Whether they find it endearing or exasperating, every Idahoan knows the joke – the word “Idaho” is almost synonymous with “potato” to out-of-staters.
At the Idaho Agricultural Experiment Station, the joke holds true as the potato industry is less cliché and more all in a day”s work. Since the IAES was founded in 1892, its research has been tightly tied to the development of the Idaho potato industry, said Mark McGuire, the station”s interim director.
“The history (of the station) is very wide,” McGuire said. “We”ve helped to establish the cropping systems in Idaho, and we certainly have had impact on mineral nutrition of animals out on rangeland over the years.”
The IAES is a system of 11 research stations throughout the state of Idaho that have acted as the foundation for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. McGuire assumed the interim position when Don Thill retired at the beginning of August.
McGuire
McGuire said the scope of the station”s research is huge. Faculty members involved with the station currently study many topics, including crop diseases, trout production, food processing, Idaho”s budding wine industry and nutrition and child development.
“Almost every faculty member conducting research has a goal that their research will be applicable or has some pertinence to production at some point,” McGuire said.
As a lactation biologist, McGuire”s project takes a comparative look at human and bovine milk.
McGuire collaborates with his wife, a biologist at Washington State University, to research how the bacteria in human milk differs across the world, and whether differences in microbiomes give infants a survival advantage. They are collaborating with scientists in over 480 countries, and hope to have conclusive research within two years.
According to McGuire, the more scientists know about natural milk composition, the healthier they can make baby formulas.
“Bacteria in milk leads to the development of gastrointestinal microbiomes,” McGuire said. “We know that breastfed infants are leaner than formula-fed infants, so (developing formulas) reduces the risk of obesity.”
McGuire said other faculty members work more closely with clientele or students, such as local 4-H groups. Barbary Petty, interim extension director for CALS, said that IAES specialists throughout the state are often local leaders in their fields.
“We”re the go-to people,” Petty said. “Our goal is to help improve the sustainability and the possibility of Idaho agriculture.”
Not only do researchers work closely with county experts on local agricultural issues, they often have educational components to their work as well. Many make it a priority to share their research and findings with the general public through field days and other public events, Petty said.
Several researchers have worked with local student groups, such as 4-H and local Food Smart Families programs, Petty said. According to her, programs like these are a fun way to educate students about agricultural work.
That, McGuire said, is one of the most valuable parts of the IAES.
“There are jobs in agriculture,” McGuire said. “Good jobs – and not just in Idaho, throughout the United States. They”re not necessarily tilling the soil, unless that”s the job you want. It”s not just about the scientific knowledge of plants or animal reproduction. Agriculture is a business.”
Hannah Shirley can be reached at arg-news@uidaho.edu or on Twitter @itshannah7