Land O’Lakes Innovation Center Opens in River Falls

ARDEN HILLS (AP) _ Land O'Lakes has opened a $40 million research and testing center in River Falls, Wisconsin.

The Arden Hills-based cooperative says it built the new innovation center to speed up the time it takes for products to be developed, which is typically one to five years.

The center has a pair of special wind tunnels and other advanced systems to help bring products to market more quickly. The wind tunnels and other state-of-the-art technology will test different products that farmers apply by spray, ranging from seed treatments and plant nutrition products to herbicides, insecticides and fungicides.

The center will be run by WinField United, Land O' Lakes' products and consulting division.

The 55,000-square-foot center will employ about 45 people and replaces a smaller center in River Falls.