|
Akron | Brookings | Cheyenne | Clay Center | Fargo | Fort Collins | Grand Forks | Laramie | Lincoln | Logan | Mandan | Manhattan | Miles City | Sidney
Our Research Locations
"Research Excellence: Meeting Customer Expectations"
Above are links to brief descriptions of the fourteen USDA-ARS research locations in the Northern Plains Area. The locations range in size from slightly more than 20 full-time employees to nearly 150 and the scientific staffs feature a wide variety of disciplines from veterinary science to agronomy, soil science to entomology, human nutrition to ecology, ag engineering to chemistry, food technology to genetics, plant pathology to pharmacology, and more. Overviews of each location’s research efforts are included below, along with links to their individual websites for more information. You can also learn more about job openings and community life at each location in our "Careers" section.
Akron, CO
Research at NPA’s Central Great Plains Research Station targets long-term sustainable minimum/no-till dryland crop rotations for the region. The research includes studies to evaluate alternative crop sequencing, fertility needs, and cultural practices to reduce dependence on pesticides and other ag chemicals. Studies also look at the effect of rotation and cultural management on weeds, and weed-crop interactions; and on soil chemical and physical characteristics and nutrient cycling. Crop and soil simulation models are also being calibrated/evaluated for prediction accuracy of yield and soil transformations using 98 years of climate and crop rotation data to extrapolate research results at CGPRS to other regions. Researchers are also assessing the economic risk of intensive dryland rotations to determine economic feasibility. Twenty full-time employees work at the location.
Back to top
Brookings, SD
Researchers at NPA’s North Central Agricultural Research Laboratory in Brookings are working to develop cropping systems for sustainable agriculture and management strategies for major pests of cereals and associated crops. The location’s rearing facility and its unique colonies of corn rootworm populations in support of national and international research projects aimed at managing that pest population. The more than 30 full-time employees at the location are also integrating pest and crop management information into on-farm decision support systems.
Back to top
Cheyenne, WY / Fort Collins, CO
The cooperative mission of the High Plains Grasslands Research Station is to develop new knowledge of ecological processes in semi-arid rangeland ecosystems, and incorporate this knowledge into management practices which address production and conservation goals. The 20 plus full-time employees at the location work cooperatively on research into remote sensing technology for rangeland management; the effects of global climate change and management practices on western rangelands, particularly in regards to C cycling; and the impact of livestock grazing, weather/climate, and other interactive factors on native plant communities, livestock responses, and soil C and N storage in northern mixed-grass prairie.
- Cheyenne, WY
- High Plains Grasslands Research Station
Back to top
Clay Center, NE
Scientists at the Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC) develop new technology in order to increase the efficiency of livestock production and benefit consumers. The USMARC sits on 35,000 acres near Clay Center, with research programs using female breeding population of 6,500 cattle of 18 breeds, 3,000 sheep of 10 breeds, and 700 swine litters per year. Scientists at Clay Center are developing scientific information and new technology to solve high priority problems for the U.S. beef, sheep, and swine industries. Objectives are to increase efficiency of production while maintaining a lean, high quality, safe product; therefore, the research ultimately benefits the consumer as well as the production and agri-business sectors of animal agriculture. Current research focuses on infectious diseases in domestic livestock; waste management; breeding and genetics; improved reproductive efficiency in cattle, swine and sheep, and foodborne illnesses and spoilage associated with red meat, to list just a few of the projects undertaken by the more than 120 full-time employees at the Center.
Back to top
Fargo, ND
The Red River Valley Agricultural Research Center consists of 6 units housed in 2 federal facilities in Fargo, ND and a federal worksite in E. Grand Forks, MN. The mission of the more than 130 full-time employees at the center is to reduce the negative impact of foreign chemicals in food animals and food processing; improve effectiveness of insects used in IPM programs for control of pest insects and weeds; study physiology, genetics, and molecular biology of weeds to improve and/or discover management strategies; develop knowledge and germplasm to improve hard red spring & durum wheat, barley, and oat; improve quality and profitability of sugarbeet and potato production via research on germplasm enhancement, crop protection, and postharvest physiology; and develop knowledge and technology to benefit the sunflower industry.
Back to top
Fort Collins, CO
Fort Collins is home to the Northern Plains Area Office. This location is comprised of the National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation (NCGRP), the Crops Research Laboratory (CRL - which houses the Sugarbeet Research Unit and part of the Rangeland Resources Research Unit), and the Natural Resources Research Center, Building D (NRRC), which houses the Area Office, Agricultural Systems Research Unit (ASRU), Soil-Plant-Nutrient Research (SPNR), and Water Management Research (WMR). Fort Collins is home to nearly 150 full-time employees and research efforts address a wide variety of agricultural issues, examples of which include:
- Studies of sugarbeet and sugarbeet pathogen populations and development of resistance germplasms.
- Development of state-of-the-art simulation models and decision support systems and other products aimed at improve understanding of how agricultural systems work and how to best manage them to protect our environment and maintain economic viability.
- Studies in global change and soil management.
- Development of water and weed management technologies and practices for irrigated agriculture in water deficit areas that use water efficiently, improve agricultural productivity, sustainability and reduce negative environmental impacts.
- Development of a national collection of genetic resources to secure the biological diversity (plant and animal) that underpins a sustainable U.S. agricultural economy.
Back to top
Grand Forks, ND
The Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center located in eastern North Dakota is staffed by 15 senior scientists and 82 support personnel and is one of six Human Nutrition Centers operated by the Agricultural Research Service. The Grand Forks facility has been a world leader in nutrition research for more than 30 years and its current research focus is on obesity prevention, bone health, and the health roles of food. The Nutrition Center has numerous partnerships, including a recent collaboration with the U. S. Army Institute for Research in Environmental Medicine pioneering research on high-temperature/exertion sweat losses of nutrients. The Center also has partnerships with Native American communities and tribal colleges to address obesity, diabetes, heart disease and depression in high-need, under-served communities.
