Station Identification:

Physical Location: 262 Research Station Drive

Distance/Context: Located in the northwest Louisiana near Shreveport, approximately 250 miles from Baton Rouge

Contacts:

Resident Coordinator: Ronald Strahan: rstrahan@agcenter.lsu.edu

Assistant Resident Coordinator: William Waltman: wwatltman@agcenter.lsu.edu

Farm Manager: William Waltman: wwatltman@agcenter.lsu.edu

Station Overview:

The LSU AgCenter’s Red River Research Station is located in the Red River Valley near Shreveport and serves agricultural producers and communities throughout northwest Louisiana. The station is strategically positioned along the Red River, where dominant commodities include soybean, corn, cotton, beef cattle, and hay production. Research and extension efforts at the station are designed to address the production challenges and opportunities specific to this area.

Key Commodities and Production Systems Served:

The mission of the Red River Research Station is to advance northwest Louisiana agriculture through applied research on soybean, grain sorghum, cotton, corn, wheat, vegetables, forages, and cattle, with a strong emphasis on irrigation efficiency, water quality, and integrated production systems that enhance productivity, sustainability, and profitability for regional producers.

Research Programs and Disciplines:

Faculty at the Red River Research Station have active research projects devoted to the following areas:

• The agronomy research and extension program at the Red River Research Station, LSU AgCenter serves as a premier location for providing cutting-edge research in sustainable crop production and regenerative agricultural practices aimed at advancing and improving long-term sustainability. Our research is heavily driven by long-term initiatives that provide critical insights into the intersection of plant-soil-water relations with emphasis on improving production efficiency and economic viability in an environmentally sound approach. Current research crops include soybean, corn, cotton, wheat, sorghum, oil seeds for biofuel and forage grasses. Through our research efforts, we conduct high-impact field-scale research to address a wide range of questions such as how we can improve nutrient use efficiency, maximize water use efficiency, how organic amendments can be optimized with other best management practices (BMPs) to improve nutrient cycling and crop yield, the relationship between macronutrients and micronutrients and how they can be managed to achieve optimal nutrient balance. A central strategy of our nutrient management for improving crop yield is the 4R nutrient stewardship framework of right source, right rate, right time and right place. For each, crop and cropping system, whether it is crop-fallow, crop-cover crop or double-cropping, we are evaluating fertilizer use efficiency, approaches to achieve balanced fertilization and the underlying factors that enable each cropping system to effectively utilize essential nutrients under different soil types. In combination with the 4R nutrient stewardship, we use drones for intelligent crop phenotyping, field analysis and use multimodal data fusion to provide a comprehensive assessment of crop health including precise input application for resource efficiency. We are exploring how agricultural automation can effectively be used in our crop production systems to achieve agricultural sustainability. We also dedicate some acres for organic crop research where we are developing strategic management practices to enhance the nutritional value of our crops.
• Water Quality: The faculty at the Red River Research Station, which operates the Water Quality Laboratory, plays a vital role in a significant research program. This laboratory provides high-quality data that supports research on water systems, environmental sustainability, and agricultural resilience. By connecting various areas of research, the lab links laboratory tests, field studies, watershed monitoring, and modeling efforts. The laboratory focuses on long-term projects addressing sustainable nutrient management, circular bioeconomy, and climate-resilient systems. It also tackles issues related to emerging contaminants and rural water challenges. Overall, this facility is crucial for transforming scientific discoveries into practical solutions, guiding management practices, assisting stakeholders in decision-making, and influencing policies for sustainable water and agricultural systems.
• Greenhouse Gases and climate issues: Laboratory and field studies collaborate in greenhouse gas (GHG) and climate change programs, combining controlled experiments with real-world observations in agriculture and nature. Researchers measure GHG emissions like CO₂, CH₄, and N₂O in labs and seek reduction methods, while field studies track changes over time to inform scalable solutions. The program's long-term goals include promoting climate-smart farming, capturing carbon, and developing reliable GHG measurement techniques. Utilizing advanced tools and strong partnerships, this effort aims to reduce emissions, enhance measurement methods, and guide sustainable land use and climate policies.
• Soil Health: Long-term initiatives focus on improving soil fertility, enhancing carbon sequestration, increasing nutrient-use efficiency, and developing climate-resilient agroecosystems. These efforts also aim to reduce environmental impacts such as nutrient loss and soil degradation. The program is supported by a robust experimental infrastructure, standardized analytical protocols, interdisciplinary collaboration, and strong extension and stakeholder networks. This framework ensures that research findings are scalable, actionable, and can be translated into sustainable agricultural practices at local, regional, and national levels.
• Irrigation and drainage engineering

Physical Resources and Infrastructure:

The infrastructure and resources at the Red River Research Station are critical for the station to meet its mission of serving the agricultural industry and to be able to quickly address critical issues as they arise.

Acreage for Field Research:

• 260 acres - agricultural row crop research
• 190 acres - pasture for cattle and forage research
• 38 acres - Buildings and grounds: (Administrative, shops, research support buildings, parking, etc.)

