Station Identification:

Physical Location: 8105 Tom Bowman Drive, Alexandria, LA 71302

Distance/Context: Approximately 90 miles west-northwest of LSU Main Campus, Baton Rouge, LA or 8 miles south of Alexandria, LA

Contacts:

Resident Coordinator: Daniel Stephenson; (318) 308-7225; dstephenson@agcenter.lsu.edu

Farm Manager: Cory Juneau; (318) 264-3224; cjuneau@agcenter.lsu.edu

Station Overview

The Dean Lee Research Station (DLRS) is one of the more diverse research stations in Louisiana. It supports the research/extension programming of nine domiciled faculty and five to ten faculty from other LSU AgCenter units each year. The capacity to support a wide range of research topics is a major strength of Dean Lee.

Key Commodities and Production Systems Served:

The Dean Lee Research Station supports beef cattle, corn, cotton, grain sorghum, oat, soybean, sugarcane, and wheat research. While research efforts can be applicable throughout Louisiana, the DLRS is strategically located to focus on the unique agricultural needs of the Red River and Upper Atchafalaya River basins.

Research Programs and Disciplines:

Beef cattle research focuses on technologies and supplementation strategies to enhance growth, reproductive performance, immune system, and overall profitability of cow-calf operations. Agronomic research efforts include hybrid/variety evaluation, planting methods, plant nutrition and biostimulants, and sugarcane ripening strategies. Integrated pest management research includes the evaluation of insect, plant disease, and weed management through chemical and non-chemical strategies.

Physical Resources and Infrastructure:

Total land area of the Dean Lee Research Station is 2,740 acres. Beef cattle research is conducted on 820 acres of pasture and hay meadows. Agronomic and pest management research is conducted on 560 acres of cropland. The reminder, 1360 acres, is comprised of timber and wetlands.

Dean Lee Research Station Infrastructure

• Main Office Building with faculty and staff offices and meeting space. Total square footage of 3,791. The Main Office Building also houses the Central Region staff. Attached to the Main Office Building is the Rapides Parish Extension Building. Both the Dean Lee Research Station Office Building and Rapides Parish Extension Building are Wi-Fi enabled. The Main Office Building has a conference room meeting space that can accommodate 10 people and Rapides Extension Building has a small auditorium that accommodates 50 individuals.
• Farm Shop, 2,688 square feet, is utilized to maintain station and research equipment.
• Equipment storage, 25,600 square feet, is utilized to store station and research equipment.
• Equipment storage, approximately 20,300 square feet, was destroyed by a 2020 tornado. Scheduled to be reconstructed in 2026-2027. Will be utilized to store station and research equipment.
• Seed Processing, 9,665 square feet, was destroyed by a 2020 tornado. Scheduled to be reconstructed in 2026-2027. Will contain office space for the Farm Manager, break room for Civil Service employees, and two laboratories, one shared by the agronomy programs and one shared by the entomology and plant pathology programs.
• Seed and Fertilizer Building, 3,608 square feet, stores seed and research equipment utilized by beef cattle and crop researchers.

Infrastructure utilized for Beef Cattle Researchers

• Feed Mill Facility, 3,402 square feet, is utilized to prepare specific supplemental feed for beef cattle and for feed storage.
• Dean Lee Horse Barn, 2,976 square feet, is utilized as storage for beef cattle research.
• Dean Lee Hay Barn, 5,500 square feet, is utilized as storage for approximately 250 – 4 foot x 5 foot round grass hay bales.
• Scale Cover East and Scale Cover West, both 952 square feet, are beef cattle working facilities with squeeze shoots and weighing scales for data collection.

Infrastructure utilized by Crop Researchers

• Greenhouse, 2,160 square feet, is utilized by agronomy, entomology, and weed scientists.
• Weed Science Laboratory, 2,772 square feet, has two 100 square feet offices for research associates. Storage for materials needed for greenhouse research are also contained in the building.
• Agronomy Storage, 2,400 square feet, used to store equipment and tools utilized by the Agricultural Engineer domiciled at Dean Lee.

Analysis Capabilities and Impact:

The Dean Lee Research Station’s role is to provide space and support to conduct beef cattle and agronomic crop research trials and assist in broad data collection. Dean Lee has personnel to assist with the broad implementation and maintenance of beef cattle and agronomic crop research. It does not have personnel to assist with detailed data collection. In addition, this station does not have personnel, equipment, or analytical infrastructure required to process, interpret, or conduct any form of sample analysis. All analytical work must therefore be completed by collaborating with researchers or external laboratories with appropriate capabilities.

Agricultural Applications:

The Dean Lee Research Station serves as the primary location for beef cattle and agronomic crop research for the Red River and upper Atchafalaya River basins supporting a wide range of agricultural applications. DLRS has 820 acres of pasture and hay meadows, 560 acres of cropland, research equipment, personnel, and operational services to assist faculty and students with field-based research. Programs supported at Dean Lee include agronomy, livestock management, integrated pest management, and research on beef cattle, corn, cotton, grain sorghum, oat, soybean, sugarcane, and wheat. A greenhouse is available for plant science research. Station personnel provide animal husbandry, land preparation, management of non-targeted pest, pasture maintenance, space allocation, and data collection support to help deliver non-biases research for stakeholders.

Collaboration and Partnerships:

Nine faculty members with research and extension appointments are domiciled at the Dean Lee Research Station. Their areas of research include soybean and sugarcane agronomy; insect, plant disease, and weed management; beef cattle nutrition and production strategies; and agricultural engineering. The diversity of research programs allows the faculty at Dean Lee to design and implement research topics that are directly applicable to Louisianans. In addition, this diversity fosters a tremendous amount of collaboration with LSU AgCenter research faculty from other units and with scientists from other universities. Dean Lee faculty enjoy the support of the American Sugarcane League, Louisiana Cotton Support Board, Louisiana Soybean and Feed Grain Research and Promotion Board, federal agencies, and numerous agricultural industry entities. Dean Lee regularly partners with USDA-NRCS, LDAF, and other agencies to host trainings to educate our personnel and the public at large. The Dean Lee Research Station is focused on providing Louisiana beef cattle and crop producers with accurate, non-biased information to support their success.