Monsanto Breaks Ground on Lubbock Cotton Research Facility
To increase yield potential and produce better quality fiber are the goals of Monsanto Company's $10.5 million research "megasite" in Lubbock, where the company broke ground on the site. The megasite will provide a central point for the company's breeding and testing programs in the High Plains region. The site, the Monsanto Texas cotton Research Center, is being developed on a 12.2-acre site within the Lubbock Economic Development Alliance Business Park.
"This megasite will let our programs in Hale Center and Haskell work alongside discovery breeding, biotech and testing programs," Dr. Trevor Hohls, Monsanto global cotton breeding lead, explained. "A new testing center in South Texas will connect to these as well to provide additional environments to use in the breeding and testing of our products. We will be utilizing the latest technologies to select the traits of greatest interest, measure progress in our water-use efficiency program and conduct testing across diverse genetics and environments."
Kendall Bonds, Monsanto's western region testing lead, estimates that 20 employees will be based at the facility. He explains that due to the nature of the work, a large percentage of the team has advanced degrees in genetics or other technical fields. Specialized equipment and computer technologies are also a factor for the facility.
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