Area donors collaborate to purchase new research farm in Missouri's Bootheel
The MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources' agricultural research centers work to provide relevant crop studies for the many different soil types around the state. When key advisory board members for the Fisher Delta Research Center identified a gap in the center's research abilities in south Dunklin County, the board members, local landowners, cotton gin owners, CAFNR Foundation, ag industry and financial institutions stepped up to purchase and donate a piece of land to the center with just the soil types they needed.
"The Bootheel ag community and the Fisher Delta Research Center have a long history of looking ahead and making the investments necessary to lead our industry forward," said Advisory Board Chairman Jason Bean. "History demonstrates that well-funded and focused research can create new production methods, discoveries of innovation, increase crop quality and ultimately create more profit potential. This is exactly the kind of research and support our cotton industry and community needs during these challenging economic times."
The newly named South Dunklin County Research Farm is a 25-acre tract of prime cotton ground between the towns of Kennett and Senath on Highway 412. Delta Research Center Director Trent Haggard describes the new site's soil as "ice cream dirt in the rich area of Senath, Mo." Ice cream dirt is a name referring to the richness of what is technically known as Dubbs and Dundee silt loam soils. The new land will be used for researching cotton and other crops ideally suited for these soils.
To date, 23 supporters have donated $7,500 each toward the purchase and development of the land.
Reviewed 2017-06-08