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UW dedicates Sustainable Agriculture Research and Extension CenWyoming The University of Wyoming Sustainable Agriculture Research and Extension Center near Lingle will showcase facilities that will be the envy of many land-grant systems in the nation during its Sept. 7 dedication. The dedication program begins at 11:30 a.m. with Frank Galey, dean of the College of Agriculture, welcoming guests. UW President Tom Buchanan will provide a history of SAREC, its mission and plans for the facility. Stephen D. Miller, director of the Wyoming Agricultural Experiment Station, will discuss current programs and research at the center. A ribbon cutting and tours of the facility will follow. SAREC includes 1,522 acres of dry land cropland, 349 acres of irrigated cropland, 1,880 acres of rangeland, 19 acres of irrigated organic cropland, 40 acres of dry land organic cropland, a feedlot and a livestock research laboratory. "This center will give researchers at the university a platform to conduct inquiries of importance to Wyoming agricultural producers and the public," said Galey. "We will be able to provide producers information about cattle and crop interactions and rangeland, and answer their questions about how they can conduct business in an economical and environmentally sustained fashion. "We are very excited about having this new part of our program come online," said Galey. According to Miller, UW faculty members will conduct applied and exploratory research examining agricultural systems that promote sustainable land and resource use and disseminate that knowledge to enhance agricultural systems for the future. "SAREC will also facilitate dialogue among stakeholders with diverse roles and backgrounds to advance understanding and implementation of sustainable agricultural practices," Miller said. "There is no facility in the region that will allow such integration of activities. It is the envy of many land-grant systems around the nation." The process to create SAREC started in 1999. A year later, a review team of farmers, ranchers, agribusiness representatives, political leaders and UW faculty members recommended the university build the SAREC facility to replace the existing Archer and Torrington research and extension centers and to complement R&E centers in Powell and Sheridan. The UW Board of Trustees in 2003 approved the sale of the Archer and Torrington centers, with proceeds used to purchase property near Lingle for SAREC. Former AES director Jim Jacobs, who was involved with the process from the beginning until August of last year, said, "It's a set of land and facilities that provides UW faculty members a field lab in one location to do cross-disciplinary research. The other R&E stations are either solely irrigated or dry land. "None had the size that would provide the set of facilities or acreage to do the cross-disciplinary research," Jacobs noted. "I think SAREC is a set of resources the college hasn't had before. As I tell everybody, how well it does and how well it is used is still up in the air." A 5,700-plus square-foot building, which serves as the cornerstone of the facilities, includes 10 offices, a research preparation room, a seed laboratory and two meeting rooms. Also on the property are a livestock research building, a shop, a hazardous materials facility and a feedlot. The livestock facility has an office and a small laboratory, along with a processing area for taking research data from cattle and sheep. The feedlot features 28 pens. "We should be implementing some additional construction at the center late this fall, adding a wet lab and dormitory facilities with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development money acquired by our congressional delegation to Washington, D.C.," said Miller. On the Web: www.uwyo.edu/uwexpstn/SAREC/SAREC.htm. Date: 8/23/06
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