North Dakota State University this week officially opened a new $97 million research facility in Fargo consolidating under one roof the school’s plant pathology, plant breeding, weed science, agronomy, soil science and horticulture programs. Dedicated Aug. 10, the facility ranks among the largest capital projects in the university’s history.
The North Dakota Legislature appropriated $87 million for construction in 2023 and another $10 million came from private donors and industry partners. State officials have framed it as a public-private investment in the region’s agricultural economy rather than a straightforward expense at one university.
The development further positions Fargo as a research and ag-tech hub for the Upper Midwest’s companies that depend on a steady pipeline of trained plant scientists and applied research. By replacing aging, scattered lab space with a single modern facility, NDSU hopes it can more quickly move discoveries (i.e. new disease-resistant crop varieties, better weed management, improved soil practices) from labs to fields.
The building is named the Bolley Agricultural Laboratory in honor of Henry Bolley, NDSU’s first tenured faculty member and an early plant pathologist whose research helped establish disease-resistant flax varieties and shaped modern crop science practices in the state. Bolley later served as North Dakota’s state seed commissioner from 1909 to 1929.
It’s also another example of how NDSU is remaining relevant with what industry and students need. Earlier this year it opened a new Banking and Financing Center.
(Source here.)
