The $20 million facility is not only expected to benefit Agilent and the DSU 1890 scholars utilizing it, but local small and medium sized farmers looking to stay competitive with large scale producers as well.
Sherese Winstead is Dean for DSU’s College of Agriculture Science and Technology.
“So, we really do want to close the gap between what the needs are of our local stakeholders; for example our farmers, and then give them the access to those resources that they need.” she told DPM.
Winstead also says this new facility wants to stay ahead of the curve by heavily utilizing cross-disciplinary education.
“It’s really our students that are in this space of re-envisioning what agriculture is going to look like moving forward. So, you’ll see computer science working alongside engineering, biology, and chemistry, just to solve those problems of tomorrow.” she said.
Winstead says the final price tag also includes a $5 million dollar investment in student scholarships.
Among the tools the facility will make to local farmers are a water quality lab and new testing equipment that can help producers detect heavy metals in their soil.
State Ag Secretary Don Clifton says that equipment can help as the state continues to combat PFAS, or “forever chemicals”.
“We have farmers who applied bio-solids to the ground, and it affects their ability to grow crops safely.” he said.
Clifton notes that while that issue is a priority, the extent of what can be learned from research at the new facility is “unlimited”
