1

United States Department of Agriculture 

Agricultural

Research

Service

April 2013

The Taming of the Prairie: 

A Century of Agricultural

Research at the Northern 

Great Plains Research 

Laboratory, Mandan, 

North Dakota
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i

The Taming of the Prairie: 

A Century of Agricultural

Research at the Northern 

Great Plains Research 

Laboratory, Mandan, 

North Dakota

Albert B. Frank

 

Frank was Plant Physiologist, Northern Great Plains 

Research Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service,

U.S. Department of Agriculture. He is now retired. 

Agricultural

Research

Service

April 2013

United States Department of Agriculture 
ii

Abstract

Frank, A.B. 2013. The Taming of the Prairie: A Century 

of Agricultural Research at the Northern Great Plains 

Research Laboratory, Mandan, ND. U.S. Department 

of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, 

Washington, DC. 

The Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory 

(NGPRL) was authorized by the U.S. Congress on 

August 8, 1912. The purpose of this historical account 

is to provide a detailed chronology of research 

activities and the evolution of the facility for the past 

100 years. This volume chronicles the development 

of the NGPRL into a premier agricultural research 

laboratory, as well as the role of scientists in designing 

and conducting studies resulting in enhanced economic 

well-being and quality of life for farmers and ranchers 

on the Northern Great Plains. Historical photographs 

and current research activities are presented to show 

the progression of equipment and technology that 

researchers have used to conduct field-based

agriculture research. 

Keywords: climate change, cropping systems, 

dryland agriculture, grass breeding, grazing livestock, 

grazingland, history, irrigation, mineland

reclamation, shelterbelts.

ARS Mission

The Agricultural Research Service conducts research

to develop and transfer solutions to agricultural 

problems of high national priority and provides 

information access and dissemination to—

• ensure high-quality, safe food and other

agricultural products;

• assess the nutritional needs of Americans;

• sustain a competitive agricultural economy;

• enhance the natural resource base and the 

environment; and 

• provide economic opportunities for rural

citizens, communities, and society as a whole.

While supplies last, single copies of this publication 

can be obtained at no cost from Cal Thorson, Technical 

Information Specialist, USDA-ARS Northern Great 

Plains Research Laboratory, P.O. Box 459, Mandan, 

ND 58554-0459.

Copies of this publication may be purchased in various 

formats (microfiche, photocopy, CD, print on demand) 

from the National Technical Information Service, 5285 

Port Royal Road, Springfield, VA 22161, (800) 553-

6847, www.ntis.gov.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits 

discrimination in all its programs and activities on the 

basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and 

where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, 

parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic 

information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because 

all or part of an individual’s income is derived from 

any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited 

bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities 

who require alternative means for communication of 

program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, 

etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at 

(202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint 

of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office 

of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, 

Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272 

(voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal 

opportunity provider and employer. 

April 2013
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Preface

This history has been written to provide a detailed 

chronology of research activities for the past 100 years 

at the Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory 

(NGPRL) in Mandan, ND. Emphasis has been placed 

on the role of scientists in designing and conducting 

studies that produced results that enhanced the 

economic well-being and quality of life for farmers and 

ranchers on the Northern Great Plains. Photographs 

from historical files and current research activities 

are presented to show the progression of equipment 

and technology that researchers have used to conduct 

research and illustrate the development of the buildings 

at the Laboratory.

The sections “Serving Producers With ForwardLooking Research” and “Leadership and Scientific 

Excellence” provide some insight into the outstanding 

leadership and the research accomplishments that 

have been realized over the past 100 years at the 

Laboratory. It has been through these accomplishments 

that the Laboratory is recognized both nationally and 

internationally for conducting outstanding agricultural 

research. The Laboratory is well-positioned with 

excellent facilities and an outstanding scientific staff to 

maintain this high status among agricultural research 

institutions well into the next 100 years.

Much of the information in this publication would not 

have been possible without the documents prepared 

by the late Ernest George (1900-1975), Station 

Superintendent from 1946 to 1964. Ernest first came 

to the U.S. Northern Great Plains Field Station, as the 

facility was called in its early years, in 1922. As Station 

Superintendent, Ernest lived in the superintendent’s 

residence with his wife Kathryn and two daughters. 

I was fortunate to have had the acquaintance of

Ernest George, and of his wife Kathryn, for 6 years 

until Ernest’s death in 1975 (appendix D). Ernest was 

very proud of his association with the Station and told 

me many stories, a few of which I have included in

this history.

In addition to being Station Superintendent, Ernest 

was the keeper of the historical photo albums, and he 

gave many talks on the Station’s development and 

research programs. When I came to the Station in 1969, 

I inherited the photograph albums from him. I kept the 

albums until an archive room was developed in 1978.

Ernest wrote and delivered the history of the Station 

during the 50th anniversary celebration in 1964. I had 

obtained an “onion skin” copy of the talk from Ernest 

and later had Ida Wiedmann, secretary, type it on 

regular paper. That copy is the only detailed account of 

the early history of the Station.

Through Ernest, I also got to know John Thysell, who 

came to the Station in 1914, and with whom I had the 

opportunity to converse on several occasions. When I 

first met John, he politely informed me that he had been 

retired for more years than he had worked. 

An annual social highlight at the Station during those 

years was the Christmas party that Ernest and Kathryn 

hosted for all Station personnel. Ernest also had the 

unusual distinction of retiring twice from the Station, 

first in 1964 and again in 1968. He was rehired in 

early 1968 for a position that I filled when I joined the 

Station in 1969.

Life for scientists and live-in workers could be rather 

boring on weekends and in the evenings. There was 

a tennis court, but it was removed in 1964 for the 

construction of the new soils laboratory. During many 

evenings and weekends, the bunkhouse was the site 

of get-togethers, where employees could socialize and 

enjoy a few beverages. 

During the remodeling of the west end of the 

bunkhouse to develop an office and laboratory in 1969, 

about a dozen empty bottles were found in the crawl 

space next to the furnace room in the basement. Ernest 

George confirmed that it was not uncommon for men 

to gather in the furnace room to play cards during cold 

winter nights. The discarded bottles were unique, as the 

stoppers were glass with cork lining, and the original 

tax stamps were still on the bottles. 

The snake road was both a concern and a challenge for 

those visiting the Station, because of the steep grade. 

Locals often used the road on the weekends to test if 

their vehicles could “climb the hill.” An interesting 

situation occurred when flood waters closed the road 

into Mandan, stranding at the Station a local farmer’s 

pregnant wife who was trying to get to the hospital. 

Soil scientist Howard Haas and maintenance worker 

Chuck Hills carried the woman from the Station 

westward until they could get to the railroad tracks and 

then followed the tracks into Mandan and the hospital.
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Working hours were much more structured during

the early years at the Station by use of a siren. 

Located near the main barn, the siren sounded four 

times a day: at 8:00 a.m. to start the work day, at 

12:00 noon to start the lunch break, at 1:00 p.m. to 

call everyone back to work, and at 5:00 p.m. to end 

the work day. All workers were expected to be at 

their worksite at the call of the siren. In 1974 several 

scientists were successful in getting the siren turned

off except for fire and other emergencies.

Tragedy struck the NGPRL four times over the years. 

The first death occurred when a seasonal worker was 

killed while pulling trees to clear land in 1915. The 

second death at the Station occurred in the mid-1930s, 

when a worker was hit in the head by a crank that 

bucked while he was trying to start a gasoline engine 

by hand-cranking. 

Tragedy struck the facility again in 1952. Soil scientist 

Howard Haas was living in the smaller residence with 

his wife and two sons. On a warm summer day, his 

son Gordon went swimming with soil scientist Edwin 

Miles and his son in the Heart River, upstream from the 

seed house. The swift current from thunderstorms the 

day before swept the boys under. Gordon drowned and 

Edwin Miles drowned trying to save Gordon.

