Gail Ellis, OSU | Apr 16, 2021 When a deep freeze settled across Oklahoma in mid-February, the greenhouse sheltering Oklahoma State University’s wheat breeding program showed its age in the worst way. Constructed in the 1960s, the facility’s heating system failed, pipes froze, and 70% of the hybrid plants inside succumbed to crippling cold. The loss was catastrophic and exemplified a need to reinvest in the crumbling infrastructure of agricultural research. “My technicians were working hard to save the plants with space heaters, but the greenhouse still got down in the mid-20s," said Brett Carver, regents professor and OSU wheat genetics chair in agriculture. “If I spend money to buy new heaters, we’re not really making things better. We’re putting band-aids on major wounds here.”