From staff reports
STILLWATER – Three years after subzero temperatures destroyed some of the delicate hybrid wheat that was crossbred to develop new varieties at Oklahoma State University’s Agronomy Research Station, the facility’s declining plumbing and electrical systems remain a concern.
“Modernization of the OSU Agronomy Research Station is needed to position the wheat breeding team to continue its outstanding scientific and economic impacts,” said Jayson Lusk, vice president and dean of OSU Agriculture. “Our efforts at OSU to feed and nourish the world begin at the agronomy farm with the wheat improvement team. Some of the university’s earliest research began in 1892 on experimental wheat field plots named after A.C. Magruder, the university’s first professor of agriculture. The Magruder research site is among the oldest of its kind in the United States, and that speaks volumes about our commitment to agricultural research and our land-grant mission.”
Featuring 28 structures for classroom instruction, greenhouse trials, research and support services, the farm supports the campus’ agricultural efforts. A 2018 master plan study identified the need for multiple standalone projects. Constructed in the 1940s and ‘50s, many buildings need at least minor improvements, while others require major renovation or reinvigoration.
“We are limited on space, so we have to do things that are not ideal in terms of efficiency,” said Brett Carver, OSU regents professor and wheat genetics chair.
Among the buildings in need of repair are the agronomy farm’s headhouse and the Small Grains Building, which hold deteriorating floors. Diagonally across from the Small Grains Building is the Wheat Research 618 building, where wheat germplasm is stored.
“We don’t just go down to the mill and buy seed; we create it on our own,” Carver said. “We have to maintain a collection that comes from our own nurseries to have something to rely on in a disaster. Right now, if a disaster occurs, we don’t produce enough seed to go back to fully recover. That’s what happened in 2021 when some of the seed was never recovered.”
Known for disease resistance, drought tolerance, grazing tolerance, nitrogen-use efficiency and wide commercial appeal, 71% of named wheat acreage in Oklahoma is from Stillwater, with 25% of Texas wheat acreage coming from OSU wheat genetics, the Oklahoma Wheat Commission surveys have noted.
“This is the program where it happens, and we want to keep that going — the producers want to keep it going,” said Carver, one of only three wheat geneticists to lead the Wheat Improvement Team since the 1940s.
During extreme weather, heat breeding manager Jason Ray checks the facility’s equipment and greenhouse stability. “If a pipe bursts or a heater goes out, we’ve got around 30 minutes to go to our backup plan,” Ray said. “If something breaks, I have to shut off water to the entire facility. In 2021, I co uldn’t shut off the water in one area to change a broken line at midnight. I had to run water in all of the o ther greenhouses to live-change the line. When there’s an issue, we have to fix it fast.”
Due to patched up plumbing and electrical units, rodents remain threat to the facility ’s germplasm. “Every single day, I have to f ix something,” Ray said. “We’re keeping up with it just ba rely.”