The Huntley College of Agriculture broke ground this summer on a new plant health lab.
Outgoing Cal Poly Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ President Soraya Coley joined Dean Ethan Orr in turning the earth at a July 9 groundbreaking ceremony on the new Boswell-Huntley Lab.
“This is a big deal for the College of Agriculture. It signifies a lot of momentum for us,” Orr said at the ceremony. “I know it’s something we’ve wanted for years.”
The new lab – a portable building that will be installed adjacent to the Fruit/Crops Unit in Building 28 – is expected to be ready for use this fall.
It will create a dedicated space for students to learn about diagnosing diseased plants. It will provide valuable hands-on learning experiences for students interested in going into plant pathology either in graduate school or as a career.
In addition, it will provide a valuable resource and service to residents and growers across Southern California who need help with ailing plants. There are few labs within the region that can provide diagnostic services to the community, and most people must go outside the region to find testing.
Terry Noriega, founder and president of Mariposa Landscapes, Inc. and a former member of the Huntley College of Agriculture Dean’s Advisory Council, donated $15,000 for the department to do a study and draft plans for the new lab.
College namesake and longtime benefactor Don Huntley (’60, animal husbandry) subsequently gave $400,000 for the project, while the James G. Boswell Foundation, which supports agricultural education, also gave $400,000.