Country Pride Cooperative is proud to announce that the Board of Directors committed to a $100,000 donation to the Headhouse and Greenhouse Facility along with the Cow-Calf Facility projects at South Dakota State University in Brookings, SD. The company will donate a total of $20,000/year for five years to the ag projects at SDSU. “This was a great opportunity for Country Pride Coop to recognize SDSU’s contributions and the value that the university brings to the ag industry. With this donation, Country Pride is investing in the future of agricultural,” explains Country Pride CEO Mike Trosen. “Both facilities will be key in continuing research work in the ag industry and will also provide a great area to educate and train students for future careers in agriculture. Helping provide a monetary contribution to the ag projects is part of our company’s cultural values and Country Pride feels honored to be part of the projects being constructed at SDSU Representatives from SDSU recently attended a Country Pride Cooperative board meeting to express their appreciation for the donation. Mike Barber, SDSU College of Ag Bio Development Director stated, “We wanted a chance to say thank you for this generous gift. Both projects are instrumental in helping us move to the next level in research and your donation is greatly appreciated. ” Dr. David Wright, Dept. Head/Professor for Plant Science and Dr. Joseph Cassady, Dept. Head/Professor for Animal Science also attended and discussed the progress of the projects. The Cow-Calf project includes a main building with offices, laboratory space and conference center, a multipurpose building for maternity or livestock evaluation pens, a monoslope research building, and replicated pastures for grazing management. They expect it to be ready for students in the spring of 2016.
The Headhouse and Greenhouse Facility project construction will start in 2015. It will replace the old buildings that were built in the 1940’s which were closed recently due to safety concerns stated Dr. Wright. The new Headhouse and Greenhouse facilities will create 12,000 sq. feet of new space to teach, conduct research and enable extension opportunities for producers in South Dakota. Research in these facilities will positively impact agriculture through the production of new crop varieties and through discoveries that will improve pest control, disease resistance and stress tolerance in crops. Research on range plants and invasive species will also help livestock producers across the state better utilize their pastures and grasslands. o ignored
According to both SDSU department heads the enrollment in the College Ag Bio has seen strong increases and is expected to continue. The new facilities will assist with meeting the needs of those students.
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