The Southwest Georgia Research and Education Center (SWREC) is one of eight off-campus research centers in the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES).
The SWREC was established in 1951 on 512 acres in Sumter County, Georgia, and in the city of Plains, the home of the 39th President Jimmy Carter.
Research conducted at SWREC primarily involves all row crops grown in this area of Georgia including corn, cotton, peanuts, small grains, sorghum, and soybeans.
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SWREC falls into the USDA zone 8A with extreme lows of 10-15 degrees F and annual precipitation of 46-50 inches of rain. SWREC has a 245-day growing season for spring-planted crops beginning around March 1st and a 180-day growing season for fall-planted small grains beginning around November 15th.
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The predominate soil series is a Greenville Sandy Clay Loam.
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Total acreage: 512
- 413 acres are cultivated (372 acres irrigated, 41 acres dryland)
Irrigation capabilities:
- 2 deep wells
- 1 retention pond
- 6 center pivots. Area covered: 272 acres
- 3 linear move systems (1 with VRI capability). Area covered: 100 acres
Production systems:- Conventional/strip tillage
- 413 acres are cultivated (372 acres irrigated, 41 acres dryland)
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- Office/Auditorium - 4,529 sq.ft.
- Maintenance shop - 6,000 sq.ft.
- Enclosed storage - 13,500 sq.ft.
- Pesticide storage - 2,240 sq.ft.
- Equipment storage - 27,100 sq.ft.
- Residences - 3 (2164, 1356, 1185)
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- Tractors: JD 150, 150, 150, 100, 100 HP, KB 70, 70 HP, NH 275, 100 HP
- Tillage: Harrows 15, 25 FT, Field Cultivators 6, 12, 21 FT, Tillers 6, 10, 18 FT, Strip Till 2,
- 6 Row, Mold Board Plow, Rip Roller Subsoiler, Chisel Plow 14 FT
- Planters: JD 6 Row Vacuum, Monosem 2 Row Vacuum, JD 12 FT 450 Grain Drill
- Sprayers: JD 54 FT Self-Propelled, Melroe 54 FT Self-Propelled, 3 PT 36 FT, 3PT 18 FT,
- Hooded 2, 6 Row
- Harvest: Peanut Inverters 2 2 Row, 6 Row, Peanut Combines 2 2 Row, 2 4 Row, 6 Row, JD
- 2 Row Cotton Picker, Case IH Grain Combine w/ 6 Row Corn Head and 30 FT Grain
- Platform
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- Weather station - UGA Weather Network, RX 3000
- 2-row peanut combine with bagging attachment
- Wintersteiger Classic Plot Combine w/ Grain Head
- 5 Trimble GFX 750 Auto-Pilot Systems (4 on Tractors and 1 on Self-Propelled Sprayer)
- 9.5 Acre Linear Irrigation System w/ Complete VRI Capability
- 5 Ton Variable Rate Fertilizer Spreader
- Weather station - UGA Weather Network, RX 3000
How do I arrange a visit?
Contact our office at (229) 824-4375 or email swgeorgia@uga.edu to schedule a visit.
History
The 512-acre Southwest Georgia Research and Education Center is located near Plains, Georgia. The center was established in 1951 when local citizens deeded 453 acres to Sumter County and later to the University System of Georgia. The station’s purpose was to stimulate the rural economy by helping area farmers diversify and increase crop yields in the upper coastal plain region.
The facility has heavy red clay soil that is sometimes difficult soil to farm but can be highly productive when carefully managed. Research here is geared to the 240-day growing season and an average annual rainfall of 48 inches. Current research focuses on every major row crop in South Georgia: peanuts, cotton, corn, soybeans, grain sorghum, wheat, and canola. Irrigation was started to be added in the mid-1980s. The center now has some form of irrigation on at least 90% of the cropland to maintain crops during the area’s frequent droughts.
On average, 15 to 20 UGA researchers are doing up to 100 different projects. The center also collaborates with the Georgia Seed Development on 100 acres of land.