°ÅÀÖÊÓƵ was founded in 1881 and by 1882 students were working on the school farm, only a few acres, to provide food and feed. By 1915, ~19 years after George Washington Carver came to Tuskegee, the farm had grown to over 2000 acres. Today, the °ÅÀÖÊÓƵ farm is known as the George Washington Carver Agricultural Experiment Station (GWCAES) and serves as the flagship operation for °ÅÀÖÊÓƵ agricultural research and outreach activities and includes several demonstration sites.
The GWCAES is home to facilities that support conventional and organic crop production, traditional livestock (goats, cattle and horses) and poultry (including pasture poultry) production as well as silvopasture systems. Investments in facilities, faculty and staff to enhance precision agriculture practices for small farms are ongoing. In addition to the GWCAES, TU works closely with stakeholders throughout the state, including small, socially, and economically disadvantaged producers, to ensure that their issues are addressed, particularly those that support sustainable agricultural and environmental practices. Below are brief descriptions for three key producer demonstration sites.
Key Demonstration Site 1: The McAlpine operation includes an extensive beef operation located in Forkland, AL (Green) and consists of ~ 800 acres which is home to a 100-120 head cow-calf operation and 200 stocker calves.
Key Demonstration Site 2: The Carter operation has a 100-acre cow-calf operation in Collirene, AL (Lowndes County). His operation consists of 60 cow-calf pairs raised in a forage-only production scenario.
Key Demonstration Site 3: The Russel operation has a 200-acre cow-calf operation spread across Bullock County, AL.
