At the OGI Wheat Meeting, Farm Director, KC Sheperd, caught up with the Vice President, Dean and Director for the Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources at Oklahoma State University, Dr. Thomas Coon. Sheperd and Coon talked about new things to come for OSU agriculture.
Regarding his retirement soon, Coon talked about the impact OSU has made on his life.
“It has been a fun experience for me, mostly because of the people,” Coon said.
Since Coon first came to OSU, he said he and his wife instantly felt welcomed by the people.
“I enjoy getting out to so many events where I interact with people, and you know, to see how much they appreciate what OSU does, what OSU represents, and to get to be a part of that family. It really has been an honor and something I will cherish for the rest of my life,” Coon said.
“This has been a great place for me,” Coon said. “I have really enjoyed it and it has been an honor to be part of this.”
Coon also gave an update on OSU’s New Frontiers Agricultural Hall.
“We have poured a lot of concrete,” Coon said. “I don’t know the exact amount, but we are pretty well done with concrete. Maybe a couple more spots for it to go, but the structure is there.”
The building will be three stories, Coon said, and it is still on schedule to be completed in July of 2024. Many other structures for the ag college have been given the funds to improve, Coon added, including the equine and dairy centers and more.
“We are really fortunate to have so many people come forward and help us with financing for these projects, and our two state agencies have invested in these as well, so I really appreciate that,” Coon said.
A new and improved Agronomy Research Station for OSU is the next big project planned, Coon said, which will include new greenhouses, classroom laboratory building, wheat quality lab, and more.
Oklahoma State houses a world-class wheat research team, Coon said, and some of the facilities they use were built before the second world war. While those facilities are well built and still standing, Coon said the technology within them is out of date.
“I think it positions not just our wheat program, but our agronomy program- our soils program- for the next 50 years,” Coon said. “This is giving them the platform that they need to really continue to be the innovators that they have been and really help to advance Oklahoma agriculture to where we need it to be in 2050.”
Coon commended OSU’s unique relationship with alumni, donors, and the agriculture industry.
“That has really enabled us to get a lot done at a time when our funding actually was going down,” Coon said. “Our state funding has been cut 30 percent since I got here.”
The tremendous goodwill and support of friends of the university, Coon said, allow for the school to continuously improve even through circumstances such as state funding cuts.
