DICKINSON — Due to safety concerns and crammed space, the North Dakota State University Dickinson Research Extension Center is looking at building a new shop and laboratory space to improve agricultural research for local farmers and livestock producers.

With $2.2 million in legislative funding, the research center, located off of State Avenue, is currently working with architects to come up with blueprints on what the new lab is going to look like and how big that building will be, Director Chris Augustin said. If all goes according to plan, the construction crews could be breaking ground by August, he added.

The proposed location, which is located in a field area north west of the research center, will house the lab and shop together. Currently, the shop and lab, or seed shop, are separated and in walking distance from one another. Augustin noted that the lab portion of the building will face west, while the shop will overlook toward State Avenue, which will be ideal for larger equipment and trailers entering the premises.

The shop space is intended for welding, fixing farm equipment and conducting any other fabrications. The laboratory space involves combining grain samples, harvesting forages and where seeds can be dried and cleaned.

“We’re doing research for farmers and the idea is research and outreach is increasing their profitability; so that increases the tax base. And also, it would be more money to invest in infrastructure for the people, as well as improve the livelihoods of the producers that we serve,” Augustin said.

The current lab facility is a “repurposed green bin” that dates back to the 1960s, Augustin said, adding that it doesn’t have heat nor air conditioning apart from a small wall unit that is hooked up for the summer months.

“My first summer out here was 2020 and staff was showing up in August at like 4 in the morning. At that point, I'm walking the dog around and I’m like, ‘Why are you guys showing up so early?’ Well, they showed me that it gets so uncomfortably hot and there’s no ventilation and things like that. They show at 4 in the morning and they put their eight hours in and go home at 2 in the afternoon before it gets 100 degrees outside,” Augustin said. “So we’ve done some Band-Aid things to it (such as) that wall air conditioned unit to help things. But still, the coldest we can still get it is like 80 degrees. So it’s still uncomfortable. So it’s a safety thing for the team here. How do we recruit and how do we retain good scientists to do that research that’s needed by our farmers and our livestock producers in the area?”

When researchers are working on seeds in March, for instance, they’ll have to wear gloves due to no heat in the building. This process is meticulous, but can be extremely difficult when counting individual seeds with gloves on, Augustin added.

Augustin and his team are also looking at other research extension centers — known as “sister stations” — across North Dakota, such as the one in Hettinger that was built in 2015 for $1.8 million at 8,900-square feet.

“They have a very efficient design. And honestly, if we could put that building right here, it’d be perfect,” he said, adding, “But we don’t know what we’re looking at for square footage. Things cost a lot more today than they did a few years ago.”

Unlike other research centers, there is not a greenhouse stationed at the Dickinson research center. However, it is an item Augustin would like to see in the design plans should they move forward with that mission in years to come.

The research center received support from local legislators from Senate Majority Leader Rich Wardner, R-Dickinson; Rep. Mike Lefor, R-Dickinson; to Rep. Vicky Steiner, R-Dickinson. Steiner noted that during a tour of the lab at the research center, she noticed how inadequate the current conditions are for scientists.

“... As they ran the seeds through, it was really getting dusty in there. And I just felt if the state is going to have young people do research and work in a facility and its substandard, it’s not acceptable to me and we have the availability of the federal funds for maintenance,” Steiner said.

Once the new shop/lab is built, the current spaces being used will be turned into storage spaces, Augustin noted.

“... I’m very grateful for a dedicated team that we have (and) also very grateful for support from our local elected officials who saw a need to do that so we can fix our stuff, fabricate our stuff so we can do more research,” he remarked.

The project’s completion date is tentatively set for June 30, 2023.