History
The LSU AgCenter’s Northeast Research Station was established in the Mississippi alluvial floodplain in Tensas Parish in 1929 at the request of producers in the Northeast Region of Louisiana. Police juries in 11 parishes in northeast Louisiana provided funds for construction of facilities, and Tensas Parish contributed 160 acres of land provided LSU establish and operate a branch experiment station, originally the Louisiana Delta Experiment Station.
Conservation Tillage
Numerous conservation tillage recommendations associated with crop production and pest management in Louisiana are based on research initiated at the Northeast Research Station. In addition to continued research on weed management strategies for controlling native winter vegetation in reduced tillage production systems, a major focus is the utilization of cover crops and their management to improve soil health and increase crop productivity.
Crop Production
Agronomic research attempts to address techniques affecting the economic and environmental well-being of the northeast Louisiana agriculture industry. Primary research focus includes variety evaluation, irrigation strategies and impacts on water use efficiency, soil fertility, cover crop utilization, management strategies such as row rice production and specific crop row spacing, and refinement of precision agriculture strategies.
Pest Management
Pest management research focus includes IPM, evaluation of transgenic technologies, pesticide interaction, precision agriculture technology uses, and identification of resistance management strategies with respect to weeds, diseases, and insects.
Significance of Research
Research conducted with respect to conservation tillage has resulted in widespread adoption among northeast Louisiana producers.
Research conducted is improving production efficiency and increasing yields while reducing overall production costs.
Research programs are focusing on utilization of newer transgenic technologies, integrated pest management and precision agriculture techniques, cover crop utilization in crop production systems, water use efficiency, and identifying benefits/pitfalls with each and potential to maximize production and reduce associated costs. In addition, station scientists are actively involved with training future agriculture professionals.
2018 Industry Facts
Total economic contribution of crops researched at the Northeast Research Station to Louisiana was more than $ 1.5 billion in 2018.
Total economic contribution of $1.5 billion represented over 41% of the total contribution of all crop enterprises.
The twelve-parish Northeast Region served by the Northeast Research Station accounts for approximately 80, 83, 20, 74, 18, and 25 percent of the cotton, corn, grain sorghum, soybean, rice, and wheat, respectively, produced in Louisiana.
Data from the Louisiana Ag Summary website: LSUAgCenter.com/agsummary
Future Plans
Research programs at the Northeast Research Station will continue to focus on identification of techniques and programs that increase yields and profitability of northeast Louisiana producers. Research will continue aiming toward providing producers information for 21st century crop production through evaluation of newer technologies for pest management and precision agriculture. Variety evaluation and research focusing on all aspects of production agriculture will continue to be mainstays.
NERSprofile2019ADApdf / 0.42MB
