NASHUA -- There was no arm-twisting, ear-bending or even begging when it came to raising money to build the Borlaug Learning Center.

Apparently, farmers and others dependent on agriculture know a good deal when they hear it. A groundbreaking ceremony was held Thursday at the Northeast Iowa Research Farm near Nashua, the site of the ag research and education facility.

When members of the Northeast Iowa Agricultural Experimental Association, which owns the farm, want to meet to find out the latest in crop research and marketing tips, they're often herded in a maintenance shop. On Thursday, members sat in the cavernous "classroom" void of modern technology for presentations and air conditioning to listen to Iowa State Extension experts discuss grain marketing strategies and maximizing manure use for profit.

Association members want a proper atmosphere for learning. Thanks to $200,000 in donations from research farm supporters and a $200,000 matching grant from ISU, they will get it.

"When we started the fundraising process (1 1/2 years ago) we thought it would be relatively easy," said Kay Connelly, fundraising chairman and former ISU Extension crop specialist from Waterloo. "It was relatively easy. We heard an awful lot of good stories of what the farm has meant to their operations."

Contractors will begin site preparation this fall on the 5,000-square-foot facility and build in the spring. The inside -- containing two large meeting rooms, office space for research farm officials, visiting researchers and a laboratory -- will be finished off in the summer and fall. The grand opening is planned for the association's annual meeting in March 2008, exactly two years after its board decided to raise money for the project.

One farmer who pitched in $5,000 was Mark Mueller of Waverly. Even if he wasn't the president of the association, Mueller said he would have donated.

"If you can't go away from meetings with a few thousand dollars you're not paying attention," Mueller told a crowd of more than 75 association members, students and farmers in attendance.

For example, he said advice he picked up at meeting at the research farm in early 2003 probably saved in $20,000 to $30,000. He recalls ISU crop specialist Brian Lang warning farmers about soybean aphids, a relatively new pest at the time that sucks the life out of plants.

Mueller heeded the warning and sprayed. Many farmers didn't, and yields were sliced in half.

"Doing research is very essential for every farmer here," Mueller said. "This building is a show of faith between ISU and the research farm."

Following the ground breaking, ISU grain marketing expert Bob Wisner dispensed advice geared toward making farmers money -- one of four presentations. Association officials hope members were able to take the information in, given the learning conditions.

Wisner said the grain markets are offering 30 to 35 cents extra to store grain long-term, even up to 50 cents for delivery next July.

"That's too good of opportunity to pass up. You should look seriously into selling," he said.

The marketing guru projects cash corn in Iowa during the 2007-08 marketing year will range from $2.80 to $3.35 per bushel. Some local markets, especially corn-hungry ethanol plants, may pay more depending on supply. Cash soybeans are expected to range from $7.35 to $9.30.

While the center and the information experts provide from it will hopefully make farmers money, officials said, there are other perks. The research conducted in the building may also help the world.

The center will be named after Norman Borlaug of Cresco, a Nobel Peace Prize winner. Borlaug, known as the father of the Green Revolution, developed a high-yielding wheat that kept millions of people from starving in India and Pakistan in the 1960s.

ISU officials said work at the research farm, and passing the information on to area producers, is critical to growing enough food to feed the world. As more grain is used to make fuel, the research becomes even more critical.

Knowledge about fertilizer tests, plant populations and insects can make the difference between high yields or failure.

"Norman Borlaug called the Green Revolution as success, but never finished," said Jack Payne, ISU vice president for Extension and Outreach. "It's very fitting now the research center is named after him. It's a fitting place to carry on the Green Revolution."

Contact Matthew Wilde at (319) 291-1579 or matt.wilde@wcfcourier.com.