Richard and Linda Offerdahl have committed $3 million to accelerate research in sustainable agriculture at North Dakota State University. Vice President of Agriculture Greg Lardy said this will support research led by NDSU scientist Barney Geddes. “Long-term, Dr. Geddes’s goal is to really have nitrogen fixation become part of what cereal grains, like corn, wheat, or barley, could do,” said Lardy. “Short term is understanding the mechanism by which legumes work in symbiosis with the microorganisms in the soil to fix nitrogen, ultimately reducing the reliance on fertilizer inputs.” Lardy said Geddes has emerged as a national and international leader in this area of research. Richard Offerdahl is an Ada, Minnesota native and 1965 NDSU graduate. This investment is one of numerous philanthropic donations to the NDSU agriculture program in recent years. “That has elevated the stature of the institution, making us more competitive when we hire scientists and others to work in those buildings because when they see modern laboratories, they can see themselves working there so it’s been a huge lift for how our campus has been transformed in the last several years.”