The most recent death occurred in 1991, when 

Jim Lundstrom, a seasonal worker, was killed in a 

tractor rollover while spraying leafy spurge near the 

ornamental nursery just west of the headquarters’ main 

north-south shelterbelt.

I want to acknowledge a few individuals for their 

assistance in preparing this publication. The older 

photographs used in this volume were digitized by 

Richard Cunningham, geneticist (retired), while 

photographs from recent research were mostly provided 

by the current staff. Without the computer assistance 

of Lori Wanner, information technology specialist, 

preparing this document would have been much more 

difficult. I also greatly appreciate the helpful reviews 

and suggestions provided by numerous staff members, 

retired and current. 

December 21, 2011 

Albert B. Frank

Plant Physiologist (1969-2004), retired
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Contents

Congressional Action Creating the U.S. Northern Great Plains Field Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Building the U.S. Northern Great Plains Field Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Developing the Research Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Dairy Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Vegetable and Horticultural Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Agronomy Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Forestry Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Grass Breeding Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Grassland Management and Livestock Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Soil Fertility and Water Conservation Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Mined-Land Reclamation Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Irrigation Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Conservation Tillage and Cropping Systems Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Global Climate Change Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Serving Producers With Forward-Looking Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Leadership and Scientific Excellence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Appendix A: Photographs of Buildings and Research Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Appendix B: Staff Group Photographs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Appendix C: Land Resources and Historical Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Appendix D: Congressional Record Entry of Bismarck Tribune Editorial on Ernest George . . . . . . . . . . . 34
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Congressional Action Creating the U.S. 

Northern Great Plains Field Station

At the beginning of the 20th century, the business 

leaders of Mandan, ND, were looking for ways to enhance economic activity in their community. The area 

was experiencing increased homestead activity. Thus, 

there was a need to develop farming practices suited 

to a semi-arid climate and to develop tree culture that 

would enable farmers to protect their homes and cattle 

from the harsh winter weather common to the prairie 

region. Living off the land by growing vegetables and 

fruits was made difficult due to limited rainfall and

the extensive carpet of grass covering the prairie. 

Starting in 1908, the Mandan business community 

intensely petitioned the U.S. Congress for a Federal 

agricultural research facility. The political process

was made more difficult for the Mandan supporters 

because of competing support generated by the

adjacent capital city of Bismarck for a similar facility. 

After several failed attempts, the U.S. Congress 

authorized funding on August 8, 1912, to establish

“an agriculture plant, shrub, fruit, ornamental tree, 

berry, and vegetable experiment station at or near the 

city of Mandan, west of the Missouri River in the 

state of North Dakota.” Mandan lies about 50 miles 

west of the 100th meridian, which is the generally 

accepted eastern boundary of the U.S. Great Plains. 

The congressional enabling legislation placed the new 

Station under the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, who 

assigned responsibility for operations to the Division

of Dry Land Agriculture. The new facility was 

named the U.S. Northern Great Plains Field Station. 

Building the U.S. Northern Great Plains 

Field Station 

A committee of USDA and North Dakota Agriculture 

College administrators identified two potential sites 

for the new research facility: the current site southwest 

of Mandan and the site of the oil refinery northeast of 

Mandan. The primary site selection criteria were for 

soils that would be conducive to growing trees and 

testing their suitability in shelterbelt planting on the 

Northern Great Plains prairie region. The Division of 

Dry Land Agriculture operated numerous other

research locations from the Northern Great Plains 

States of North Dakota and Montana to the Southern 

Great Plains States of Texas and New Mexico. The 

Station at Woodward, OK, still exists today and is 

similar to the Mandan Station.

Photo 1. Marker on the grounds of the Northern Great Plains 

Research Laboratory showing August 8, 1912, the Congress 

authorization date.

Photo 2. West view of the snake road leading to the Field

Station, 1916.

Photo 3. Breaking ground on a cold winter day to construct the U.S. 

Northern Great Plains Field Station, 1912.
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The first Superintendent of the Station was William 

A. Peterson, a horticulturist, who arrived in 1912. He 

was joined by horticulturist Max Pfaender in 1913. 

These two scientists were responsible for the complete 

development of all facilities, ornamental plantings 

on the grounds, and initial field plots for starting 

agronomic studies, horticultural and ornamental testing, and tree planting for testing hardiness and growth 

potential for windbreak plantings. Several buildings 

were completed in 1913 with additional buildings, 

roads, and sidewalks completed in 1914 (appendix A). 

While the buildings were being constructed, Peterson 

and his staff were located in temporary offices in 

Mandan. The offices were moved to the Station on 

August 15, 1913. 

The first scientific staff included pomologists T.K. 

Killand and William Baird; foresters Robert Wilson

and F.E. Cobb; agronomists John T. Thysell, J.T. 

Sarvis, and J.D. Brinsmade; and horticulturists

William A. Peterson and Max Pfaender.

The Station became self-sufficient within a few years 

by raising livestock and growing fruits and vegetables 

for the employees living in Station facilities. There 

were two residences for the superintendent and his 

assistant, two cottages and several apartments for the 

professional staff, and a bunkhouse for seasonal field 

workers. The meals were prepared from produce,

dairy products, and beef produced by Station personnel 

or from the research plots. Meals were served in the 

basement of the mess hall. Employees ate their meals

in the Station’s mess hall until it closed in 1940. The 

cook was a Station employee who lived on the

second floor.

After the mess hall was closed in 1940, the building 

became the administrative clerk’s residence. It was 

remodeled into an office building in 1959 and was 

eventually removed in 1964. Two root cellars were 

stocked with ice from the Heart River to provide

year-round refrigerated storage of food and also

storage for holding trees for windbreak plantings. 

Social functions among staff were common on Friday 

and Saturday nights. Onsite recreational facilities 

included a tennis court. Privileges for the staff

included the right to hunt on Station land and share 

produce grown in the test plots.

Ernest George was responsible for the large granite 

rock and attached plaque located near the main 

laboratory building, detailing the establishment of the 

U.S. Northern Great Plains Field Station. In 1969, with 

the help of mechanic Louie Zachmeier, Ernest selected 

the granite stone, prepared the site, and designed the 

plaque. The original plan was to mount a sodbuster 

plow on a rock with the plaque. However, the plow 

that was originally used to break the prairie in 1913 

was given to a local museum before Ernest George 

and Louie Zachmeier could complete their plan. The 

current rock and plaque with surrounding juniper 

plantings was developed in 1970.

Photo 5. Superintendent’s residence, 1923.

Photo 4. Main office building, 1916.
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During the very early years of the Station, the Mandan 

to Deadwood, South Dakota, stage coach traveled 

over Station land on its way to Deadwood. The trail 

is still evident today where it passed through a cut in 

a steep bank, and the wheel ruts are still evident as 

the stage coach made its way over a dam and up the 

hillside on the USDA SCS (Soil Conservation Service) 

quarter of land about a half mile or so southwest of the 

headquarters buildings.

Developing the Research Program

The initial research priority was to develop farming 

practices and identify plants that would help farmers 

and ranchers deal with the harsh conditions of wind, 

drought, and extreme temperatures common to the 

region. To this end, research began in four major 

areas: agronomy, forestry, horticulture, and grassland 

management. Goals were to determine if the prairie 

could be farmed to provide a sustainable livelihood

for homesteaders. Research to determine if farming 

would be successful included developing cultural 

practices for growing crops for livestock, vegetables 

for human consumption, and planting trees to protect 

homesteads and livestock.

The initial field research was difficult as the native 

prairie was broken with plows for the first time in 

1913. The initial land base of the Station was 320 

acres owned by the Federal Government and 320 

acres owned by North Dakota Agricultural College. 

By 1975, the land base was 2,080 acres: 1,120 acres 

federally owned, 320 acres leased from the North 

Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station (NDAES),

and 640 acres leased from the State of North

Dakota (appendix C). 

