Field day participants visit a soybean research plot. (Click on photo to download larger image.) (Photo by John Chaney)

Cotton varieties are tested at the Dean Lee Station to see how well they perform in Louisiana. (Click on photo to download larger image.) (Photo by John Chaney)

Triplicate Angus female calves were born at the Dean Lee Station in 2006. This is an extremely rare occurrence. (Click on photo to download larger image.) (Photo by John Chaney)

From cotton and corn to soybeans and cattle, just about every major agricultural commodity in Louisiana grows in central Louisiana. The LSU AgCenter’s Dean Lee Research Station in Alexandria serves this region, the heart of Louisiana agriculture.

Read about the annual field day, which will be Aug. 20 beginning at 8:30 a.m.

At 3,000 acres, Dean Lee is the largest of the AgCenter's 20 research stations in the state. It sits on the former Oakland Plantation on Highway 71, six miles south of Alexandria. The LSU Board of Supervisors acquired the land in 1945.

“The station has a long history of service to producers in central Louisiana in the area of cattle and row crops,” Barnett said. But Dean Lee’s history is just as diverse as the crops that grow in the region. In the 1960s and 1970s, researchers conducted dairy and swine research. As the dairies and swine farms disappeared from the region, so did the research projects.

“Our station uses its resources on the Red River alluvial soil to conduct research, develop recommendations and extend those recommendations to the public,” Barnett said.

Serving Farmers
“We’d have a hard time farming without the AgCenter and the Dean Lee Station,” said Jim Harper, who farms 6,000 acres in southern Rapides Parish in the Cheneyville area, raising corn, soybeans, cotton, rice and sugarcane.

Harper said he appreciates that the research at Dean Lee is pertinent to the area. “It’s a great asset to the ag community,” he said.

John VanMol, who operates Leverton Farms near Alexandria in partnership with Kenneth Andries, called the station a valuable resource.

“I don’t know how we’d get along without them,” he said. “They’re always available and help us make good choices.”

VanMol said the researchers, specialists, agents and research associates at Dean Lee are “top-notch, with common sense. They help us stay profitable.”

Performance Bull Testing
The oldest research project is the performance bull testing program. It has been going on for 50 years, and it is the longest running program of its type in the United States.

“Owners consign bulls to our care for 112 days,” said Danny Coombs, livestock complex coordinator and the lead researcher on the performance bull testing program. “We monitor them, look at their average growth and look at the soundness of the bull.”

Coombs conducts two tests a year, collecting data to give to breeders and commercial cattle producers.

He says the benefits of the test are two-fold. “The owner of the animal gets a benchmark for how their bull compares to other bulls across the state, and the commercial producer gets the opportunity to have data to select bulls for herd sires.”

More than 7,000 animals have gone through the program.

Weed Research
Weed research programs under the direction of Daniel Stephenson at the Dean Lee station are designed to evaluate weed control and crop response of experimental preemergence and postemergence herbicides in comparison with standard treatments for soils of the Louisiana's Red River Valley.

Researchers develop weed control programs using new herbicides in soybeans, cotton, corn, grain sorghum and wheat. And they use the results of these tests to develop weed management programs for use in reduced tillage crop production, including the evaluation of reduced rates, adjuvants and herbicide combinations.

The weed research program develops weed management strategies using genetically transformed varieties of corn, cotton and soybeans to evaluate tolerance to specific herbicides and their utility in existing weed management programs. Stephenson leads the state's effort in studying herbicide resistance. His team investigates the presence of resistance and develops control strategies for herbicide resistance.

Soybean Research
The lead scientist for soybeans in Louisiana, Ron Levy, is headquartered at the Dean Lee Station. His research efforts include evaluating the use of inoculation in soybeans to reduce fertilizer costs, comparing Liberty Link soybeans with Roundup Read soybeans and evaluating the use of pre-emergence herbicides as a management tool.

Read his article about soybean inoculation in the February 2009 issue of Louisiana Soybean & Feed Grain Review.

Livestock Complex
A new state-of-the-art livestock facility located at the Dean Lee Station features a 60,000-square-foot livestock arena, holding pens, tie racks, wash facilities, restrooms, events office and a concession stand. The facility also contains a 7,000-square-foot, climate-controlled sales arena for junior sales, adult cattle association events and general agriculture-related meetings. The sales area includes a conference room, concession stand, board room and restroom facilities.

Information on using the facility for public functions is available from Buddy Ortego, livestock facility manager, or Danny Coombs, livestock facility coordinator.

Rapides Parish Extension Office
With the Rapides Parish Extension Service now at Dean Lee, the Central Region is well-equipped to enhance the service to the agricultural community by providing technical research information and educational programs at one site.

Extension agents and specialists work with researchers to develop research-based educational programs applicable to local conditions. The extension agents provide programming on topics ranging from agriculture and family and home to 4-H youth activities, forestry, gardening, landscaping, child care, nutrition and much more to meet consumer needs.

The LSU AgCenter is one of 11 institutions of higher education in the Louisiana State University System. Headquartered in Baton Rouge, it provides educational services in every parish and conducts research that contributes to the economic development of the state. The LSU AgCenter does not grant degrees nor benefit from tuition increases. The LSU AgCenter plays an integral role in supporting agricultural industries, enhancing the environment, and improving the quality of life through its 4-H youth, family and community programs.

(This AgCenter Lead was updated on Aug. 13, 2009, by Linda Benedict.)