Idlewild Research Station

Founded: 1957
Full Time: 9
Part Time: 6
Budget: 262,744.00

Director: F. J. Peterson
P.O. Drawer 985
Clinton, LA 70722

Telephone: 504/683-5848 FAX: 504/683-3281 E-Mail: agexp72@lsuvm.sncc.lsu.edu

Research Areas:

Idlewild Research Station is a 1760 acre support facility with the mission of providing researchers of the LSU Agricultural Center a convenient place to conduct field research and for their students to conduct field excercises. The station is located approximatley 35 miles north of the LSU Baton Rouge campus in the loessial hills of East Feliciana parish. in addtion to loessial soils, there are some alluvial soils along the flood plain of Sandy Creek. The official natural Resource Conservation Service's benchmark for Lytle silt loam is located on the station.

Agronomy

The mission of the forage research is multifaceted. It encompasses evaluation of existing forages, development of new forage varieties, and developing alternative uses for forages. The objectives are to evaluate performance of currently available forage varieties and provide this unbiased information to louisiana forage producers; to genetically improve forage species currently being utilized by Louisiana forage producers; to evaluate new forage species with potential for production by Louisiana forage producers; to look at alternative uses for forage crops.

Ongoing Projects-

1. Performance evaluation of annual cool-season forage varieties of wheat, ceral rye, oats and ryegrass.
2. Development and evaluation of new louisiana experimental lines of red clover and alfalfa.
3. Seed increase of an endophyte free tall fescue experimental line developed at the Macon Ridge Research Station.
4. Field evaluation of the forgage producing potential of A. Glabrata, perennial peanut.
5. Cooperative project with Department of Energy for Feasibility of using native switch grass for biomass fuel.

Animal Science

The mission is to improve beef cattle production, nutrition, and reproduction.

Ongoing projects-Breeding for greater tenderness in meat. Estrus detection in beef cattle(Evaluating a Heat Watch System.)

Entomolgy-

The mission centers on host selection process of Bark Beetles and their associated benefical parasites and predators and understanding how tree chemicals and physical parameters affect these processes.

Ongoing Projects- Bark Beetle management in Southern Pine

Forestry-

The mission is to improve pine and hardwood timber production in Louisiana.

Ongoing projects- Evaluating native pecan for timber production and evaluation of genetically improved pine in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service.

Horticulture-

The mission is to develop improved peach varieties and cultural practises for Louisiana
Ongoing projects-Developing improved peach varieties and cultural practises. Evaluating watermelon and blueberry varieties and cultural practices.

Wildlife-

The mission of the LSU Deer Research program is to develop nutritional methods and selective harvest strategies which can be used to enhance productivity of native deer populations and performance among pasture crops and to use known animal science strategies such as deworming and mineral supplements. We are also exploring methods for genetically diversifying native populations by introducing new stocks of animals.

Ongoing projects-

  1. The effects of mineral licks on fawn production
  2. Diets of northern vs southern deer in Louisiana habitat.
  3. Performance and Survival of northern whitetails in Louisiana environments.
  4. The captive whitetail population in Louisiana-a survey for the last 6 years.
  5. Gestation periods of northern vs southern whitetails using an electronic heat-watch system.
  6. Embryo transfer of whitetailed embryos to goats.
  7. Artifical insemination of whitetailed deer.
  8. Comparison of deer harvest data between random and DMAP assisted hunting clubs.

Areas of Expertise:

Special Capabilities and Facilities:

(1) State of the art cattle working pens equipped with a squeeze chute on electric load cells. Animal weights and other data are recorded by an instrument that can be downloaded onto a computer for calculations, statistical analysis and printing.
(2) Twenty-four, one hectare (2.5 acres) research pastures that can be irrigated.
(3) Six, two hectare (5 acres) research pastures that can be irrigated.
(4) A 4000 sq. ft., 2 story bark beetle laboratory building equipped for entomology research with southern pine beetles and other bark beetles.
(5) Deer pens and buildings for captive deer research.
(6) A 4000 sq. ft. peach processing shed for evaluating and storing research peaches.

Research Equipment:

("s" indicates shared equipment)
A squeeze chute on electric load cells with associated instrumentation capable of transferring data to a computer. (s)
A Heat Watch System used to detect estrus in cattle and deer.(s)

Keywords:

0201000 Agriculture
0201019 Animal Science
0201016 Animal Genetics/Breeding
0201015 Animal Feeds/Nutrition
0201015 Animal Feeds/Nutrition
0201011 Animal Care
0201039 Livestock
0201050 Range Management
0201068 Forest Management
0201008 Agronomy
0201029 Fertilizers
0201032 Forestry and Woodlands
0201048 Poultry Science
0201048 Poultry Science
0201034 Herbicides
0201045 Pesticides