The Station suffered a severe downsizing during

the depression years of the early 1930s. Congress 

eliminated USDA funding for all research projects, 

except for the Dairy Unit. The Station, except for the 

Dairy Unit, was to be closed in 1934. This was a severe 

blow to the city of Mandan, as the Station was seen as 

an important asset to the community. A massive letterwriting campaign spearheaded by Mandan business 

leaders convinced Congress to reconsider and keep the 

Station open. Congress reinstated research programs in 

1935, but with some downsizing. The wheat breeding 

program was terminated and the responsibility for 

operating the Soil Erosion, Tree, Shrub, and Grass 

Nursery was transferred to the newly created USDA 

Soil Conservation Service (SCS). The SCS moved the 

grass portion of the nursery just west of the Missouri 

River east of Mandan. However, the tree nursery 

remained at the Station until 1948 when it was moved 

to its present site at Fort Lincoln south of Bismarck, 

which is now the location of USDA Natural Resources 

Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Plant Materials 

Center. When Congress reinstated funding to the 

Station, the facilities were expanded to include several 

multipurpose buildings and a 500,000-gallon water 

tank and water lines for fire protection and irrigation.

Photo 7. Breaking the prairie using a mold-board plow, 1916.

Photo 6. Scientific staff, 1923. Front row, left to right: John Thysell, 

Ernest George, Bob Wilson, and unknown. Back row, left to right: Mr.

Mason, Bill Baird, John Sarvis, and John Stephens.
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Photo 9. Seeding new pastures for grazing research, 1921.

Photo 8. Seasonal workers who lived in the bunkhouse 1915. 

Dairy Research

The Station experienced program expansions in

the late 1920s and early 1930s mainly due to the

increasing needs of the region’s farmers and

ranchers. In 1928, a Congressional Enabling Act

added a Dairy Research Unit at the Station to 

encourage milk production in the region. The 

Dairy Unit was located on the eastern halves of the 

NE and SE quarters of section 16 at 2 1/2 miles 

south of the Station headquarters. The Dairy Unit 

buildings were constructed from 1928 to 1929. 

Additional land (section 9) was purchased by the 

North Dakota Legislature in 1930 and leased back 

to the Station for conducting dairy research. The 

dairy herd was assembled from dairy stock received 

from other research locations throughout the United 

States.The Dairy Unit remained active until it was

closed in 1955. 

Today, counties in central North Dakota are the 

most significant dairy producing counties in the 

State as a result of the early research in herd 

development and production of feedstuffs to 

maximize milk production. The Station also 

imported select dairy sires to enhance herd 

genetics and sold bull calves to local dairymen to 

improve their herd’s bloodlines. After the dairy 

station closed, the land in section 16 and the south 

half of section 9 was transferred to the grazing 

management research program to develop grazing 

systems for rangeland beef production. The north 

half of section 9 was owned by the State of North 

Dakota and reverted back to State control until the 

mid-1970s, when it was leased back to the Station 

for grazing systems research.

Photo 11. Head dairyman’s residence at dairy station, 1945.

Photo 10. Native Americans attending the first field day at the new 

U.S. Northern Great Plains Field Station, 1915.
5

Photo 13. Beta grapes developed for better winter hardiness.

Photo 12. Apple cultivars developed at the Field Station.

Vegetable and Horticultural Research

The horticultural program was one of the more popular 

programs at the new Station. There was a need to 

demonstrate to homesteaders that produce could be 

grown successfully on the prairie. Apple orchards and 

other small fruit and vegetable plots were established

in 1914 to test what would grow and to provide 

produce to feed Station personnel. By the early 1960s 

the fruit, vegetable, and ornamental programs had 

released new cultivars to the public that included seven 

apple (Stephens, Garrison, Killand, Thorberg, Peace 

Garden, Mandan, and Dakota), one apricot (Mantoy), 

six plum (Manet, Chilcott, Gracious, Chinook, 

Hiawatha, and Sacagawea), three crabapple (Prairie 

Gold, Heart River, and Custer), one sweet corn (Great 

Plains Golden Bantam), one geranium (Rosina), and 

three tomato varieties (Mandan Earliana, Earliosa, and 

Rosana). Some of the apple and plum varieties are still 

available today in the nursery trade.

The vegetable program was terminated in 1953, and the 

fruit program in 1964. The success of these programs 

provided ample vegetable, fruit, and tree selections for 

the region. USDA determined that there was a greater 

need for fruit research near high-population regions. 

After the program was closed, only the most promising 

experimental lines developed by horticulturists William 

Baird and William Oitto were transferred as seedlings 

or scion wood to NDAES, the NRCS Plant Materials 

Center nursery in Bismarck, and several USDA fruit 

research locations in upstate New York. Releases by 

other breeders using germplasm developed at Mandan 

resulted in five new apple varieties, the most recent 

being the variety Hazen, released by NDAES in 1980.

Photo 14. Fruit orchard, 1964, the year the program was terminated. 
6

Agronomy Research

Agronomists John T. Thysell and J.D. Brinsmade 

established the initial yield trials for wheat and flax

in 1914. The research was difficult, as they had to

break out the prairie sod. Initial results were very

good due to the release of soil nutrients from

plowing the prairie for the first time. After several

years of cropping, they realized the need to evaluate 

crop rotations to maintain soil productivity.

Testing of crop varieties was phased out in the

mid-1940s after Thysell retired. Brinsmade had left

several years earlier. At that time, program emphasis 

shifted to dryland soils research, including soil

fertility, and soil and water management and 

conservation. Although many crops commonly 

grown in the region were still grown as part of soil 

management research at the Station, the development and testing of new varieties was now the

responsibility of the NDAES in Fargo, and at 

substations at Dickinson and Minot. 

With the closing of the agronomy phase of research, 

one of the original research programs at the Station

was now terminated. This shift in program emphasis

at the Station was the beginning of research to

better understand the principles and concepts

needed to develop farming practices that increase 

sustainability. Research now emphasized crop

rotations, green manure crops, and soil and

water conservation.

Photo 15. Manual soil sampling of plots, 1918.

Photo 18. Cleaning wheat seed from test plots, 1938.

Photo 17. Swathing flax in test plots with horses and a binder, 1914.

Photo 16. Corn and alfalfa test plots, 1918.
7

Photo 20. Planting conifer seeds for growing shelterbelt trees, 1918.

Forestry Research

A primary mission of the Station was to evaluate 

trees for windbreak plantings around farmsteads. A 

cooperative windbreak program was started in 1915 by 

foresters Robert Wilson and F.E. Cobb, and by Ernest 

George, who joined in 1922. This program provided 

tree stock and management guidelines to farmers and 

ranchers on tree establishment and maintenance. 

This very successful program was expanded in 1933, 

when Congress authorized the Soil Erosion Act to 

address the wind erosion problem that plagued the 

region during the drought years of the 1930s. The Act 

provided for establishment of a tree, shrub, and grass 

nursery at the Station in 1933 (appendix C). Land 

(NW 1/4 section 4) was purchased to accommodate the 

nursery. Even today, this land is referred to as the “SCS 

quarter.” The nursery provided trees and grass seed to 

farmers for reclaiming wind-eroded lands. By 1937, a 

million trees had been grown for shelterbelt and field 

windbreaks plantings. 

During the period from about 1920 to 1950, the 

program provided technical assistance to over 5,000 

landowners for planting of thousands of farmstead 

shelterbelts and field windbreaks in the four-State 

areas of North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and 

Wyoming. This program also developed management 

guidelines for growing trees in the harsh, semi-arid 

environment of the Northern Great Plains. 

