Research Stations

Sandhills Research Station was established in 1940 on a 100-acre tract in Eagle Springs and moved in 1951 to its present 570-acre site in the Windblow community of Montgomery County. The station was created to address the needs of peach growers of the sandhills area and as such was first named the Peach Station. SRS provides the platform necessary for conducting agricultural research developed by scientists at N.C. State University and other institutions. The station provides the land, labor, equipment and management to support the research and the staff provide the care necessary for the research projects.

In addition to the production of peaches, the station hosts research projects for a very diverse array of cropping systems in horticulture, row crops, and turfgrass. The station has also expanded into Hemp and other specialty crops such as carrot and sesame in collaboration with the NCDA Specialty Crops Initiative.

Infrastructure

There are presently 13 buildings including an office, superintendent’s dwelling, equipment maintenance shop, chemical and fertilizer storage buildings, equipment storage sheds and packhouse. A new turf equipment storage building and two new pre-fab concrete pesticide storage units are the most recent additions. The station has a highly developed variable frequency drive (VFD) irrigation system that can supply supplemental irrigation to every field of the station by way of underground lines and hydrants. Two ponds supply the irrigation water. Irrigation machines include two large lateral move systems and four hard hose travelers. The station maintains a fleet of trucks, tractors, and an assortment of specialized agricultural equipment to support the research operations.

Community Partnership

The Sandhills Research Station, with its deep, sandy soil, provides research scientists unique opportunities to investigate plant-water relationships, plant nutrient movements and other factors that provide cost and labor efficient ways to produce fruits, vegetables, feed grains, ornamentals and high quality turfgrass. The soils of the station are typical of the Sandhills region and are a good medium for crop research due to drainage and uniformity properties.

The Sandhills Research Station serves as a central location for training events and workshops since the station is strategically located for NC Cooperative Extension personnel and growers from Moore, Richmond and Montgomery County.

Events

Sandhills Turfgrass Field Day is held every other year to promote best turfgrass management practices for this region of the state. Peach Field Day is held as needed, usually every 2-3 years. SRS hosts numerous events throughout the year including a variety of tour groups and informal training.