Southern Piedmont Agricultural Research and Extension Center

Latest AREC News and Updates
-
Article Item2023 Southern Piedmont AREC Field Day , article
The 2023 Southern Piedmont AREC Field Day will be held on July 27, 2023 beginning at 5:00pm.
Date: 06/27/2023 -
Redirect ItemRegistered Technician Pesticide Training - June 27-29, 2023 , redirect
Registration due by June 1, 2023
Date: 06/12/2023 -
Article ItemAdvances in understanding insect pests affecting wheat and other cereals , article
With growing concerns surround the impact of climate change on both native and invasive pest invasions, coupled with the rising threat of global food insecurity, more research is required to understand the major inspect pests of cereals, including how best to control and monitor them.
Date: 05/31/2023
Welcome to Southern Piedmont Agricultural Research and Extension Center located near the town of Blackstone, Va.
The center is dedicated to research and Extension programs for sustainable production of tobacco, forage crops, beef cattle, small fruits, and grains.
The Southern Piedmont AREC has five resident faculty, 14 full-time staff, and employs additional hourly people at various times of the year. The resident faculty members conduct research and Extension programs on tobacco, forages, and small fruits crops, and they cooperate with other faculty (from Virginia Tech and other institutions) to study alternative crops for Southside Virginia. Crops grown at the center include tobacco, Bermudagrass, crabgrass, annual ryegrass, corn, wheat, barley, soybeans, strawberries, and industrial hemp. Faculty expertise includes agronomy, plant pathology, forages, and animal science.
DISCIPLINES
- Tobacco agronomy
- Tobacco curing technology and efficiency
- Tobacco disease management
- Ruminant livestock
- Forage production and management
- Small fruit disease management
INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES
- Tobacco curing, monitoring, and automation
- Sucker control application technologies
- Drones to assess crop development
- Silvopasture
FACILITIES
- 1,180-acre farm with 130 acres of crop research plots, 120 acres of research grazing, and a 40-acre silvopasture area
- Specialized tobacco curing facilities
- Extensive greenhouse facilities and high tunnels
- 150-person auditorium
- Cox Road Lab
INDUSTRY PARTNERS
- Tobacco industry and growers
- Agrichemical industry
- Forage and livestock industry
- Virginia Farm Bureau, SWCD, NRCS, VDACS
2023 Flue-cured Production Guide
Individual sections of the guide linked below.
Follow Us on Facebook
-
General Item
-
General Item
-
General Item
-
General Item
-
General Item
-
General Item
-
Redirect Item
-
General Item
-
General Item