March 2, 2009

NDSU forms regional partnership with Montana State University research center

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The advisory boards of Montana State University's Eastern Agricultural Research Center in Sidney and NDSU’s Williston Research Extension Center have merged. Combined, the research centers serve more than 30 million acres in the two states and will provide applied research on any crop grown in the region.

"The joint advisory board can provide input on research priorities that will improve returns, reduce input costs and protect the environment," says Wayne Berry, advisory board chair. "The reorganization recognizes the similarities in research at the two facilities and that agriculture growth and development of the region does not stop at state boundaries. This is another step in furthering the partnership between the two centers."

Researchers at the both centers have collaborated on projects for many years and have shared a single director (Jerry Bergman) since 1994.

"The partnership has proven beneficial for all parties, not the least of which is the savings associated with shared technology," says Butch Andresen, board vice chairman. "Research equipment is expensive and can be beyond the reach of many branch research facilities. However, through collaboration, our collection of sophisticated technology and irrigation research capabilities grew rapidly."

"The partnership has provided the added bonus of increased leverage for grant dollars," says Berry. "In fact, the effort has been so successful that it is being viewed as a model for similar multistate and multiagency associations."

The area the two research facilities operate in, known as the MonDak region, is one of the last areas in the country poised for large-scale irrigation development. Researchers are collaborating to provide additional value-added, high-value crop options for area producers and keep the region's boom-and-bust dryland agriculture-based economy on a more even keel.

The joint board has 12 Montana and North Dakota producers, two members affiliated with the agribusiness industry and two county Extension Service agents. The North Dakota State Board of Agricultural Research and Extension also has been invited to appoint a member to the advisory board.

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