The tree windbreak program was terminated in 

1967 when Ernest George, who had been leader of 

the program since 1922, retired. Tree planting has 

always been very popular in the prairie region, and the 

windbreak tree program was important to farmers and 

ranchers. A public outcry forced Congress to reinstate 

the program in 1969, but the research direction had 

changed significantly. Albert Frank, plant physiologist, 

was hired in 1969 and Donald Harris, soil scientist, was 

transferred to Mandan in 1972 to research the influence 

of field windbreaks on crop production. 

The research on windbreak influences was completed 

in 1975, and the program was terminated. However, 

in 1976 Congress responded again to public pressure 

and provided new funding for breeding and selection 

of superior germplasm for windbreak plantings. 

Geneticist Richard Cunningham and plant pathologist 

Joseph Krupinsky were hired to conduct the research. 

This phase of research, developing new trees resistant 

to diseases for windbreak plantings, was terminated 

in 1995 for the final time. Superior selections of green 

ash and hackberry, initially selected by Ernest George 

during the 1960s, were released as Cardan green 

ash in 1979 and Oahe hackberry in 1983 by Richard 

Cunningham. Other species evaluated by Cunningham 

from seed sources included bur oak, hackberry, juniper, 

and Scots pine. Germplasm from the 1995 terminated 

tree program was taken over by NDAES and NRCS to 

develop improved trees for windbreak plantings.

Photo 19. Scientists traveling to four States to inspect shelterbelts, 

1923. 
8

Photo 23. Geneticist Richard Cunningham conducting tree breeding 

research to develop superior trees for windbreak plantings, 1976.

Photo 21. Conifer plantings to test drought and winter hardiness. Photo 24. Plant physiologist Albert Frank measuring canopy 

temperatures to determine the influence of windbreaks on crop 

production, 1972.

Photo 22. Tree seedlings shipped by rail to farmers and ranchers for 

shelterbelt plantings, 1932.

Photo 25. Plant pathologist Joe Krupinsky (left) and aides collecting 

stem canker samples to determine resistance of Populus selections 

to diseases.
9

Photo 26. The first planting of crested wheatgrass made at the 

Station by A.C. Dillman, agronomist, 1915. The plantings still exist 

today at NGPRL.

Grass Breeding Research

Although evaluation of grasses for forage production 

was conducted from the beginning of research trials in 

1915, it was not until the wind erosion problems of the 

mid-1930s that the effort was expanded. It was during 

this time that the Northern Plains experienced severe 

drought conditions that caused extensive wind erosion 

to land that had been plowed for crop production.

There was little grass seed available to reseed these 

damaged lands. To address this problem, George 

Rogler, a grass breeder, and Roderich Sprague, a plant 

pathologist, were transferred to Mandan in 1936 to 

develop improved grass cultivars for reseeding eroded 

areas and to study plant diseases. 

The grass breeding work provided farmers and

ranchers with grass cultivars suitable for establishment during the severe drought and hard financial

times prevalent throughout the region during the 

1930s. The grass commonly used to reseed eroded 

lands was crested wheatgrass. Crested wheatgrass

was first planted at the Station in 1915 by agronomist 

A.C. Dillman, but Rogler was most instrumental in 

field testing and making crested wheatgrass seed 

available for reseeding degraded lands. Rogler 

continued selection and testing that resulted in the 

release of the cultivar Nordan crested wheatgrass 

in 1953. Crested wheatgrass was used to reseed 

approximately 10 million acres of damaged lands

in the late-1930s and 1940s. 

Rogler’s research in developing Nordan is credited 

by many as the grass that saved the Northern Plains 

from becoming a severe dust bowl region. Nordan has 

withstood the test of time for ease of establishment and 

productivity and is still used today for seeding pastures.

Rogler also released the cultivars Lodorm green 

needlegrass, Vinall Russian wildrye, Green stipagrass, 

and Canada wildrye. After the mid-1950s, and until he 

retired in 1973, Rogler worked more on developing 

rangeland and forage management practices to enhance 

livestock production than on developing new cultivars. 

During this time geneticist Herbert Schaaf assumed 

most of the grass breeding efforts. 

The grass breeding program was terminated in 1969 

when Schaaf was transferred to another location. 

Congress reinstated the program in 1973, and geneticist 

Reed Barker was hired to conduct the grass breeding 

research. The program was expanded in 1976 by 

adding another geneticist, John Berdahl. Legumes 

were included in the breeding program in 1976 when 

geneticist Art Wilton joined the staff. Barker and 

Wilton transferred to other locations in the mid- to late1980s. Geneticist Ian Ray joined the forage breeding 

effort in 1990 to develop improved grass cultivars, but 

Photo 27. The cultivar Nordan crested wheatgrass, developed at the 

Field Station by grass breeder George Rogler, 1941.
10

he transferred from the Station in 1993. After Wilton 

left, Berdahl assumed the legume breeding effort

and released several lines of grazing-type alfalfas 

before his retirement in 2006. With Berdahl’s 

retirement in 2006, the entire forage breeding

program was terminated. 

Cultivars released from Barker’s and Berdahl’s 

research included Rodan western wheatgrass;

Mankota Russian wildrye; Reliant, Manska, and 

Manifest intermediate wheatgrass; Forestburg and 

Dacotah switchgrass; Bonilla and Bison big bluestem; 

and Tomahawk indiangrass. The total number of 

new grass and legume cultivars released from forage 

breeding research at NGPRL included 15 improved 

cultivars and 12 experimental strains. 

Grassland Management and Livestock 

Research

Grassland management research was one of the 

initial projects started in 1915. This program was 

very popular among local and western North Dakota 

ranchers, as grassland acreage in the region exceeded 

cropland. Agronomist J.T. Sarvis initiated research on 

the ecology and grazing tolerance of native grasslands. 

Agronomist John Thysell was also involved in grazing 

management research. Livestock were leased from 

local ranchers for the grazing season and then returned 

after the grazing season. Some native grassland sites 

in section 16 have been maintained under similar 

management since 1916, making the Laboratory a 

unique location for evaluating the long-term impact of 

management on soil quality, ecological changes, and 

sustainability of native grasslands.

In the mid-1940s, George Rogler included grazing 

research in his grass breeding program. Russell 

Lorenz, agronomist, was hired in 1952 to assist

Rogler. Rogler and Lorenz conducted extensive 

grazing research until Rogler retired in 1973. Lorenz 

continued grazing research until he assumed laboratory 

director duties from 1975 to 1979. The research 

of Rogler and Lorenz provided new approaches to 

increasing animal performance through enhanced 

forage quality and production. The development of 

complementary grazing systems using native and 

introduced cool-season grasses and nitrogen fertilizer 

significantly increased livestock production and 

economic gain for producers.

New scientists were hired to keep the high-priority 

grazing and animal research active beyond the Rogler 

and Lorenz era. Agronomists Lenat Hofmann and

Larry Morrow joined the staff in 1975 to continue the 

grazing management research. James Karn, animal 

nutritionist, came in 1976 to do cooperative work 

with Hofmann to increase livestock performance on 

grasslands. Morrow transferred from the Laboratory 

after only 2 years. Hofmann and Karn conducted 

season-long grazing systems and animal nutrition 

research, respectively, until Hofmann retired in 1993 

and Karn in 2004. Ron Ries, from the mined-land 

reclamation team, cooperated with Hofmann on

grazing research during the late 1980s. John 

Hendrickson, rangeland scientist, transferred to the 

Photo 28. Geneticist John Berdahl planting a grass nursery using 

greenhouse-grown plants, 1977.

Photo 29. Geneticist Reed Barker making germplasm collections to 

use in developing superior grass cultivars, 1978.
11

Laboratory in 1999 to study grassland renovation and 

factors determining overall grassland productivity. 

