SANDPOINT – Ten years ago, Dennis Pence watched as a global economic downturn knocked aside his vision of funding a branch campus for the University of Idaho in Sandpoint. His plans to support that venture through a private foundation were a casualty of the recession that followed.

This past week, the dream rebounded, as the Pence family announced the donation of the 48-acre Sandpoint Orchard and its state-of-the-art meeting facility to the university. On Tuesday, the donors and representatives from the U of I College of Agriculture & Life Sciences held an open house to introduce what now will be known as the Sandpoint Organic Agriculture Center.

“This is, in a way, a ‘promises kept’ kind of thing,” Pence said. “I always hoped that something would materialize with the university having a greater presence here.”

Once the center is fully up to speed, the property will become the College’s first facility to focus on organic farming and organic-certified production systems.

“We really didn’t have much of an agricultural presence in North Idaho and this gives us that,” said Michael Parrella, dean of the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences at U of I. “We’re in Moscow, which is a great place to be, but we serve the whole state. Having a bigger University of Idaho footprint up here makes a lot of sense.”

Sandpoint Orchard already had developed a strong reputation for research with its 68 varieties of apples and pears, cherries, plums and other fruits, all grown using organic methods. The orchard also is one of only a few in the state to receive USDA Organic certification from the Idaho State Department of Agriculture. That solid pedigree gives U of I immediate entrée into an area of agriculture that Parrella wants to expand upon, but one the college had not yet pursued.

“This is an opportunity for us to reach into Idaho agriculture where we’ve never really had a presence – organic production and sustainability,” said Carly Schoepflin, the College’s director of communications and strategic initiatives.

Along with opening U of I agriculture studies to the North Idaho community, Schoepflin said the new center will work closely with the university’s extension office at the fairgrounds, hosting workshops for master gardeners and master foresters interested in organic growing techniques.

Bob Tripepi, Plant Science department head for U of I, said the Sandpoint Organic Agriculture Center will be focused on “student opportunities and public education.”

“The dean is encouraging us to get activity going up here,” he said. “It’s going to be convenient for bringing field trips up north to view horticulture businesses and meet with growers.”

According to Parrella, Pence shared his vision for the property that included reinforcing local food systems, researching organic production, reinvigorating interest in heirloom apple varieties and providing public education.

“It lines up perfectly with what the College plans to be doing,” the dean said.

The Pence family previously donated 18 acres of adjacent land to U of I in 2007, but it was the orchard and its organic production methods that brought the two parties closer.

The success of Sandpoint Orchard in creating a certified organic growing operation attracted the interest of U of I entomologists and created an early partnership in August 2017, when Parrella – an entomologist himself – invited U.C. Davis professor emeritus Robbin Thorp to be part of a series of events called “Pollinators in Peril.” The sessions included an informational booth at the Sandpoint Farmers Market, a documentary film at the Panida and hours spent gathering bees at the orchard.

“Michael and I have a shared vision,” Pence said, adding that he was considering ways to move that mutual passion forward as early as 2016. “It came to me a couple of years ago to start talking to the university about taking over this property.”

The Sandpoint Orchard grows what Pence called “old apples” – most of them heirloom varieties that originated a century ago or more – as well as cherries, plums, pears and berries, all marketed locally.

Since 2011, Kyle Nagy has been an integral part of orchard operations, from initial plantings to all subsequent expansions on the 8-acre orchard section of the overall property. He will stay on board as superintendent and orchard operations manager when U of I takes the wheel.

“Once the university starts ramping up programming, I’ll be staying busy around here,” said Nagy. “But no matter what my job becomes, I’m all about the apples.”

“We came up and realized this was a tremendous facility,” Parrella said. “But it had to be a package deal – this facility and Kyle.”

Plans for which classes and workshops might be offered at the Sandpoint Organic Agriculture Center are still in the formative stage, but the dean explained that wheels are turning in that direction.

“We plan to invest in faculty that will be located here and I expect to have programs going up here within a year,” he said.

A U of I release states that the center will offer educational programs in organic and sustainable agriculture production. Public programs are expected to focus on biological control, pollinators, soil health, native plant landscaping, horticulture, organic food processing and marketing, food safety and nutrition.

College scientists say the center offers opportunities to study ways to increase beneficial insects and pollinators, crop rotation systems, pest management and uses of native plants with an emphasis on organic methods. Soil-related projects could emphasize what constitutes healthy soil with a focus on use of cover crops, nutrient availability and uptake, and water-use efficiency.

Plans also call for the center to offer hands-on internships for U of I and North Idaho College students to help boost enrollment in agricultural programs and strengthen the university’s presence in North Idaho. Other U of I colleges will have access to the center for programs consistent with the center’s mission.

“There may be other aspects of the university here, as well,” Parrella said. “Once the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences programs are set, I think this facility can accommodate more activity.”

Among the potential additions, he listed adding a greenhouse, a nursery and studies of urban horticulture and hydroponic production.

As a way to further increase public interaction, Tripepi hopes to roll out a native plant “trial garden” at the site.

“Our goal is to bring in 20-30 species and have the master gardeners involved in planning and maintaining the garden,” he said. “If it’s successful, we’ll release those varieties to the nursery industry as landscape plants.”

Organically grown landscape plants, that is, in keeping with the center’s mandate.

“Everything we do here will complement what we’re doing in Moscow,” Schoepflin said. “But this center will be the heart of our organic studies.”