Jamie Whitten Delta States Research Center Stoneville, Mississippi

• Scope of work under Recovery Act

Amount: $2.25 million

Major renovations to address deferred maintenance of critical mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, repair of deteriorated building envelope, and incidental repairs.

Milestones
June 2010 - Construction contract awarded for $26,246,888 to address deferred critical maintenance of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems, building envelop and incidental repairs.

Construction Photos

Research at the Jamie Whitten Delta States Research Center

The mission of the Jamie Whitten Delta States Research Center is to increase efficiency in the production and processing of Midsouth agricultural products to benefit both the farmer and the consumer.

For example, to help soybean farmers in the Midsouth, researchers at the Center have developed an early soybean production system , using early-maturing soybean varieties planted in early April instead of may and June. The system boosts farmers' yields and profits, and helping to keep them in business. Growers sometimes get a premium to cover shortages in the market, usually from August 15 to September 15 for soybeans. The early soybean system allows growers in Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, west Tennessee, and northwest Texas to harvest around August 30.

Center scientists are also developing and testing ways to help farmers manage weeds and improve soil and water quality. Stoneville is one of three primary locations within the Mississippi Delta Management Systems Evaluation Area (MSEA), where a consortium of researchers is developing cost-effective farming methods that benefit the environment and protect our watersheds and water quality.

Scientists at the Center have developed a management strategy to control tropical soda apple (Solanum viarum), a nonnative, invasive weed of pastures, row crops, forests, and urban areas throughout the southeastern United States. Just 6 years after it introduction, the weed, which is poisonous to livestock, infested more than 1 million acres. Using the new strategy, this resilient weed has now been eradicated from Louisiana, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania.

The Catfish Genetics Research Unit supports the catfish industry by developing genetically improved catfish lines and more effective and cost-efficient production practices. By identifying a new supplemental oxygen technology to meet the needs of young catfish, Stoneville scientists are improving catfish harvests and ensuring a high quality, more affordable fish product for consumers.

The Center consists of seven Research Units:

1. Catfish Genetics Research Unit
2. Cotton Ginning Research Unit
3. Crop Genetics and Production Research Unit
4. Southern Insect Management Research Unit
5. Southern Weed Science Research Unit
6. Application and Production Technology Research Unit
7. Biological Control of Pests Research Unit

Project Photographs Before Construction