BOISE, Idaho — On Tuesday, dozens of people attended the grand opening of the University of Idaho's Idaho Center for Plant and Soil Health, which is part of the Parma Research and Extension Center.
"This facility will produce unbiased research based on scientific studies that will be important to growers to help their bottom line," said Michael Parrella, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences dean.
The new $12 million state-of-the-art facility replaces run-down buildings, some more than five decades old. Private donors, the university, and the state of Idaho contributed.
Parrella said the facility will help recruitment and retention.
"With this facility, our faculty can do better work to serve agriculture; they can bring in more resources; they can train more PhDs and graduate students, train more undergraduates," he said.
Jarom Jemmett, Idaho Onion Growers Association president, said the facility will help growers do their jobs better and also make Idahoans food safer.
"I think it's super important that we understand that these investments not only benefit us today, but also benefit us for the next generation two or three generations," he said.
Some people, including former Parma mayor Margaret Watson, got emotional during Tuesday's event, especially considering the entire center almost closed during the 2008 recession.
"It's a very emotional thing that we came from shutting, locking it up, to building this up," she said. "It's fabulous."
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