Agronomy Lab Opens

A two-million dollar center devoted to improving ag-related research in the region was dedicated in Minot today The North Central Research Extension Center held its 63rd Annual Field Day - and part of the event was set aside to unveil the new Agronomy Research Lab and Greenhouse It was one year ago that ground was broken on the lab And today that same spot looks like this More than 1-point-1 million dollars was raised through local donations to make the lab a reality Research on everything from crop pests to alternative energy will be done at the new facility The director of the research center says it s a great accomplishment Jay Fisher NCREC Director This is a great day for North Dakota for North Dakota agriculture North Dakota State University and the North Central Research Extension Center Tim Bryan Building Campaign Chairman As we hand over the keys to the center we re going to go from imagining a building to imagining the information education and research data that will flow from this for area agriculture Gov John Hoeven -R- ND This has huge impact it has huge impact for farmers it has huge impact for jobs and new wealth and careers in North Dakota and it s important for our country and our need to have more energy independence Hoeven says research on alternative fuels at the new center will help the nation reach energy independence The state of North Dakota provided just under half the funding for the research lab