An ambitious plan to solicit $1 billion for its Campaign for Washington State University launched in 2011 marked a new level of success with a $5 million gift from the Washington Grain Commission, pushing the total mark for WSU to nearly $945,000.

The fundraiser, labeled "Campaign for Washington State University: Because the World Needs Big Ideas," is targeting it the 125th year anniversary of the university in 2015 as the campaign completion date, and it seems the effort will hit that mark.

Channeled through the WSU Foundation, the money will go to boost a variety of university projects, many of them agricultural.

This artist drawing is a rendering of how the new wheat greenhouse will look after completion at WSU-Pullman.

One of the latest contributions, the $5 million wheat contribution, is earmarked to expand facilities and advance grain research at WSU.

"When the Washington Grain Commission asked researchers at WSU what they felt the biggest limiting factor  for moving their research forward was, they told us they needed more greenhouse space," says WGC Chairman Steve Claassen.

"This will be a huge benefit to Washington grain growers as they will be able to plant improved varieties of wheat and barley and they will become available sooner."

The money will help construct an addition to the small grain plant growth facility on the Pullman WSU campus and give university and Agricultural Research Service  an area and the tools to perform research to help the Washington grain industry.

A controlled environment space along with greenhouse areas and labs will be part of the addition, with phase 1 of the project expected to be completed next year, building an additional 20,000 square feet to the existing 34,000 square foot small  grain growth facility at Pullman. Greenhouse space will be built on two levels, and an indoor space for researcher equipment will be added.

The plant growth unit is considered to be a good example of collaboration between the university and farm industry to help conduct research. "This is a unique partnership that supports the kind of cutting edge, responsive research required by a billion-dollar grain industry," says Jim Moyer, WSU Agricultural Research Center director.

Last year, WSU began working on a Center for Transformational Learning & Leadership facility including new greenhouse space for several agricultural departments at WSU to conduct a variety of studies on many different crops.

The massive increase in space will complement the Wheat Research Greenhouse facility by sharing a central management area and will form the nucleus of a modern greenhouse complex.