 1-2 new varieties per year — stand a better chance against nature than the facilities used to create them, then we know it's time to upgrade. Investments like this do not merely produce a wheat for today; they ensure a better breed of Oklahoma wheat for tomorrow."
- Brett Carver, OSU Regents Professor and Wheat Genetics Chair
Growing Momentum
Learn about the importance of OSU wheat and the need for improved facilities.
Facilities for the Future
See what the Agronomy Discovery Center could look like once completed.
Join us as we celebrate our legacy of innovation with plans for the future. Together, we will ensure OSU Agriculture remains at the forefront of discovery.
Needs and Opportunities
Gifts may be made at four different levels: Triumph, Chisholm, Duster or Gallagher.
Agricultural commodity donations are an additional way to invest and qualify for the campaign. Individuals may contact the OSU Foundation and consult their tax advisors to understand potential benefits.
