SLV research center a beneficial public-private partnership
SLV research center a beneficial public-private partnership
Jeffrey Steiner, deputy director of the Colorado Agricultural Experiment Station, said the San Luis Valley Research Center has proven to be an invaluable asset to the region’s potato industry.
“We support in seven of eight of the college campuses. In the San Luis Valley, the primary focus is on potatoes,” Steiner told The Produce News. “What we take pride in is a truly public-private partnership. Because of this, the industry has provided great support.”
Steiner assumed his position in July 2013. He has expertise in a wide range of agricultural systems and has partnered with commodity groups, government agencies and industries. CAES-supported research extends across the entire main campus and involves 244 faculty from 15 academic departments in seven colleges, and reaches from Fort Collins to seven off-campus research centers around the state.
Jeffrey SteinerSteiner served 24 years with the USDA-Agricultural Research Service as a research scientist in Corvallis, OR and most recently as National Program Leader with the agency’s headquarters staff near Washington, DC.
Steiner said researchers at the San Luis Valley Experiment Station work on a variety of issues and aspects that directly impact the promotion of potatoes grown there. “We have a good team of folks working under the auspices of the research center,” he said. Research includes minimizing storage losses, addresses overall plant health and helps breed new potato varieties for commercialization.
As is true for the domestic potato industry, Potato Virus Y poses a threat in Colorado. The virus can result in quality issues and crop losses and affect seed certification programs. “We’re doing a lot of research on this,” Steiner said.
As research in the San Luis Valley moves forward to examine ways to diversify crop selection, Steiner said potential is being explored to create areas where virus-free potatoes can be grown. “We are just exploring this in the Dove Creek area in the Four Corners,” Steiner said. “We are hoping to do some research studies in this area next year.”
He said growers from the San Luis Valley may become involved with this effort. “San Luis Valley growers have tremendous knowledge,” Steiner said. “This is just beginning the exploration [of outcome-oriented research]. This is just an idea.”
As for the goals of the Colorado Agricultural Experiment Station, Steiner said, “How do we make the research real? As an industry, we want to raise responsiveness to a new level.”
