Published: 1/12/2013 3:25 PM | Last update: 1/12/2013 11:53 PM By Ken Stephens - The Hutchinson News - kstephens@hutchnews.com AgReliant Genetics finalized contracts last week for a corn breeding research facility and nursery near Mount Hope, Harlan Priddle, executive director of the K-96 Corridor Development Association announced at the organization's annual meeting Friday.

AgReliant Genetics, headquartered in Indiana, has purchased and will remodel two metal buildings just south of K-96 and two miles west of Mount Hope for the seed research station. Mike Popelka, the station manager and corn breeder, said construction work would begin within the month and hopefully be finished in March.

Initially the facility will employ Popelka and Bryan Unruh, the yield trial manager. Full-time employment is expected to grow to three or four people over the next couple of years, but AgReliant also will employ about 25 part-time seasonal workers to help with hand-pollinating the corn and other tasks, Popelka said.

The research station will develop new hybrid varieties of yellow No. 2 corn to be grown in the western corn belt of Kansas, southern Nebraska, southwest Iowa and western Missouri, Popelka said. The No. 2 corn is used primarily for cattle feed.

In a press release, AgReliant said the southwest section of the corn belt has been a key source of growth for the company and the goal of the station would be to continue the development of top-performing hybrids for irrigated and dry land farming.

The seed research station will be one of 11 operated by AgReliant in North America but the first in Kansas. AgReliant's other research stations are in Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ontario, Canada.

In recent weeks the company obtained a special use permit from Reno County for the research station. But there were details that still needed to be ironed out before AgReliant was ready to confirm its plans in Reno County.

Popelka received a Bachelor of Science degree from Kansas State University and doctorate in plant breeding from Purdue University. Unruh received his Master of Science degree in crop production from Kansas State.

Reno County Commission Chairman James Schlickau, a member of the K-96 association's board of directors, said he was excited that the seed research station was coming to southwest Reno County.

"I think it's a great use of the land and buildings out there," he said.

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Corn genetics facility coming to Mount Hope

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