Southwest Research & Extension Center

Research Focus

The Center provides research-based results in the areas of forestry, horticulture, plant pathology, and beef cattle that positively impact food, fiber, and bioenergy production, especially for southwest Arkansas. Forestry research in the woodlot and all-aged management has been a feature of the Center since the beginning. Horticultural research in fruits, vegetables, ornamentals, and grasses includes evaluations on fruit breeding lines and ornamental landscape plants, and trials on commercial horticulture like cover crops of watermelon, IPM tomatoes, and high tunnel strawberries and blackberries. Plant pathology studies include disease research on a variety of field crops such as wheat, soybeans, and cotton, as well as horticultural crops such as blackberries, watermelons, and peaches. Beef and forages research concentrates on beef quality and major forages common to the region.

Learn about Southwest forestland management plans
Southwest Forestry Management Plan >

Facts

• Encompasses 1,185 acres located in Hempstead County about 3 miles northeast of Hope, AR
• Has a 200-cow beef cattle research and demonstration herd and about 700 acres of timberland used for forestry research conducted collaboratively with the Arkansas Forest Resources Center at UAM
• Horticultural research, primarily small fruit and tree fruit crops, and agronomic crop (wheat, soybean, cotton, and corn) research are conducted annually
• Home to the Arkansas Nematode Diagnostic Laboratory that provides statewide nematode assay and identification services
• Soils are mainly fine sandy loams with the Bowie and Sacul soil series being the predominant series with some finer-textured soils including the Una silty clay loam in some of the lower-lying areas
• Located within the West Gulf Coastal Plains physiographic soil region

Resources

• The staff consists of the Center Director, 1 faculty, nematode lab director, 4 research and Extension technicians, 11 full-time farm employees and 2 administrative support staff
• Meeting facility with seating capacity for 150
• Arkansas Nematode Diagnostic Laboratory with approximately 3,100 sq. ft. of laboratory space equipped with semi-automatic elutriator, compound and dissecting microscopes, autoclave, low-speed centrifuges, 150 sq. ft. walk-in cooler, and a clean area with laminar flow hood for microbiological work
• 150 permanent concrete micro-plots for soil ecology research
• 2400 sq. ft. forage research laboratory with drying ovens, frozen storage, and bench space for feed and forage analysis
• 2,100 sq. ft. of greenhouse space
• 200 sq. ft. environmentally-controlled plant growth room
• Three 30 ft. × 60 ft. high tunnels
• 20 acres for horticultural and agronomic crops research equipped with a drip or overhead irrigation and fenced for deer control
• Field and specialized research equipment for crop planting, maintenance, irrigation, and harvest
• Stocker Unit consisting of 115 acres of pasture, divided into 45 pastures for replicated research
• 12-pen feedlot facility with 200 head capacity
• Cow-Calf Unit has 253 acres with automatic watering devices and movable electric fencing
• Livestock handling facility with tub-type chute system, electronic scales, and hydraulic working chute all under roof inside an 18 x 24-meter metal building, and 12 sorting pens

History