A New Home For Research

On August 10, North Dakota State University cut the ribbon on the Bolley Agricultural Laboratory, a 170,700-square-foot research facility on the western edge of the Fargo campus that will shape the varieties North Dakota growers plant for decades to come. The building overlooks the agricultural plots immediately next to campus and replaces field lab facilities that have served NDSU scientists for decades. At over $90 million in construction costs, it ranks among the largest capital project in the university's history — a clear commitment to continuing to invest in research to keep the North Dakota Agricultural industry competitive.

Build for Collaboration

For North Dakota's wheat producers, the most important detail is written right into the floor plan. The

Bolley Lab includes dedicated lab spaces for spring wheat and durum, and it brings plant breeding, plant pathology, weed science, agronomy, soil science, and horticulture together under one roof. Housing those programs in one building isn't just a matter of convenience — putting researchers side by side fosters the kind of everyday collaboration that drives more innovation and, ultimately, better research outcomes for producers. That means the breeders and pathologists developing the next generation of hard red spring and durum varieties finally have modern, purpose-built space to do it. Backing them up are three 10,000-square-foot greenhouses, plant science and horticulture labs, seed coolers and freezers, a seed drying line, and seed cleaning, processing, and storage areas — a full pipeline from cross to finished seed, all in one location.

Henry L Bolley

Standing on a Century of Research

The lab carries a name every North Dakotan in agriculture should know. Henry L. Bolley was one of the first faculty members at what was then North Dakota Agricultural College, and he served as the first plant pathologist at the state's Agricultural Experiment Station. His pioneering work on seed treatment and crop disease — including the flax wilt research he's still known for — helped lay the groundwork for the variety-development programs producers rely on today.

Why It Matters

Greg Lardy, NDSU's vice president for agriculture, has described the building as a facility that will "accelerate the rate of progress in delivering the agronomic and plant-breeding solutions North Dakota

producers need to stay competitive in a global marketplace.”

For growers, that progress shows up in the field: varieties with better disease resistance, stronger yields, and the milling and baking quality that keeps North Dakota wheat in demand with buyers around the world. Every checkoff dollar the Commission invests in research goes further when the scientists doing that work have the tools to match. North Dakota's wheat producers have a direct stake in this facility. Through the checkoff, the Commission contributed $500,000 toward the Bolley Lab — part of a research commitment that totals roughly $1.5 million each year. "Investing in research and capital projects like the Bolley Lab is one of the most important things we do with producers' checkoff dollars," said NDWC Chairman Mark Birdsall. "A facility like this pays dividends for decades — in stronger varieties, better disease resistance, and the quality that keeps North Dakota wheat competitive around the world."

Buildings like this one don't change what happens in your fields overnight. But the varieties you'll plant five and ten years from now are being developed right now — and where that work happens matters. With the Bolley Lab, the scientists breeding North Dakota's spring wheat and durum are no longer working around aging facilities; they're working with the space, equipment, and technology the job demands. For producers who fund that research through the checkoff, it's an investment in staying ahead of disease, holding onto hard-won quality, and keeping North Dakota wheat the standard buyers come looking for.