HudsonAlpha Wiregrass Extending HudsonAlpha’s mission of genomic research, STEM education, and economic development into Alabama’s Wiregrass region, HudsonAlpha Wiregrass has seen tremendous growth over the last year.
RESEARCH PEANUTS PLANTED IN WIREGRASS TEST FIELDS Half of our country’s peanut crop is grown, harvested, and processed in Alabama’s Wiregrass region. Peanuts are important sources of protein, oil, and nutritious snacks — safeguarding this important crop and the livelihoods that depend on it is vital in the wake of a changing climate. Josh Clevenger, PhD , HudsonAlpha Faculty Investigator, and his team of researchers have made major strides in using genomics to create a new peanut breed developed specifically for the Wiregrass region. After two years of identifying economically desirable traits in the peanut’s genome and breeding peanuts to favor those traits, the team has planted peanuts in local research fields to test this emerging peanut variety.
ESTABLISHING THE WIREGRASS AS AN AGTECH INNOVATION HUB Over the last year, the economic development team at HudsonAlpha Wiregrass has focused on attracting, retaining, and supporting companies in the fields of agriculture and technology in the Wiregrass area. By building relationships and putting in place programs to support local innovators, HudsonAlpha is propelling the Wiregrass to become an important Southeastern hub for agtech, discovery, and progress.
BREAKING GROUND ON THE WIREGRASS INNOVATION CENTER Last spring, the City of Dothan and HudsonAlpha broke ground for the Wiregrass Innovation Center. The center will be a space for hands-on training, learning, and engage- ment of agtech innovation. Entrepreneurs working from the center will have a home where they can propel their businesses forward while providing job opportunities for local people, creating a space where ideas grow and shaping visionaries who will impact the future of the Wiregrass.
Future home of the Wiregrass Innovation Center.
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