BEAVER CROSSING, Neb. (AP) — Bayer CropScience hopes its new $17 million research station in Seward County will create wheat and soybean varieties that are more resistant to disease and drought.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Wednesday for the 53,000-square-foot facility situated on 400 acres of farmland between Goehner and Beaver Crossing.

A company official says 14 employees work full-time at the station. It’s expected to have up to 25 people working full-time, plus interns and seasonal employees for harvest and planting.

Gov. Pete Ricketts spoke at the opening and thanked Bayer CropScience for investing in the state. He noted that Nebraska is the eighth largest wheat producing state, with around 1.5 million acres harvested in 2014.