Freeze Destroys 70 Percent Of Year’s Hybrid Wheat Plants At OSU Agriculture

The wheat-breeding program for Oklahoma State University’s Agriculture Department lost 70 percent of this year's hybrid plants during the deep freeze in February, according to staff.

Staff told News On 6 the crop is an important resource for the whole state, and more of it could be lost if several problems on the farm are not fixed soon.

OSU agriculturalist and operations lead, Jason Ray, said he was the first to respond during February's deep freeze.

"I came here at about 10:30 that night, and all my water lines were busted up against that wall, and there was a sheet of ice up against that wall," Ray said.

Ray said it was so cold inside one of the 60-year-old greenhouses that pipes were damaged, heaters did not work, leaving plants vulnerable.

Hundreds of hybrid wheat plants did not survive.

"Whenever you see them grow from start to finish, it kind of hurts whenever they die," said Ray.

Ray said researchers, scientists and staff work for years developing new varieties and that OSU genetics make up 60 percent of all wheat grown in Oklahoma.

Thankfully, they had a few back-up seeds of each.

"We're pretty lucky that we didn't lose everything because that could have halted the program," said Ray.

Meanwhile, problems are seen all over the agronomy farm, which focuses on soil management and crop production.

"We got mold and all kinds of growth everywhere," said Ray.

Some pipes are still leaking.

Dean of Agriculture, Dr. Tom Coon, told News On 6 everyone is worried about future problems.

"Now, we find ourselves with a facility that, at times, is just going to fail on us, and I don't want that to continue," said Coon.

According to the master plan for the agronomy farm from three years ago, it would cost about $28 million to update everything on the farm.

Coon said the money would need to come from fundraising and partnerships, and it would take at least three years to build.

Coon also said if you care about these issues, let your elected officials know so they can allocate funding for higher education accordingly.