Beginning in 2003, increased emphasis was placed on 

animal production. Rangeland scientist Scott Kronberg 

and animal scientist Eric Scholljegerdes were added to 

the staff. They initiated projects to utilize forages and 

grain supplements to enhance the quality of animal 

products for human consumption. The addition of 

Hendrickson, Kronberg, and Scholljegerdes to the 

scientific staff ensured the continuation of grassland 

management and livestock research, which has 

been conducted at the Station since the beginning. 

Scholljegerdes transferred from ARS in 2010. 

Photo 31. Ecology studies on grazing and species composition, 1927.

Photo 32. Agronomist Russell Lorenz spreading fertilizer to renovate 

grasslands, 1958.

Photo 33. Animal nutritionist Jim Karn conducting range animal 

nutrition trials.

Photo 34. Rangeland scientist John Hendrickson using burning to 

renovate grasslands.

Photo 30. Grass breeder George Rogler (left) and agronomist

Russell Lorenz conducted grazing research for over 30 years.
12

Soil Fertility and Water Conservation 

Research

The 1950s and 1960s saw numerous project and 

administrative changes at the Station. The official

name of the Station was changed from the U.S. 

Northern Great Plains Field Station to the Northern 

Great Plains Research Center. During this time, the

tree and grass nursery, operated by the Soil Conservation Service (SCS), was relocated. The Dairy

Unit and the vegetable and ornamental projects,

except for the shelterbelt research, were terminated;

and the Station was placed under the newly formed 

USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in 1953. 

The location was put under the leadership of the ARS 

Soil & Water Conservation Research Division. These 

changes made soils research the primary emphasis of 

the Mandan research program. However, two other 

research units were maintained independent of the 

Soil & Water Conservation Research Division. Those 

units were the Forage Management and Breeding Unit 

and the Vegetables and Ornamentals Unit (shelterbelt 

research), both under the Crops Research Division of 

ARS. This arrangement continued until 1972, when 

ARS underwent a major reorganization that included 

changing the name of the location from the Northern 

Great Plains Research Center to the Northern Great 

Plains Research Laboratory (NGPRL). The three 

research units were disbanded and reorganized under 

the leadership of three Mandan scientists who were 

designated as Research Leaders. The research units 

were organized as the Soil and Water Conservation 

Unit, Irrigation and Drainage Unit, and Grassland 

Management and Shelterbelt Unit.

Photo 35. Animal nutritionist Jim Karn, soil scientist Don Tanaka, and 

rangeland scientist Scott Kronberg (in view), researching

annual crops and crop residues for winter grazing.

Photo 36. Animal scientist Eric Scholljegerdes conducting animal 

metabolism research. 

Photo 37. Level-bench terraces developed by soil scientists Howard 

Haas and Wayne Willis for harvesting and storing water for crop 

production, 1969.

Photo 38. Dryland water conservation practices developed by soil 

scientist Wayne Willis, .
13

The increased focus on soils research was supported 

with an addition to the original bunkhouse in 1949 to 

house a new Dryland Soils Laboratory and a newly 

formed Soil Survey Laboratory. Also at that time, the 

bunkhouse sleeping rooms were converted into offices. 

The soil survey program was transferred to SCS in 

1951 but remained in the bunkhouse until 1956, when 

SCS transferred the survey to Lincoln, NE.

Soil research capabilities were further increased in 

1964, with approval to build a modern soils research 

laboratory and office building. Other physical changes 

prior to construction of the new laboratory were 

removal of the two small living residences or cottages 

and the mess hall, and reconstruction of the entrance 

road in 1956—as it is today.

Soil and water conservation management practices to 

reduce evapotranspiration and soil fertility research 

in dryland cropping systems and grasslands became 

a major research emphasis during this time. Also, onand off-station projects were initiated: forage irrigation 

research at Bureau of Reclamation sites at Mandan, 

Upham, and Bowbells, ND, in 1949 in response to 

the Garrison Diversion of Missouri river water for 

irrigation; crop fertility and irrigation at Carrington, 

ND; and reclamation of saline soils in the Red River 

Valley at Grand Forks, ND.

New scientists added from the late 1940s to the 

late 1960s for soil-related research were irrigation 

engineers Howard Haise, Howard Olson, Rome 

Mickelson, Eugene Doering, and Leo Benz; and 

soil scientists Edwin Miles, Glen Cannell, Ronald 

Photo 39. A modern Laboratory building constructed in 1964.

Photo 40. Soil scientist Fred Sandoval studying

methods for managing sodic soils in western

North Dakota.

Photo 41. Soil scientist James Power studying nutrient cycling in 

grassland, 1973.

Photo 42. Soil scientists Jack Bond (in view) and Wayne Willis 

studying evapotranspiration under dryland conditions in 1970.
14

Carpenter, Carl Carlson, David Grunes, Eldon Hood, 

James Power, Joseph Alessi, Darrell Smika, Glen 

Boatwright, George Reichman, Fred Sandoval, Albert 

Grable, Howard Haas, Wayne Willis, Jack Bond, and 

Ronald Follett. 

Two important soil projects, saline seep and sodic

soil management, were completed in the mid-1980s. 

The saline seep project, conducted by Eugene Doering, 

provided important information on the causes of 

salinity as well as management recommendations for 

preventing and reclaiming saline seep areas. The sodic 

soil project, conducted by Fred Sandoval, developed 

deep-plowing treatments that increased crop yields 

several fold.

It was during this period that research at the

Laboratory took on an environmental aspect.

Soil water conservation, soil erosion, and nutrient 

management research were conducted with

emphasis on preventing nutrients from leaching to 

ground-water and maintaining soil fertility sufficient 

for crop production. Wayne Willis and Howard Haas 

developed level-bench terraces for storing water for 

crop production. James Power conducted pioneering 

research on the fate of nitrogen in grasslands and 

cropping systems.

In 2012, the location was competitively designated 

as one of 10 Long-Term Agroecosystems Research 

(LTAR) sites in the United States because of its 100-

year legacy of research and because it is one of the 

few ARS laboratories with crop, soils, rangeland, 

and livestock research capacity at the field and herd 

scale that is complemented by agricultural economics 

research expertise.

Mined-Land Reclamation Research

Research was initiated in 1970 in response to the 

need to develop guidelines for reclaiming open-pit 

mined-lands for crop production. The initial minedland research in western North Dakota was conducted 

by NGPRL scientists. The program was led by James 

Power and team members Ron Ries, Len Hoffman, 

Steven Merrill, Eugene Doering, Wayne Willis, 

and George Reichman. With the need for additional 

research, the NDAES initiated a project on minedland reclamation in 1974. 

The NDAES scientists, under the leadership of

Armand Bauer, were located at the NGPRL and

worked in full cooperation with ARS scientists. The 

mined-land project provided important guidelines on 

topsoil requirements for successful reclamation.

The results of the ARS mined-land research were 

used extensively by regulatory agencies in developing reclamation laws. ARS scientists completed their 

mined-land research in the early 1980s, at which

time the funding was redirected to conservation

tillage research. Armand Bauer moved to the ARS

staff in 1976, joining the soil management team 

to study soil fertility and tillage research. NDAES 

continued mined-land reclamation research

until 1993. 

Photo 43. Mined-land reclamation soil-depth study site at an open-pit 

lignite mine in west central North Dakota.

Photo 44. Management criteria for grazing reclaimed mined land, 

developed in the late 1970s.
15

Irrigation Research

Irrigation research was conducted by NGPRL scientists 

at several locations in North Dakota to determine the 

suitability of soils and crops for irrigation. The initial 

irrigation projects were conducted with Bureau of 

Reclamation funds by several scientists during the mid1950s on forage production at Mandan, Upham, and 

Bowbells, ND. An extensive sprinkler irrigation project 

was conducted by James Power and Howard Olsen in 

cooperation with NDAES scientists at Carrington, ND, 

in the 1960s.

