The Northwest Research and Education Center (NWREC) is one of eight off-campus research centers in the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES).
The NWREC consists of 905 acres and is well-equipped with modern field and research-scale equipment. The NWREC is located in Rome, Georgia.
Local agriculture includes cow/calf and hay operations, with corn and soybeans being the predominant row crops.
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USDA zone 7B with an annual precipitation of 50-60 inches. The average date of the first frost is October 15.
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The Oostanula River and Woodward Creek serve as the southern farm boundary, resulting in a soil series with a high percentage of silt loam, specifically of the Cedarbluff series. Etowah loam is the prevalent series on the slopes.
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Total acreage: 905
- Dryland acres (pasture and hay) - 574
- Irrigated acres - 30
Irrigation capabilities:
- Ponds/lakes – 2
- Rivers/creeks - 2
- 1 linear move with VRI capabilities. Area covered: 30 acres
Production systems:- Conventional/no-till – 30 acres
- Pasture/hay - 574
- Cattle (head) - 260
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- Office - 500 sq.ft. (located in Calhoun)
- Storage/pesticide building - 4,383 sq.ft.
- Maintenance shop - 12,869 sq.ft.
- Hay Barns – 3 (4875, 3176, 4964)
- Equipment storage barn – 2 (5000, 5800)
- Cattle working facilities – 2 (4718, 19167)
- Feed mill facility - 4,500 sq.ft.
- Northwest Georgia Livestock Pavilion in Calhoun – 5,165 enclosed and 10,703 covered
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- Tractors: AGCO 5680, New Holland TN60A, Challenger ML74B, New Holland T6030, New Holland T4030, Kubota M7040, New Holland T6.175
- Fertilizer Spreaders: Chandler 9 PT
- Planters: Great Plains 10’ no-till drill, Deutz Allis Quadra-Disk
- Sprayers: John Deere self-propelled, Demco tandem axle tag-along
- Tillage: Athens Plow harrow
- Harvesters: Carter flail forager
- Haying: 3 Vermeer balers, Class disk mower conditioner, 2 Kuhn tedders, Vermeer twin rake, Kuhn disc mower
- Cattle: 1 hydraulic head catch/squeeze chute, 1 manual head catch
- Skid steers – 2
- Feed wagons – 2 mixer/feeder
- Hay bale wrapper - Tubeline
- Hay bale processor – Haybuster
- Trailers – 2 livestock, 2 hay haulers, 2 flatbed
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- Weather station - UGA Weather Network
- Plant dryer
History
In 1951, 100 northwest Georgia farmers each donated $250 to purchase land for an agricultural experiment station. Their efforts led to the development of what is now the Northwest Research and Education Center.
The original unit was located in Calhoun and consisted of 28 acres of land. The farm grew in size and, in addition to livestock research facilities, housed a main office building and multi-use livestock pavilion. In 1997, proceeds from the sale of a portion of the original Calhoun farmland allowed the University of Georgia to purchase land north of Calhoun in the Red Bud community and shift research to that location. When the Red Bud farm ceased operating as a UGA facility in 2011, all research and farming activities shifted to the Floyd County facility. The Red Bud farm was sold in 2022.
The Floyd County unit, located near Rome, was transferred to UGA College of Agricultural and Natural Resources in 1966 from the state health department. The 905-acre facility is utilized for beef cattle, forage, and row crop research. In addition to the 250 head of research beef cattle, the unit hosts the Calhoun Bull Evaluation and Calhoun Heifer Evaluation and Reproductive Development (HERD) programs. These programs accept consigned cattle that are developed at the facility and evaluated for breeding potential. Program animals that meet the sale eligibility requirements are sold at the end of each program as herd sires and bred heifers.
The Northwest Georgia Research and Education Center offices are in the Gordon County Agricultural Center in Calhoun. The livestock pavilion continues to be utilized for the Calhoun Bull Test and HERD sales, local producer cattle loadouts, and Extension events.
