BNSF News

BNSF donation helps fund new Kansas Wheat Innovation Cente

2013-07-18

With the help of a donation from the BNSF Railway Foundation, the Kansas Wheat Innovation Center (KWIC) has opened its doors.

The KWIC serves as the new headquarters to the Kansas Wheat Commission (KWC) and Kansas Association of Wheat Growers (KAWG). The building contains a 15,000 square-foot wheat-breeding laboratory, 10,000 square-foot greenhouse complex and 15,000 square feet of office space. The facility, in Manhattan, Kansas, was built on leased land from Kansas State University.

Wheat, the number one planted crop in Kansas, has long been a commodity of great importance to the rail industry. BNSF transports more agricultural products than any other railroad in the United States, moving enough grain to supply 900 million people with a year's supply of bread. Roughly 20 percent of this grain originates in Kansas.

The farmer-owned KWIC was created in partnership with Kansas State University and is the largest research venture managed by American wheat farmers. Researchers there will make use of what is one of the leading expedited breeding facilities in the world to develop wheat genetics.

Kansas wheat farmers, the Kansas Bioscience Authority and other private entities also funded the facility.

About the photo: Pictured left to right are Justin Gilpin, CEO, Kansas Wheat; Mark Summers, director, BNSF Ag Products-Wheat; Marc Allen, assistant vice president, BNSF Ag Products; Mignon Lambley, ombudsman, BNSF Ag Products; Ron Suppes, vice chairman, Kansas Wheat Commission.

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BNSF Railway Company
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For more information on the company and its transportation solutions, visit the BNSF Web site at www.bnsf.com