ARS Soils Lab to celebrate 50th
In celebration of 50 years of agricultural research in Morris, the USDA-Agricultural Research Service, the Soils Lab is inviting the community to an anniversary open house.
The open house is Wednesday, April 23, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
The theme for the anniversary is "50 years of agriculture: Celebrating yesterday, growing tomorrows."
The event will feature a timeline of the past 50 years of research at the lab. A nearly complete set of aerial photos of Grant County from 1938 will be available for viewing; these indicate how the landscape has changed in the past 70 years.
Tours of the facility will be given at 4:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Submissions from the Soils Lab Photo Contest will be on display. Activities for children will be offered, and refreshments will be served.
In addition, there will be displays of the lab's current research with hands-on demonstrations. The lab's current research program is developing improved agricultural management systems for the northern Corn Belt, focusing on crop production and crop protection, maintaining the soil resource, integrating agricultural systems, and determining the impact of global climate change on agriculture.
The Soils Lab, officially known as the North Central Soil Conservation Research Laboratory, is part of the United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service and is located at 803 Iowa Avenue in Morris.