Back to top
Laramie, WY
The mission of the Arthropod-Borne Animal Diseases Research Laboratory (ABADRL), which employees nearly 30 fulltime employees, is to conduct basic and applied studies on the arthropod transmitted viral diseases of domestic animals. The current research involves studies on the virus-vector-host interrelationships of bluetongue virus (BTV) serotypes and the closely related epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV) serotypes, and other arboviruses, ruminants, and arthropods.
Back to top
Lincoln, NE
Nearly 70 full time staff work in two research units at the Lincoln location. Researchers in the Agroecosystem Management Research Unit work to address livestock associated insect, pathogen, and odor issues; to improve management of natural and renewable resources; and to make agriculture more sustainable. Researchers in the Grain, Forage and Bioenergy Research Unit work to improve the productivity, stability of production, and profitability of wheat, sorghum, forage and biomass energy crops in the Central Great Plains and Midwest through the development of improved plant materials and management practices. Research is currently focused on genetic improvement of grain quality for human and animal nutrition, forage and biomass quality and production for feed and bioenergy, and disease resistance in wheat and sorghum.
Back to top
Logan, UT
The Logan, Utah location is the site of three research units employing more than 75 full-time staff. Logan’s Forage and Range Research Laboratory is using plant genetics to develop an array of new grasses, legumes and forbs for upgrading semiarid lands throughout the West. New plant materials are developed to meet the specific needs of conservation, restoration and reclamation, recreation, and forage for livestock and wildlife production purposes. Researchers at Logan’s Poisonous Plant Lab are studying the mechanisms by which toxic plants cause injury to animals, looking at the isolates and structures of toxins and factors impacting their concentrations. Researchers are also working to develop diagnostic and prognostic procedures, along with treatment options including antidotes. At the Pollinating Insect and Biosystematics Laboratory research is focused on developing dependable alternative pollinators, such as the alfalfa leafcutting bee and the blue orchard bee, to reduce the dependence of agricultural production on honey bee pollinators. Pollinator distribution, behavior, systematics, management systems, and diseases are all areas under study at the unit.
Back to top
Mandan, ND
The Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory in Mandan, ND, employs approximately 35 full time permanent employees, focusing on research to develop environmentally sound production practices and add value to food, feed, and bioenergy crop production in the Great Plains. At the Mandan site, researchers are studying dryland crop sequence influence on water use and crop production; crop sequence economics; the effects of land management practices on soil quality; and conservation tillage-crop production systems and residue management. In addition researchers are studying new forage releases and management, along with the development of feeding/grazing management and supplementation strategies that will increase animal performance and improve the marketing flexibility and subsequent value of the beef carcass.
Back to top
Manhattan, KS
Operating from a 60,000 square foot facility and the nation's only research grain elevator (50,000 bushel capacity), the Grain Marketing and Production Research Center is composed of five research units, with nearly 100 full-time employees. The Biological Research Unit develops new methods for controlling insect pests in grain and food products. The Engineering Research Unit provides new tools for measuring grain quality and for segregating grain based on these different quality attributes. The Grain Quality and Structure Research Unit is determining the relationships between the chemical content of different types of grain and the end-use quality needs for various products that are made from them. The Plant Science and Entomology Research Unit is investigating the ability of insect pests and diseases to attack the wheat plant at the genetic level and they are producing wheat germplasms that provide resistance to these diseases and pests. The Wind Erosion Research Unit is developing methods for controlling wind erosion of the soil along with an expert software system that can be used to determine the effectiveness of various erosion control systems.
Back to top
Miles City, MT
The Fort Keogh ARS Livestock and Rangeland Research Lab in Miles City is located on 55,000 acres of semiarid rangeland in eastern Montana. The rangeland beef cattle research facility has 30 plus full-time employees charged with researching and developing ecologically and economically sustainable range animal management systems that ultimately meet consumer needs. In particular, animal researchers at the site are studying ways to reduce the cost of efficient beef production through enhanced efficiency of nutrient utilization and improved reproductive performance, while range scientists are studying the interacting effects of grazing, fire, drought, and invasive plants on plant communities and the effects of changes in vegetation and animal physiology on livestock.
Back to top
Sidney, MT
The Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory in Sidney, MT has about 45 full-time employees working in two different research units: the Agricultural Systems Unit and the Pest Management Unit. Researchers in the Agricultural Systems Unit are focused on the long-term goal (10-12 yrs) of developing crop production methods and strategies for economical, sustainable irrigated and dryland farming enterprises in the Northern Great Plains. The focus of this unit’s research is on: 1) improved management of pests, water and nutrients to increase net profitability, and 2) assessing the impacts of integrated cultural practices and cropping rotations on soil and water quality conservation and pest ecology for both irrigated and dryland operations. In addition to small grains, sugar beets, potatoes, malting barley, and other more standard crops, researchers in this unit are looking at incorporating new biofuel crops into existing rotations. Scientists in the Sidney lab’s Pest Management Unit are focused on solving key pest and weed problems, through the development and implementation of biological and cultural management strategies that enhance profitability and environmental quality. Research is conducted on both the ecology and management of key insect pests (including grasshoppers, Mormon cricket, sugarbeet root maggot and wheat stem sawfly) and the biological control of invasive weeds (including saltcedar, white top, leafy spurge, knapweeds, and orange hawkweed). A new Biosafety Level II insect quarantine facility is being built at the Sidney site, which will further speed research efforts into new biocontrol agents.
Back to top
|
Printable Version
E-mail this page
