Research Stations

The Oxford Research Station has already been designated as an important participant with regards to future research that will impact agriculture. The N.C. General Assembly has chosen this site as the location of the N.C. Biofuels Campus. The building formerly used by USDA for offices and labs will now be the headquarters for the Biofuels Center of North Carolina. The mission is to “develop a liquid biofuels industry that is substantial in output, agriculturally and economically important, sustainable, and significant across the State.” The N.C. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Agriculture established the Oxford facility in 1910 to research problems related to tobacco production. Scientific investigations targeted tobacco fertility requirements, cultural practices and insect and disease control. The first flue-cured tobacco varieties with resistance to bacterial wilt, black shank and root-knot nematode were developed at this research station. Over the years significant contributions to tobacco curing, plant bed management, fertilization, cultural practices, and disease/insect control have been made. In 1964, the USDA expanded its tobacco research at Oxford. This expansion included building glass greenhouses, a headhouse with laboratories, an insect-rearing building and a new laboratory. The current mission of the research station continues be to increase tobacco and crop production efficiency, tobacco quality, and to identify crop management systems that conserve and protect water. The research program is becoming more diversified as farmers turning to other specialty crops.

Infrastructure

The Oxford Tobacco Research Station consists of three separate tracts of land totaling 426 acres. There is about 110 acres of cropland with the rest used for woodlands and infrastructure. The USDA transferred all of their research facilities to the NCDA in 2005. In addition to these structures, the research station includes small bulk tobacco barns used for curing, a pack house used for storing and sampling tobacco, several equipment storage sheds, plastic greenhouses, a mechanical shop, and a facilities maintenance shop.

Community Partnership

The Oxford Tobacco Research Station has been an important part of the community since its establishment in 1910. The station has provided a location for local tobacco growers to visit and learn about the newest varieties and technologies. Changes in the tobacco industry have provided the research station an opportunity to expand programs into different research areas. Farmers have become interested in specialty crops involving vegetables, blueberries and brambles. The establishment of these crops on the research station provides a convenient location for events such as tours and field days to share new technologies.

The BioFuels Campus, a joint effort between several groups including the North Carolina BioTechnology Center in the Research Triangle Park, NCDA&CS and NCSU, is located on the Oxford Tobacco Research Station. This campus will provide a central location for the development of biofuels to benefit not only North Carolina, but the nation. The Research Station will provide support to the Biofuels Campus through facilities such as on-site greenhouses and land for growing a variety of crops such as switchgrass, sweet sorghum and canola.