Station Identification:
Physical Location: 603 LSU Bridge Rd. Jeanerette, LA 70544
Distance/Context: Approximately 80 miles southwest of LSU Main Campus, Baton Rouge, LA
Contacts:
Resident Coordinator: Michael J. Pontif: (225) 571-4521; mpontif@agcenter.lsu.edu
Farm Manager: Greg Williams: Office: (337) 443-0742 Cell: (337) 352-1973; GWilliams@agcenter.lsu.edu
Station Overview:
Located 8 miles east of New Iberia on LA Highway 87, the station was established in 1914 by the United States Department of Agriculture as a Livestock Experimental Farm to develop beef cattle, dairy cattle and swine. Acquired from the USDA in 1973 by Louisiana State University. The original 1,172-acre station sits along the banks of the Bayou Teche in Jeanerette, LA in Iberia Parish. Research projects at the station now include sugarcane, soybean, wheat and forage production conducted by LSU AgCenter Scientists. Other areas of interest over the years have included research in grain sorghum, alternative forages, and biofuel crops including energy cane and sweet sorghum.
Key Commodities and Production Systems Served:
The primary mission of the Iberia Research Station is to improve economic sustainability for production along the Bayou Teche and the Gulf Coast. Research projects at the station now include sugarcane, soybean, wheat and forage production conducted by LSU AgCenter Scientists. The Iberia Research Station is also home to the LSU AgCenter’s and Louisiana Sea Grant’s Seafood Processing Demonstration Laboratory which aims to provide new opportunities for the Louisiana Seafood Industry by creating new, value-added products to enhance economic growth and sustainability.
Research Programs and Disciplines:
Sugarcane:
Current sugarcane research conducted and supported at the Iberia Research Station in collaboration with industry focused researchers include:
- Variety testing and evaluation
- Trait Targeted Nursery
- Genomic Selection Multi-Environment Trial
- Mexican Rice Borer (Variety Susceptibility Trial)
- Long-Term Residue Management Trial
- Variable Rate Nitrogen Fertility Trials
- Effect of Foliar Application of Plant Nutrient’s on Sucrose Content Trial
- Impact of Nutrients on Improving Root Growth and Stubbling Ability
- Monitoring Nitrogen Volatilization via Eddy Covariance Towers
Seafood Lab:
- Commercial food processing equipment for training and demonstration
- New Concepts for processing and packaging
Soybean: LSU AgCenter sponsored Official Variety Trial
Wheat: LSU AgCenter sponsored Official Variety Trial
Cattle: Small herd (20-25 cattle) used for demonstration purposes
Physical Resources and Infrastructure:
Acreage for Filed Research:
The Iberia Station is 430 acres, including approximately 20 acres in Facilities and Infrastructure, 100 acres in crop land, 80 acres of pasture, 60 acres of hay production, 170 acres of land currently in renovation and repurposing.
Station Infrastructure:
Main Office Building with faculty and staff office and meeting space. Total square footage of 2700 sq ft. A Wi-Fi-enabled 540 sq ft conference room
Farm maintenance shop used to maintain station and research equipment. Total square footage is 4500 sq ft.
Agronomic Research Building with field equipment storage space, sample drying oven, air-conditioned work area with small scales and various small research equipment. Total square footage is 3200 sq ft.
Cattle Barn and Handling building with cattle sorting pens, cattle restraining equipment, medium weight livestock scale, and access to water. Total square footage: Covered barn 7875 sq ft., total footprint with outside pens 44,800 sq ft.
Heavy equipment barn (pole barn Style) for storing tractors and other large harvest equipment.
Total square footage 4500 sq ft.
Chemical storage facility for the storage of pesticides and other chemicals requiring special storage. Total square footage 750 sq ft.
Seafood Lab
- Fully equipped training room for group meetings and demonstrations
- Audio and Video and Virtual capabilities for in person and remote training sessions. Total square footage 2250 sq ft.
Weather Station
- Automated weather station consisting of a datalogger, observing electronic instruments on a 3 second interval
Analysis Capabilities and Impact:
The station provides space and support to conduct field trials and collect data
- Equipment
- Tractors
- Harvest equipment
- Weigh-wagon
Seafood Processing Demonstration Lab
- Commercial Food processing equipment for demonstration
- Training and research purposes
- Vacuum pack machine with gas flush
- Meat Grinder
- Fish Skinner
- Shrimp Splitter
- Meat Band Saw
- Countertop Vacuum Pack Machine
- Floor and Countertop Scales
- Flake Ice Machine
- Slurry Nano-sized Ice Machine
- Commercial Meat Smoker
- Four Stainless Steel Worktables
- Three Compartment Stainless Steel Sink
- Hand Washing Sink
- Multiple Freezers
- Mobile Seafood Quality Training Lab (seawater chilling unit, brine freezer, plate freezer and small vacuum packing demonstration unit)
Agricultural Applications:
The Iberia Research Station serves as a valuable research facility in the state. It supports a wide range of sugarcane applications. The station provides approximately XXX acres of land, research equipment, personnel, and operational services that enable faculty, graduate students, and collaborating agencies to carry out field based research efficiently. Research conducted on sugarcane varieties and management practices helps to make sugarcane the No. 1 row crop in value in the state. All sugarcane varieties released to the growers in Louisiana since the 1980s were developed in cooperation with personnel at the Iberia Research Station. The Iberia Research Station’s highly discriminating environment has paid dividends in terms of identifying superior germplasm in the early stages of sugarcane variety testing. It also has played and will continue to play an instrumental role in other important areas of sugarcane research. With the expansion of the area available for sugarcane research in 2026, the Iberia Research Station is poised to provide critical research for sugarcane producers along Bayou Teche and within the entire Louisiana Industry.
Station personnel provide essential applied services, such as land preparation, irrigation installation, space allocation, and data collection support, to ensure successful execution of agricultural research projects across multiple scientific disciplines.
Collaboration and Partnerships:
U.S. Department of Agriculture and American Sugar Cane League scientists participate in cooperative research projects on sugarcane and grains at the station. The Iberia Research Station serves as a vital link to local growers, testing management practices that are directly applicable to the region's unique geography.
The station partners with and supports the Official Variety testing trials involved in:
- Soybeans: soybean testing program
- Wheat: wheat breeding and testing program.
- Ryegrass: ryegrass testing program
The Seafood Lab collaborates with the LSU School of Nutrition and Food Sciences
The Seafood Lab partners with LouisianaDirectSeafood.com which connects fisherman and processors directly to consumers and retail markets online via social media and provides educational outreach.
LouisianaDirectSeafoodshop.com, an e-commerce site that sells locally caught and processed value-added products online
Weather Station
Louisiana Agroclimatic Information System (LAIS) managed by the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering (BAE)
Additional Weather monitoring sites:
- Noah weather station manual daily reporting of rainfall, High temperature, and Low temperature
- Noah atmospheric Deposition program rainfall collection site collecting and sampling weekly rainfall for testing.
The Iberia Research Station, in collaboration with extension, hosts several field day and extension events:
- Cattleman’s Field Day
- Tri-parish Sugarcane Field Day
- 4H Baby beef official weigh-in
- Various smaller educational events and field walks when the need arises
