The Western Regional Research Center (WRRC), located in Albany, California, is one of four regional laboratories within the Agricultural Research Service of the

United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of com ...

. The WRRC has six research units, which conduct research into

food production The food industry is a complex, global network of diverse businesses that supplies most of the food consumed by the world's population. The food industry today has become highly diversified, with manufacturing ranging from small, traditiona ...

, processing,

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are two slightly dif ...

bioproducts Bioproducts or bio-based products are materials, chemicals and energy derived from renewable biological resources. Bioresources Biological resources include agriculture, forestry, and biologically-derived waste, and there are many other renewable ...

and invasive species control.

History

The Western Regional Research Center (originally named Western Regional Research Laboratory) was established following the passage of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938 that created scientific research centers in the nation's four major crop-growing centers. The others are the Eastern Regional Research Center in

Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania Wyndmoor is a census-designated place (CDP) in Springfield Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 5,498 at the 2010 census. Wyndmoor has the same ZIP code, 19038, as the towns of Glenside, North Hills, ...

, the

Southern Regional Research Center The United States Department of Agriculture Southern Regional Research Center (SRRC) is one of four regional laboratories within the United States Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service. Principal research areas of the SRRC incl ...

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

, and the Northern Regional Research Center (now

National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research The National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research (NCAUR) (sometimes still called the Northern Lab; known locally as the Ag Lab) is a United States Department of Agriculture laboratory center in Peoria, Illinois. The Center researches new ...

) in Peoria, Illinois. Groundbreaking for the WRRC took place in June 1939, and the building was occupied beginning in 1940.

Organization

There are currently six research units of the WRRC: * Bioproducts Research: expanding use of crops by developing

biobased product Bioproducts or bio-based products are materials, chemicals and energy derived from renewable biological resources. Bioresources Biological resources include agriculture, forestry, and biologically-derived waste, and there are many other renewable ...

s and biofuels * Crop Improvement and Genetics Research: enhance productivity and value of food and biofuel crops * Exotic and Invasive Weeds Research: develop and transfer biologically based approaches to

invasive weed An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...

management * Foodborne Toxin Prevention and Detection: enhance food safety and

biosecurity Biosecurity refers to measures aimed at preventing the introduction and/or spread of harmful organisms (e.g. viruses, bacteria, etc.) to animals and plants in order to minimize the risk of transmission of infectious disease. In agriculture, thes ...

by developing methods for analysis, prevention and elimination of toxins * Healthy Processed Foods Research: enhance the healthfulness and marketability of foods * Produce Safety and Microbiology Research: improving safety of the food supply through basic and applied research

Awards and recognition

The WRRC was dedicated as a National Historic Chemical Landmark in 2002 for the development of time-temperature tolerance studies for frozen food production and in 2013 for developing flavor research methods and standards.

External links

Western Regional Research Center
— official website
Western Regional Research Center (75th anniversary)
- USDA ARS AgResearch magazine

References

{{authority control Agricultural research institutes in the United States United States Department of Agriculture facilities Research institutes in the San Francisco Bay Area Albany, California Research institutes in California

History

Organization

Awards and recognition

See also

External links

References