In 1917, the Washington State Legislature passed an act setting aside of sagebrush desert near Prosser to become an agriculture research center known as the Irrigation Branch Experiment Station (today known as the Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center, and operated jointly by Washington State University and the USDA). The first crop was of apples used in an irrigation study . In 1937, the research center hired Walter Clore as an assistant horticulturist. Under Clore's guidance, the center expanded into grape growing with "Vitis labrusca", "Vitis vinifera" and American hybrid grape plantings. Research from the center would become vital to the growing Washington wine industry.