The push for use of Garrison Diversion water to

eastern North Dakota in the early 1970s identified 

a need to evaluate the irrigation potential of soils in 

the Oakes area in southeastern North Dakota. The 

Oakes study was conducted by irrigation and drainage 

engineers Eugene Doering and Leo Benz, and soil 

scientists Ronald Follett and George Reichman. The 

Oakes project was completed in the early 1980s. 

Shortly after completion of the Oakes project, a need 

was identified to evaluate the feasibility for irrigation

in the Apple Creek watershed east of Bismarck. 

Doering, Benz, and Reichman started the Apple

Creek irrigation project. Follett had transferred to 

another location in 1974. Doering and Benz retired 

shortly after starting the project. Reichman was joined 

in 1989 by soil scientist Brian Weinhold and irrigation 

engineer Todd Trooien. 

The Apple Creek project was completed and all 

irrigation research terminated in 1994. Trooien left 

ARS, Weinhold joined the cropping systems project 

until he transferred in 1997, and Reichman retired

in 1991. Results from the irrigation research at

Oakes and Apple Creek showed that soils at these 

sites did not pose any serious drainage or nutrient 

requirement concerns that would restrict irrigation

of crops.

Conservation Tillage and Cropping 

Systems Research

Conservation tillage research was a priority in the

early 1980s. In order to provide field-size plots

needed to conduct conservation tillage research, the 

local Area IV Soil Conservation District (SCD) created 

the Area IV SCD Research Farm in 1984. The 420-acre 

farm, located approximately 3 miles southwest of the 

Laboratory headquarters, provided a field setting for 

conducting conservation tillage and cropping systems 

research utilizing farm-size equipment.

Soil scientists Al Black and Armand Bauer were

leaders in developing new conservation tillage

Photo 45. Irrigation research in Apple Creek watershed near 

Bismarck, 1985.

Photo 46. Irrigation engineer Todd Trooien and technician Wally 

Sellner at Apple Creek site.
16

practices to replace the traditional crop-fallow

methods. Starting in the early 1980s and until they 

retired in the early 1990s, Bauer and Black conducted 

extensive research on developing conservation

tillage systems. Their research showed that annual 

cropping was feasible if proper residue management 

was practiced. Crop residues left on the soil surface

reduced soil water loss enabling annual cropping, 

which provided greater returns than traditional

crop-fallow systems that were common until this

time. Ardell Halvorson transferred to the

Laboratory in 1994 and completed the

conservation tillage research.

Results of the conservation tillage and nutrient 

management research showed the need to develop

crop rotations under no-till management for

improving production by optimizing water use and 

nutrients and minimizing plant diseases. Don Tanaka, 

soil scientist, transferred to NGPRL in 1991 to lead 

a project to evaluate crop rotations. The team of 

Don Tanaka, Joe Krupinsky, Steve Merrill, Mark 

Liebig, John Hendrickson, and Jon Hanson conducted 

extensive research that provided data for development 

of the crop sequence calculator.

The crop sequence calculator was a computer-based 

program developed by Jeff Fehmi, support scientist, 

with input on subsequent versions by NGPRL

scientists and staff. The program has been distributed 

to over 13,000 producers and other agriculturalists. It 

provided farmers with a decision guide for determining 

the best crop sequence for maintaining a sustainable 

and economically viable farming operation. In 2007, 

the Laboratory added economics expertise to the staff 

with Dave Archer, an agricultural economist, who 

began work with the cropping system team to provide 

economic analyses on the research results being 

provided to producers.

Photo 49. Soil scientist Armand Bauer, who developed soil management and fertility recommendations for spring wheat.

Photo 47. Sign on Area IV Research Farm, southwest of Laboratory 

headquarters.

Photo 48. Soil scientist Al Black discussing conservation

tillage at field day.
17

Global Climate Change Research

The mid-1990s was a time of national concern about 

the role of agriculture on environmental issues, 

especially the increase in atmospheric greenhouse 

gases and their effects on global climate change. The 

contribution of agricultural practices to climate change 

was unknown. To address these concerns, two new 

areas of research were started. Al Frank initiated 

research in 1993 to determine the role of grasslands 

in carbon sequestration, and Mark Liebig, who joined 

the Laboratory in 1999, started research to study crop 

and grassland management effects on soil quality and 

trace gas emissions. This research emphasized the 

environmental aspects of agriculture practices and 

moved the Laboratory into a new era of research.

The carbon sequestration and soil quality research 

showed that properly managed grasslands and 

croplands were effective in storing carbon in the 

soil. Frank retired in 2004, but the climate change 

and carbon sequestration aspects of his work were 

expanded with the addition of plant physiologist 

Rebecca Phillips to the staff. Phillips brought

expertise in remote-sensing technology, which was 

valuable in upscaling carbon sequestration data

from site-specific studies to regional scales.

Photo 50. Soil scientist Steve Merrill evaluating rooting patterns for 

dryland crops.

Photo 51. Soil scientist Mark Liebig conducting research 

in soil quality of crop and grassland systems.

Photo 53. Support scientist Jason Gross sampling grassland soils for 

trace gas emissions.

Photo 52. Agronomist and research leader Matt Sanderson evaluating 

the use of switchgrass as a biofuel source.
18

Enhanced global change research requires a better 

understanding of the role of soil microbes on 

greenhouse gas emissions and soil quality as

influenced by management. To study these

concerns, Kris Nichols, soil microbiologist, came

on staff in 2001. As part of the Nation’s desire to

move toward energy independence, biofuels for 

production of ethanol were being promoted as an 

alternative to the use of fossil fuels. Jon Hanson 

coordinated a project involving breeders,

physiologists, and soil scientists to evaluate the 

potential of switchgrass for ethanol production. 

Agronomist Marty Schmer joined the staff in 2009 

to evaluate crops for biofuel potential and as cover 

crops adapted to the Northern Great Plains. Schmer 

transferred from NGPRL in 2011. Matt Sanderson, 

agronomist and research leader, joined the staff in

2011 to continue research on warm-season grasses

for conservation and bioenergy, as well as to conduct 

research on forage and pasture management and 

grassland diversity. 

Scientists at Mandan also help lead a large, multilocation project within ARS including GRACEnet 

(Greenhouse gas Reduction through Agricultural 

Carbon Enhancement network), which encompasses

38 ARS research locations and includes collaborators

in 32 countries, and the Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP)–Grazinglands. 

Serving Producers With Forward-Looking 

Research

Nearly a century after Congress authorized the 

establishment of the research facility, NGPRL has 

approximately 35 employees and an annual budget 

of around $3.5 million. The long history of research 

accomplishments from the Laboratory has been 

well-accepted by the agricultural community and has 

established the Laboratory as a leader in scientific 

agricultural research. Today, NGPRL is a modern 

research facility with a scientific and support staff

that is highly qualified and equipped to continue 

developing solutions for the production and 

environmental problems facing the next generation 

of producers in the Northern Great Plains.

Documented accomplishments at the NGPRL have 

had a significant impact on production of agricultural 

products on the Northern Great Plains. Examples 

include the introduction of improved grass cultivars 

including Nordan crested wheatgrass, development

and supply of trees for Northern Plains shelterbelts, 

release of fruit and ornamental trees, development

of grazing systems, evaluation of breeds of dairy

livestock for milk production, development of

practices to inhibit saline seeps, development of 

dryland soil management and soil fertility practices, 

development of mined-land reclamation techniques, 

determination of suitability of land for irrigation 

Photo 55. Soil microbiologist Kristine Nichols sampling grassland 

soils for glomalin activity.

Photo 54. Plant physiologist Rebecca Phillips programming an Eddy 

Covariance system for measuring grassland carbon sequestration.
19

agriculture, development of conservation tillage 

systems, and development of cropping systems

using alternative crops. 

Detailed studies were also conducted that resulted 

in a wealth of scientific information that provided 

a better understanding of the processes necessary 

for sustaining crop yields and livestock production. 

