The Agricultural Research Foundation is celebrating its 75th anniversary by awarding grants totaling more than $500,000 to Oregon State University scientists.

"We wanted to do more than celebrate with an anniversary banquet," said Phil Walker, the foundation's new president. "So we chose to create two special grants in addition to the start-up grants that have been the foundation's focus for 75 years."

The two grants selected, each worth $100,000, will support research of native bee pollinators and the development of a bio-based herbicide.

Sujaya Rao, an OSU entomologist, heads the pollinator study, which seeks to enhance crop production in Oregon by augmenting and managing populations of native bumble bees.

Donald Armstrong, an OSU plant pathologist, heads a team of scientists examining a newly discovered herbicidal compound produced by soil bacteria that shows promise as a bio-control of grassy weeds.

The grants come at a critical time for agricultural research, as the recession puts a strain on funding.

In addition to this year's two special anniversary grants, each year the Agricultural Research Foundation awards about 32 competitive grants of up to $12,500 each. These start-up grants help OSU scientists launch new research projects and build a track record to attract additional funding from other sources. These awards will be announced in July.