Fresno State celebrates unveil of new ag facility

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Hundreds gathered at Fresno State Friday to celebrate the unveiling of its newest research facility.

It's a bold step forward for the university as Friday morning marked the unveiling of the new Jordan Agricultural Research Center.

"You can't build a facility like this and not expect people to get up and start producing more research higher quality research," assistant professor of entomology Jacob Wenger explained.

It's the first of its kind in the CSU system, catering to one of the most prestigious ag programs in the country.

"Industry partners related to agriculture can partner with the university bring their problems to us and our faculty researchers along with our students will be able to work on solving those problems," Dean of Agricultural Sciences and Technology Sandra Witte said. "So the impact is phenomenal."

The facility will feature research labs, workspaces and meeting rooms enabling faculty and students to work on everything from insects and plant sciences to robotics and sensory labs.

"We address food from the planting to the production that you find in the grocery store or restaurant," Wenger explained.

It raises the appeal factor to both students and faculty.

Wenger says a facility like this will address obstacles growers face in the industry like drought conditions and pests.

"The more people you have working on these problems the sooner we can get to solutions," he said. "And the more brains you have working to solve the problem the more novel insights you have.

The 3-story 30,000 square foot building has an equally impressive exterior. The project made possible by the Jordan family's gift of more than $29 million.

Fresno State officials hope to have the Jordan Agricultural Research Center up and running by mid-summer or early fall.