These studies contributed to a better understanding 

of nutrient cycling, moisture conservation, erosion 

control, environmental constraints including 

management effects on trace gas emissions and 

accompanying climate change issues, grassland and 

crop carbon sequestration, growth staging for small 

grains management and grassland grazing readiness, 

genetics of native and introduced grasses, grassland 

establishment and renovation, plant-soil-waterenvironment relationships, plant disease resistance, 

nutritive value of annual and perennial forages for 

livestock, and decision-support systems. 

Research projects at the Laboratory were scheduled 

for termination by October 1, 1996. Because of 

feedback from citizens, producers, and organizations 

throughout the region, funding continued. Since then, 

the Laboratory experienced growth in both staff and 

projects. The Laboratory also implemented a thorough 

review of its research projects, resulting in their reclassification into two major areas in 1997: integrated 

crop and livestock systems, and cropping systems.

Photo 56. The NGPRL is a modern agricultural research facility that has served Northern Great Plains producers 

for nearly a century (2006 photograph).
20

Leadership and Scientific Excellence

The quality of leadership at the NGPRL has been 

reflected in the research accomplishments. The 

challenge from the beginning in 1912 has been to 

provide scientific leadership that enhances preservation 

of the natural resource base, while providing information to producers that increases their economic wellbeing. Primary leadership positions were classified by 

levels and varied as ARS changed its organizational 

structure. This also resulted in changes in titles and the 

number of leadership positions at NGPRL. The major 

ARS organizational changes that occurred in 1972 had 

the greatest impact on leadership positions at NGPRL.

Prior to the creation of ARS in 1953, the superintendent provided leadership at the location. From 1953

to 1972, there were two levels of leadership at Mandan: 

superintendent and research investigation leader. The 

superintendent was responsible for the facilities and 

had little control over the research programs. The 

research investigation leaders had multi-location 

program responsibility within ARS. The major ARS 

reorganization in 1972 created a structure at Mandan 

that included a location leader and three research units 

each under the leadership of a research leader. The 

location leader was responsible for the facilities, and 

the research leaders were responsible for the research 

programs. After 1975, the location leader title was 

changed to laboratory director, which included a 

research leader assignment for a research unit. Three 

research units existed from 1972 to 1988, two from 

1988 to1992, and one since 1992.

The chronological list of NGPRL scientists with 

leadership responsibility (superintendents or directors) 

comprises William A. Peterson (1913-1917), John M. 

Stephens (1917-1946), Ernest J. George (1946-1964), 

Jack Bond (1964-1974), Russell J. Lorenz (1974-

1979), Alfred L. Black (1979-1993), Ardell Halvorson 

(1994-1997), Jonathan D. Hanson (1998-2009), and 

Matt Sanderson (2010 to present). The list of research 

leaders and their research expertise includes Wayne 

O. Willis (1972-1976)—soil and water conservation; 

George A. Rogler (1972-1974)—forage breeding, 

rangeland management, and windbreaks; Albert L. 

Grable (1967-1969), James F. Power (1976-1978), and 

Armand Bauer (1988-1989)—soil management and 

fertility; Eugene J. Doering (1972-1988)—irrigation 

and drainage; and Albert B. Frank (1981-1992)—forage 

breeding and rangeland management. Since 1992, the 

director/research leader has held multidisciplinary 

leadership responsibility for all research programs.

Excellence in research as judged by one’s peers is 

a widely accepted criterion among the scientific 

community, and the Fellow award given by

agricultural science societies is the most prestigious 

award honoring excellence in research. Over the 

years, NGPRL scientists have received numerous 

national awards for their research accomplishments. 

The American Society of Agronomy awarded Fellow 

awards to George Rogler (1962), Armand Bauer 

(1989), Alfred Black (1989), Albert Frank (1996),

John Berdahl (2002), and Donald Tanaka (2005). The 

Crop Science Society of America awarded Fellow 

awards to George Rogler (1962), Albert Frank (1998), 

and John Berdahl (2003). The Soil Science Society 

of America awarded Fellow awards to Armand Bauer 

(1989) and Mark Liebig (2012). The Soil and Water 

Conservation Society of America awarded a Fellow 

award to Alfred Black (1978).

Numerous other scientists who had been staff

members for many years at NGPRL but transferred 

to other ARS locations received Fellow awards 

after leaving NGPRL. Fellow awards also were 

given to several scientists prior to their transferring 

to the NGPRL. An additional award bestowed on 

two distinguished NGPRL staff members was the 

Honorary Doctorate degree presented by North Dakota 

State University to Ernest George in 1964 and to 

George Rogler in 1971. Armand Bauer was inducted 

posthumously into the North Dakota Agriculture Hall 

of Fame in 2010.

Though not individually identified in this volume, 

the scientific, clerical, maintenance, and mechanical 

support staff has played a major role in the scientific 

accomplishments of the Laboratory. The dedication 

of the support staff has been critical in carrying out 

the day-to-day duties required to obtain the highquality scientific data essential to accomplishing the 

Laboratory mission to provide farmers and ranchers 

with guidelines for efficient management. 
21

Photo 57. Construction was nearly complete in this 1915 view of the 

buildings looking south.

Photo 58. Cottages served as residences until 1964, when a new 

office and Laboratory building were constructed on the site. 

Photo 59. Superintendent’s residence, 1915.

Photo 60. Horticulturist’s residence, 1915.

Photo 61. Main office (left) and dining hall/clerk’s residence, 1917.

Photo 62. Seed house and greenhouses, 1941.

Appendix A: Photographs of Buildings and Research Activities.
22

Photo 63. Residences and view of ornamental plantings on grounds, 1924.

Photo 64. View looking north from Reservoir Hill, 1915.

Photo 67. Old horse barn (left) and dairy barn remodeled into a 

forage laboratory (right), 2002.

Photo 66. View looking north from Reservoir Hill, 1942.

Photo 65. The tennis court, located near the office building (right), 

and the dining hall (back left), 1916.
23

Photo 68. Superintendent John Stephens viewing pillars at entrance 

to Station from North Dakota Highway 6, 1945.

Photo 69. Sign at entrance to the Northern Great Plains Research 

Laboratory, 2009.

Photo 70. Superintendent’s residence constructed in 1913 and shown 

in this 2003 photograph.

Photo 71. Office building constructed in 1913 and shown in this 2003 

photograph.

Photo 72. The snake entrance road that served as entrance to the 

Station from 1913 to 1956.

Photo 73. New entrance road constructed in 1956 and shown in this 

2003 photograph.
24

Photo 74. The weather station at the same location in 2011 as shown 

in this 1915 photograph.

Photo 75. Red Tomahawk and John Grass attending Station’s field 

day, 1915.

Photo 76. Mandan to Deadwood, SD, stagecoach stopping near the 

bunkhouse on the way to Deadwood, 1914.

Photo 77. The 1964 Fruit Orchard tour.

Photo 78. Equipment display at the 1962 Grassland Day at the 

Forage and Rangeland Research location.

Photo 79. Station scientists traveling in a Ford Model A in 1932 to 

inspect cooperators’ shelterbelts often got stuck. 
25

Photo 80. Dryland agronomy plots south of Reservoir Hill, 1915.

Photo 81. Thrashing wheat, 1915.

Photo 82. Agronomist John Thysell, retired, inspecting a neutron 

meter for measuring soil water content, 1964.

Photo 83. No-till seeding spring wheat on the Soil Conservation 

Districts Area IV Research Farm, 2000.

Photo 84. Support scientist Holly Johnson and technician Larry

Renner soil sampling a switchgrass field for soil carbon, 2000.

Photo 85. Soil scientists Jim Power (left) and Howard Haas inspecting 

sunflower research plots, 1972.
26

Photo 86. Sampling rangeland plots for biomass, 1959.

Photo 87. Windmill for pumping well water for cattle, 1917.

