Research center blends high-tech analysis with diverse on-farm exploration

Reagan Cotton

MSU News Service

BOZEMAN - Eastern Montana may be typecast for its sparse population and rolling landscape, but its vast expanses make it an optimal region for the state's largest industry.

Along the Yellowstone River near the North Dakota border, Montana State University's Eastern Agricultural Research Center serves 13 counties that produce nearly three quarters of Montana's pulse crop acreage, which leads the nation, and almost half its wheat.

Serving such a wide area can be a tall order for a facility with less than 200 acres for both dryland and irrigated research. By collabo...