Station Infrastructure:

• Main office building with faculty/staff offices and meeting space, including two Wi Fi-enabled rooms (auditorium and conference room); 4,400 sq. ft.
• Farm maintenance shop and equipment shed for station and research equipment; 12,230 sq. ft.
• Small grains lab used for variety testing, packing, and assembly; 1,453 sq. ft.
• Facility maintenance building housing equipment and supplies; 2,882 sq. ft.
• Forage room with drying heaters for large sample volumes; 750 sq. ft.
• Multiple equipment storage buildings and sheds for station and research use
• Historic Red Barn (1940s), formerly a dairy barn, now used for meetings and demonstrations; 7,440 sq. ft.
• Seven greenhouses (four for tomato production, three for other research needs); 17,870 sq. ft.
• Five irrigation wells supporting row crop research
• Two water wells supporting the cattle operation

Project Labs – Laboratory building totaling 5030 sq ft with 3 labs and 2 offices. Labs support agronomic research, water quality and irrigation needs.

• Water Quality Lab -includes with lab space with Carbon and Nitrogen analyzer, Gas Chromatograph for Greenhouse Gas analysis, Gas Chromatograph with Mass Spectrometry, Hydrothermal Carbonization Processing Reactor (Series 4600 Pressure Vessel System, Parr Instrument), LACHAT QuikChem 8500 Autoanalyzer, Agilent 1200 Series High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), ISCO 4230 Bubble Flow Meters, ISCO 4250 Area Velocity Flow Meters, Hach Spectrophotometer DR 3900 with digester, Mettler Toledo Electrical Conductivity meter, Orion pH Meter, Horizontal and Rotating Shakers, Welch ¼ HP Vacuum Pump, Water Bath, Freezers, Refrigerators, Balances (up to 0.01 mg precision), Fisher Scientific Incubator, Laminar flow hood, and Glove Box, Pario Soil texture analyzer, HYPROP for automated calculation of soil moisture hydraulic conductivity measurement. Total square footage is 2,000 sq ft.
• Agronomy lab is designed for soil and plant analysis to optimize crop production. It is 1500 sq ft and the layout constitutes a general workspace for plant and soil samples preparation, analytical benches, storage unit for samples and equipment, write-up unit for desk and chairs and washing area. It is equipped with specialized instruments and equipment such as pH and conductivity meters, oven, analytical balances for high precision weight measurement(0.01 mg), soil texture analyzer, Li-Cor gas analyzer, storage units for soil moisture meter and sensors and soil samples, Saturo infiltrometers, precision and digital technologies (drones and remote sensors), soil samplers/augers and soil nutrient testers, flow meters, lab balance shaker, seed counter, soil nutrient testers, leaf area index (LAI) meters.

Analysis Capabilities and Impact:

The resources, personnel, and infrastructure at the Red River Research Station provide a robust capacity to address many critical challenges facing modern agriculture. Faculty and research staff conduct extensive studies on environmentally sound and sustainable production practices, including evaluations of land preparation methods, optimal planting dates, optimal seeding rates, crop management strategies, and managing water and nutrient applications that balance productivity with long-term resource conservation. Research outcomes create impact by providing guidance to local farmers concerning mitigation of common environmental risk factors, which translates to more efficient and profitable production strategies.

Agricultural Applications:

Research conducted at the Red River Research Station has contributed to updating several best management practices that address climate resiliency for crop production systems found in northwest Louisiana. By adopting new strategies, producers have become more resilient toward climate variability while also reducing natural resource concerns, lowering chemical inputs, and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining productivity and profitability.

Advancing Agricultural Science

The Red River Research Station will continue to advance its mission by pursuing research efforts that strengthen the sustainability, resilience, and profitability of Louisiana’s northwest regional crop production systems while generating impacts beyond all borders. Ongoing research focused on sustainable agroecosystems will continue to inform the development of new and improved best management practices that enhance productivity and resiliency. These efforts will incorporate emerging resource concerns into research aims by employing modern technologies, including the use of big data and artificial intelligence, into emerging best management practices. The station will also expand its use of promising precision agriculture and analytical technologies to refine strategies into highly profitable outcomes while reducing the environmental footprint. New research efforts will expand into horticultural production in response to the proximal shift of clientele toward urban agriculture, which was clearly exhibited through the success of recent homesteading extension programs. The Red River Research Station will continue to build upon and leverage existing public and private partnerships to expand research capacity, enhance technology transfer, and further strengthen its contributive role toward science and innovation.

Collaboration and Partnerships:

To expand research capacity at the Red River Research Station, the station maintains a combination of formal and informal collaborations spanning all aspects of crop production systems. Research faculty from within the LSU AgCenter, as well as collaborating scientists from universities across the country, conduct research with faculty at the Red River Research Station, helping to address issues that are not only unique to Louisiana but also relevant throughout the broader northwest region. Additionally, the station has established several formal collaborations with private sector partners that provide research funding and share technical expertise and resources, thus strengthening the station’s research capabilities and enabling more innovative, meaningful, and impactful outcomes for agriculture.