With plans for new agriculture infrastructure, Southwest Missouri State University seeks to boost a program that bridges urban and rural interests.

In agriculture as in other disciplines, higher education becomes more and more specialized. As new technology evolves, knowledge builds upon itself almost exponentially. For educators, this creates both problems and opportunities.

"We have the curricula now to accomplish what we want to do; what students need," said Anson Elliott, head of the agriculture department at Southwest Missouri State University (SMSU). "Our course of study is limited to eight majors programs, but students can sub-specialize within these subjects."

For example, SMSU animal science undergraduates can emphasize equine science, pet and zoo animals, pre-veterinary medicine, etc. Students take many of the same courses, whether they plan to major in traditional animal science or one of the more specialized disciplines. Feeds and feeding courses are common to both: There isn't a great deal of difference in proper nutrition for a cow and proper nutrition for a camel.

"We are unique here at SMSU, in that we are located in a metropolitan area, but one that is surrounded by agriculture--especially animal agriculture," said Elliott. "We have deep roots in agriculture. Much of the business and industry in Springfield proper is directly related to agriculture. As a result, we have designed a number of SMSU activities that form a bridge between rural and metropolitan areas and interests.

"However, not being a land-grant university, we long have been hampered by a lack of facilities and infrastructure," he continued. "I'm a product of the land-grant system, and I have a philosophy of providing both education to students and service to the community we represent. Until now, we have lacked the physical facilities to do our best job at both."

That situation is being corrected. A $5-million expansion and improvement of an agriculture center is getting underway on 125 acres on the west side of Springfield. The land, originally part of the property of the U. S. Federal Prison Medical Center, has been leased by SMSU for more than 30 years. More recently, the property was deeded to SMSU.

In July, Gov. Bob Holden signed a resolution sponsored by SMSU alumnus and Speaker of the Missouri House, Jim Kreider, to spend $2.6 million on the ag center project. William H. Darr and his wife Virginia, for whom the center is named, donated $1 million, and SMSU has committed $2.65 million, including the value of the 125 acres where the center is located.

"Right now, all we have there is the shell of a livestock arena, with no roads, no parking lots and no restrooms,"

Elliott said in August. "Our preference is to perform all of the construction under one contract, within the same general time frame--and hopefully within the near future. However, we have planned the different projects in priority phases or components.

"First, we want to upgrade and renovate the existing arena building," he continued. "Another early priority is the addition of a stalling barn and large-animal lab. We also want to build a multi-purpose barn which will serve as a sort of staging area for other facilities at the center."

Educational facilities at the Darr Center also rank high on Elliott's priority list. First among these will be classrooms, offices, a small-animal facility and greenhouse. A mechanization shop and machine shed are also on the drawing board.

"Last but not least, we plan for this facility to be a learning and service center for the community," said Elliott. "We see it as accommodating several local, state and federal entities: SMSU, University Extension, NRCS, DNR and other agencies. This way, individuals would have a one-stop source of services and information on a variety of industries and continuing education opportunities. SMSU already cooperates on programs with the University of Missouri, Ozarks Technical College and many businesses and industries in the area. We see the Darr Agricultural Center allowing us to increase and expand benefits to school groups, public agencies, agricultural producers and businesses."

And, in the process, all these improvements will build enrollment at SMSU. The school now has about 20,000 full-time students at three campuses: Springfield, Mountain Grove and West Plains. Some 500 of these are enrolled in the agriculture department.

"We don't see our mission as conflicting with that of anyone else," said Elliott. "We're not trying to get a bigger slice of the pie; we're making the pie bigger. We are putting a lot of emphasis on specialized areas of agriculture, the niches, you might say. The William H. Darr center will help us better serve SMSU students and southwest Missouri agriculture."