It provides opportunities to conduct investigations on agricultural problems in a coordinated and integrated approach by bringing together multi-disciplinary expertise. The facilities provide faculty, staff, students, agricultural producers, processors, agribusiness representatives, natural resource managers, governmental agencies and others with the opportunity to participate in work conducted on-site. The facility has been designed to provide flexible common use areas for peak period needs and shared equipment use for maximum resource use. This reduces the unecessary duplication of equipment between departments. This concept began developing in the 1980s and became a reality in March of 1993.
Water is drawn from both surface and well water sources.
The system comprises four booster pumps in addition to three wells. More than 16,000 feet of pipe ranging in size from 6 to 24 inches, seventy-five hand operated valves, and fifty air relief valves control water deliveries to more than forty field turnouts. A reservoir allows mixing of well and ditch water. For a flow rate of 1000 gpm from the farthest turnout on the south end, the travel time of water in the pipeline in about 75 minutes. If manager, field or shop manager is available, they will conduct a tour of the facility.