Please click on the image above for the PDF version of the Bob R. Jones-Idlewild Research Station Profile.

The research station is located 3 miles south of Clinton on LA 67, then 2 miles east on Idlewild Rd. The site includes: 1,824 acres, including 300 acres of improved pasture, 150 acres in open grass, 70 acres in lakes and ponds, 50 acres in fruit research and 50 acres in deer impoundments.

4419 Idlewild Road, Clinton, LA 70722
Phone: 225.683.5848
Fax: 225.683.3281
Office Hours: 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday
E-mail

Web site: LSUAgCenter.com/Idlewild

Dearl E. Sanders, Research Station Coordinator/Professor
e-mail

Research focus:

• Tree fruit projects
• Weed control in forage crops, aquatics and noncrop areas
• Wildlife research in deer, quail, turkey and habitat management

Special features
Home to LSU AgCenter’s captive white-tailed and red deer research herds.

Research Highlights

Wildlife
The station is home to two captive deer herds, white-tailed and red deer, in addition to a native population of white-tailed deer, turkeys and other upland game birds and animals. Current research with the captive deer herds includes improving artificial insemination techniques, vaccine development for epizootic viral diseases and improved animal husbandry.

Research utilizing the native wildlife includes varietal development of crops for wildlife in conjunction with plant breeders focusing on wildlife habitat improvement. Also under way is a multi-year project to develop an effective and safe deer repellent. New to the station is a study to help control feral hog populations. Feral hogs have become the number one animal nuisance in the Feliciana parishes.

Forestry
Of the 1,800+ acres of the station, nearly 1,300 acres are in some forest system. Loblolly pine predominates, but hardwood bottoms spread throughout the station. Currently cooperative forestry projects involve insect monitoring, stand improvement, weed control and forest products utilization. These projects are in cooperation with researchers from departments on campus, researchers from other branch stations, the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, the Natural Resources Conservation Service and various agrichemical companies.

Weed Control
Research in the areas of noncrop, forestry, forage and aquatic weed control is conducted on the station. The station utilizes both static and flow-through systems for the evaluation of new aquatic herbicides and aquatic-herbicide application techniques. The station is also the focal point of an industrial-size biological control program targeting giant salvinia. Giant salvinia has become the number one invasive aquatic weed in the state, causing millions of dollars of lost revenue to the recreational industry and reduced property values for lakefront property owners throughout the state. Personnel from the station manage the production of the salvinia weevil, which is used as the primary biological control agent in the fight against giant salvinia. The station currently operates three salvinia weevil nurseries in south Louisiana and one in central Louisiana.

Horticulture
The Bob R. Jones-Idlewild Research Station has been a leader in peach and other small fruit variety development for more than 30 years. Peach varieties La Feliciana, La Rouge, La Peche and many others were developed at the station. Peach varietal selection as well as research on peach pest control continues at the station.

Significance of Programs:

• Giant Salvinia (Salvinia Molesta) research is focused on chemical and biological control of this weed that infests freshwater lakes and waterways. Currently one of the largest biological control projects in the nation is headquartered at the station.
• One of the few static and flow-through aquatic weed testing sites in the nation allows for rapid screening of new herbicides and herbicide application technology on most of the troublesome aquatic weeds found in the southeastern United States affecting recreational fishing and boating.
• Research supports vegetation management programs conducted by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, parish and municipal governments, utility companies and private contractors.
• Provides research on reproduction and disease to 300 state-licensed deer farms.
• Wildlife research designed to improve wildlife habitat, food plots, reduce nuisance animals and increase desirable species produces a major economic impact for the state.
• Peach varieties developed are targeted toward low chilling hours that are grown throughout the United States.
• Field days regularly feature wildlife, cattle and forestry.

2009 Wildlife Industry Facts
The station’s wildlife programs provide an economic boost to Louisiana. Whether for hunting, fishing or bird watching, the recreational use of land in this area is big business. Timber harvesting is the only use of the land in this area more valuable than recreation. Recreational leases on land around the research station average from $25-$35 per acre per year.

In other areas, the station serves several AgCenter campus departments, including Animal Sciences, Entomology, Plant, Environmental, and Soil Sciences (SPESS) and Renewable Natural Resources.

Idlewild Research Station:

• Maintains a deer herd used for research projects with LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, the AgCenter Department of Veterinary Science and the AgCenter Reproductive Biology Center.
• Provides space for studies on forest, pasture and aquatic weed control.
• Maintains a 50-acre lake for scientists to use in a variety of research projects.
• 5,428 Hunting lease land owners
• 6,374,993 acres for hunting leases
• $48,891,198 gross value of hunting leases

Data from the Louisiana Ag Summary website: LSUAgCenter.com/agsummary

Future Plans
The Bob R. Jones Wildlife Research Institute is currently searching for its first chaired faculty position in the area of deer disease research. The biocontrol program for the control of aquatic weeds is being expanded. Salvinia weevil nursery ponds have expanded from one to three in production and plans for an additional three nurseries. The deer research program has attracted the attention of groups interested in exotic animal reproduction and plans are to expand the reproductive biology research.