Photo 88. Corrals, sheds, and weighing scales at grazing studies, 

1916.

Photo 89. Moving cattle with horses in grazing research studies, 

1968.

Photo 91. Rain-out shelter built in 1983 for studying drought tolerance 

and water use by forage grasses.

Photo 90. Plant physiologist Al Frank (left) and soil scientist Mark 

Liebig discussing soil quality research at field day, 2004.
27

Photo 92. Cabbage, one of many vegetables evaluated at the new 

Field Station, 1915.

Photo 93. Nursery beds of trees and shrubs under test for shelterbelt 

plantings, 1916.

Photo 95. Superintendent Ernest George indicating spacing in a 

Siberian elm windbreak in the Red River Valley, 1967.

Photo 96. Measuring tree growth in seed source nursery of Scots 

pine, 1987.

Photo 94. Technician Charles Flakker planting a conifer nursery to 

test suitability for use in shelterbelt plantings, 1979.

Photo 97. Inoculation of select elm clones to determine disease 

resistance.
28

Appendix B: Staff Group Photographs.

Photo 99. Staff photograph, 1963. Front row, left to right: George Rogler (S)*, Howard Haas (S), Edward 

Bickel (TS), Adolph Barrios (A), Dave Grunes (S), Ernest Golde (M), Ida Wiedmann (A), Georgene Schmidt 

(A), George Reichman (SS), Ernest George (S), and Ingram Berreth (TS). Back row, left to right: Wayne 

Willis (S), Joseph Alessi (SS), Fred Sandoval (S), Ronald Vredenburg (TS), Ed Popelka (B), Pete Hoffman 

(B), Bill Oitto (S), Chuck Hills (M), Herb Schaaf (S), and Russell Lorenz (S). 

* A-administrative support, B-biological aide, M-maintenance, S-scientist, SS-support scientist,

TS-technical support.

Photo 98. John Thysell’s retirement, July 1946. Front row, left to right: Art Ferber (Soil Conservation Service), 

John Stephens, John Thysell, Ronald Carpenter, and LeRoy Moomaw (Dickinson, ND, Field Station). Center 

row, left to right: Mr. Wearne, Ralph Williams (Moccasin, MT, Field Station), William Baird, and Al Halweg. 

Back row, left to right: Howard Haas, William Sprague, George Rogler, Howard House, and Ernest George.
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Photo 100. Second retirement of Ernest George, 1968. Standing on ground, left to right: Howard Haas (S)*, Merv Stork (TS), Art Kredler 

(B), Mike Erhardt (B), Russell Lorenz (S), Richard Uhler (TS), Joe Alessi (SS), Harry Stastny (M), Jack Wetsch (B), Rich Ballou (TS), Joseph 

Graham (B), Louie Dvorak (TS), Jack Ferderer (B), John Thysell (C), Roy Doll (B), Dorothy Lussenden (A), Ida Wiedmann (A), Georgene 

Schmidt (A), Ernest George (S), George Reichman (SS), John Pope (M), Bob Hetzler (TS), Al Grable (S), Chuck Flakker (TS), Fred Sandoval 

(S), Al Ressler (TS), Jack Bond (LS), Louie Zachmeier (M), and Jim Power (S). Standing between pillars, first row, left to right: Christ Hebling 

(B), Ralph Feland (M), Eugene Doering (S), and Adolph Barrios (A). Second row, left to right: Floyd Jacober (TS), Bill Gerhardt (B), Ingram 

Berreth (TS), Jim Belohlavek (TS), and Jim Harms (TS). Third row, left to right: Ron Vredenburg (TS), Wayne Willis (RIL), Herb Schaaf (S), and 

Ron Follett (S). Not pictured: Ed Bickel (TS) and Bob Aune (TS). Photograph by George Rogler (S).

* A-administrative support, B-biological aide, C-collaborator, LC-location superintendent, M-maintenance, RIL-research investigation leader, 

S-scientist, SS-support scientist, TS-technical support.
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Photo 101. Staff photograph, 2000. Front row, left to right: Larry Renner (TS)*, Gary Brucker (TS), Al Frank (S), Mike Eberle (M), and Jim 

Harms (TS). Second row, left to right: Judy Blank (A), Faye Kroh (TS), Susan Mellen (A), Susan Liebig (NRCS), Lori Wanner (TS), Linda 

Schuler (A), Holly Johnson (SS), Linda Dvorak (A), Dawn Wetch (TS), Delmar Schlenker (TS), and Duane Krein (M). Third row, left to right: 

Justin Hartel (TS), Jon Hanson (RL), Audrey Myers (A), Rebecca Wald (TS), Steve Merrill (S), Joe Krupinsky (S), John Berdahl (S), Ralph 

Feland (M), Richard Huppler (TS), John Bullinger (TS), Mark Liebig (S), and Marvin Hatzenbuhler (TS). Fourth row, left to right: Curtis Klein 

(TS), Bruce Rittel (A), James Karn (S), John Hendrickson (S), Bruce Boehm (TS), Donald Tanaka (S), and Gordon Jensen (TS). 

* A-administrative support, M-maintenance, NRCS-Natural Resource Conservation Service, RL-research leader, S-scientist, SS-support 

scientist, TS-technical support.

Photo 102. Staff photograph, 2012. Front row, left to right: Linda Schuler (A),* David Kastner (B), Nick Saliendra (SS), Adam Tollefsrud (B), 

John Hendrickson (S), Lori Wanner (TS), Jonathan Aguilar (SS), Stephanie Schmidt (B), Delmer Schlenker (TS), Manlu Yu (NDSU), Andrea 

Fisher (B), Sarah Waldron (B), and Holly Johnson (SS). Middle row, left to right: Jeremy Will (A), Audrey Myers (A), Kristine Nichols (S), David 

Archer (S), Larry Renner (TS), Mike Eberle (M), Jaden Deckert (B), Taylor Friesz (B), Becky Wald (TS), Jay Halvorson (S), Joon Hee Lee (SS), 

Rebecca Phillips (S), and Andrew Carrlson (TS). Back row, left to right: Faye Kroh (TS), Al Frank (C), Mark Liebig (S), Cal Thorson (A), Duane 

Krein (M), Scott Kronberg (S), Matt Sanderson (RL), Tim Faller (NDSU), Roland Mihulka (M), Robert Kolberg (SS), Clay Erickson (TS), and 

Stacy Jangula (B). Not pictured: John Berdahl (C), Steven Merrill (C), Cannayen Igathi (NDSU), Marv Hatzenbuhler (M), Tracie Rau (A), and 

Dawn Wetch (B). 

 * A-administrative support, B-biological aide, C-collaborator, M-maintenance, NDSU-North Dakota State University, RL-research leader, 

S-scientist, SS-support scientist, TS-technical support.
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Appendix C: Land Resources and Historical Maps.

Figure 1. Art Ferber was the USDA-Soil Conservation Service forester in charge of the nursery when it was located 

at the U.S. Northern Great Plains Field Station. The nursery was located in the northwest quarter of section 4.
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Figure 2. Aerial photograph of the Station showing snake road, buildings, and extensive agronomic plots, 1948. 
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Figure 3. Map showing land resources at the Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory, 2011. Yellow shaded area is federally owned land, 

blue indicates land that is under long-term leases from North Dakota State Government agencies, and green is land leased from private 

ownership through the Area IV North Dakota Association of Soil Conservation Districts. The northwest quarter of section 4 is called the “SCS 

quarter,” because it was the site of the Soil Conservation Service nursery. 
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Appendix D: Congressional Record Entry of Bismarck Tribune Editorial

on Ernest George.

Figure 4. Editorial from July 23, 1975, Bismarck Tribune by John Hjelle, Editor, as reprinted in 

the Congressional Record at the request of U.S. Senator Quentin Burdick of North Dakota. 
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