Resident Director's Message Welcome to the Hill Farm Research Station's web site and thanks for taking time to view our web site.  The Hill Farm is located in the upper Coastal Plain of northwestern Louisiana near the town of Homer. The Hill Farm is composed of 1488 acres of land that is allocated to research programs in the broad areas of forage agronomy, beef cattle, dairy cattle, and forestry. The mission of the Station is to foster excellence through basic and applied research that meet the evolving needs and interests of farmers, landowners, and the public at large.

The faculty consists of six scientists (including the resident director).  All scientists hold a 100% research appointment with the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station, the research division of the LSU Agricultural Center. They are a diverse, well-trained and experienced group who hold Ph.D. degrees from major land-grant universities in the U.S. Their research accomplishments are many and varied and have received wide recognition, not only within Louisiana, but also nationally and internationally. The faculty are supported by seven research associates and 18 support staff. 

The Station maintains a beef cattle herd of approximately 350 crossbred cows. Current research is focused on alternative crossbreeding systems for Brahman x Hereford F1 cows. Cattle generated from this crossbreeding study are evaluated as calves, replacement heifers, stockers, feeders, and carcasses. Furthermore, grazing studies on both cool- and warm-season forages are also conducted. 

The dairy herd consists of approximately 160 mature registered Jersey cows plus replacement heifers. The herd is one of the few in the U. S. in which research is solely devoted to prevention and management of mastitis in dairy cows by scientists and technicians who work in the Station's Mastitis Research Laboratory. 

The forestry research program is conducted on more than 300 acres of southern pine timber. Diverse studies on forest silviculture include reforestation methods, stand density effects, and competition management.  Agroforestry research, where cattle, pasture, and pine trees are managed together, is also an active project area. 

Agronomy research has evolved through the years from earlier work with row crops and soil testing to work with forage and pasture crops. Currently, research deals with varietal and cultural practice evaluations on both warm- and cool-season forages plus assessing the environmental impacts of broiler litter fertilizer. 

Research is managed through research projects that are approved and administered through the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station. Typically, 10 to 12 research projects govern the scientific studies occurring at the Hill Farm. While most of the projects are conceived by Hill Farm scientists, a close cooperative and interactive relationship exists with scientists located at other LSU Ag Center research stations, in departments on the LSU campus, and with Extension Service personnel including both county agents and state specialists. 

Thank you for your interest in the Hill Farm Research Station and its research programs. Inquiries about our results and accomplishments are welcome at any time.  You can review our CRIS reports by clicking on the link in the paragraph above or our field day summaries by clicking on its link. 

Other web pages of interest are those related to the Station's history, weather data, current activities, field days, and special topics. 

If you have questions, please email me at anipper@agcenter.lsu.edu or call me at 318-927-2578. Again, thanks for taking time to view our web pages and check back often as we try to keep them current. 

W. Allen Nipper
Professor and Resident Director