|
Lake Wheeler Road
|
| Long-Range Plan Summary | Map of LWRFL (PDF format) |
| Field Lab Units | LWRFL in the Future |
| Courses using the LWRFL | |
Background:
The Dairy Educational Unit was built in the early 1980s to enhance the teaching, research and extension activities in the Department of Animal Science and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The modern dairy has a double six herringbone milking parlor, two free-stall barns with drive-through feeding lanes, a research building, areas for calf and heifer development, and associated pastures. In addition, there are silos, commodity sheds, a small feed mill, two data rangers for precision feed delivery, a lagoon and waste treatment facilities. The milk house contains a classroom that overlooks the milking parlor. The unit includes 118 Holstein and 108 Jersey cows, 186 heifers in various stages of development, and assorted calves.
Teaching, Research, Outreach:
The Dairy Educational Unit is used in the educational programs in the Department of Animal Science as well as several other College of Agriculture and Life Sciences departments. Students in the Agricultural Institute and undergraduate and graduate students use the facilities. More than 300 students in nine different courses use the Dairy Educational Unit annually as part of course requirements. In addition, students from the College of Veterinary Medicine use dairy cows for clinical studies. Dairy cows are also used by students for educational and work experiences involved with the North Carolina State Fair, Animal Science Club Day, evaluation teams and undergraduate research projects.
The Dairy Educational Unit is used for a number of research purposes. The milking parlor is designed to record milk production by individual cows, and the feeding areas are designed to record individual feed intakes. A waste flush system, a waste solids separator, and groundwater monitoring system are examples of the capabilities of the facility involving investigations of environmental impacts of modern dairying. Research involving two genetically diverse breeds of dairy cows and two production systems, along with disciplinary research in nutrition, reproductive physiology, and milking management is conducted at the unit, creating new knowledge. As many as 10 investigators and their graduate students and technicians conduct research at the Dairy Educational Unit.
Needed for the Future:
The Dairy Educational Unit meets the educational and research needs of the Department of Animal Science. The facilities should meet these needs in the future as well, providing that appropriate repairs and upgrades are made.
Background:
The Swine Educational Unit is a state-of-the-art swine facility dedicated to the teaching, research and extension missions of the Department of Animal Science and other College of Agriculture and Life Sciences departments. It was built in the mid-1980s and includes eight farrowing rooms in a farrowing house complex, eight nursery rooms in a nursery complex, a breeding building, a gestation building, a finishing building, intensive research building, a reproductive laboratory, and a teaching building containing two classrooms and a small arena. The Swine Educational Unit also has a small feed mill, storage buildings, lagoons and waste treatment facilities. The unit has an average inventory of 240 sows, 15 herd boars and 50 replacement gilts. Approximately 4,000 pigs are produced each year.
Teaching, Research, Outreach:
The Swine Educational Unit is an integral part of the education of students enrolled in the Agricultural Institute and of undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in the Department of Animal Science. More than 27 different courses utilize the Swine Educational Unit as part of course requirements, and the animals provide clinical practice for students from the College of Veterinary Medicine. The animals and facilities of the Swine Educational Unit are also used by students for educational and work experiences associated with student clubs, evaluation teams, Animal Science Club Day and undergraduate research projects.
The unit is the focal point for research involving pigs at North Carolina State University. Disciplinary research in areas of reproductive physiology, monogastric nutrition, genetics, breeding, animal well-being, facility management, waste management, and odor abatement is conducted at the Swine Educational Unit. Research done at these facilities has led to recent discoveries that have had significant impacts on swine production in North Carolina and the world. Research is conducted by more than 15 investigators and their graduate students and technicians.
Needed for the Future:
In addition to the current structures at the Swine Educational Unit, two other facilities are needed to accommodate the research and educational needs of the faculty in the Department of Animal Science.
An animal nutrition/waste management complex designed to house the animals that cannot now be raised to market weight and to provide animals and facilities for research on nutritional approaches to odor abatement/control and waste management is needed. This facility has been designed and awaits funding. An additional structure accommodating approximately 200-250 animals is required for the biotechnology/genetic/genomics program in the Department of Animal Science. This structure would replace the swine research facility currently located on Trinity Road at the Reedy Creek Road Field Laboratory. With office space, change rooms and laboratory space, the cost of this facility should be approximately $250,000 to $350,000. New structures should be located in proximity to existing swine facilities and to the Animal and Poultry Waste Management Center's Waste Processing Facility. Because work at the two units is so often complementary the location of the Waste Processing Facility and swine unit in the same general area of the LWRFL enhances the college's waste management and swine research, teaching and extension programs.
Poultry (Chicken and Turkey) Educational Units
[top]
Background:
The Poultry Educational Units at the Lake Wheeler Road Field Laboratory serve as educational and applied research facilities for faculty in the Department of Poultry Science as well as for a few faculty in the departments of Entomology and Biological and Agricultural Engineering. The units consist of a number of multi-functional poultry buildings for the housing of experimental egg-type chickens, broiler chickens, broiler breeders, commercial market turkeys and turkey breeders. Research at these units by the Poultry Science faculty is primarily targeted toward general poultry management, nutrition, light control, reproduction and by-product management for the various types of poultry. Poultry-related equipment development and testing (e.g., ventilation, feeding and watering equipment) is conducted by faculty in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, and poultry ectoparasite research is conducted by faculty in the Department of Entomology. The units are also open to any other faculty in the college or university and to industry collaborators with legitimate research needs involving live poultry.
In addition, a Poultry Instructional Unit (see page 28) is located at the Varsity Drive Field Laboratory. It is proposed that this unit be moved to the Lake Wheeler Road site.
Teaching, Research, Outreach:
The two poultry educational units are used primarily to teach graduate students how to design and conduct poultry-related research. Some undergraduate poultry science class laboratories are conducted at the units. A few undergraduate students are employed at the units and receive informal training on the care and management of poultry.
Along with the Feed Mill Educational Unit and the Animal and Poultry Waste Management Center's Waste Processing Facility, the Poultry Educational Units play a major role in the integration of animal facilities at the Lake Wheeler Road site. The Poultry Educational Units will also be closely related to the operation of the college's Meat Processing Laboratory when that facility comes on line. The Poultry Educational Units serve an integral role in all poultry teaching, research and extension programs.
Needed for the Future:
Chicken Educational Unit: The Chicken Educational Unit consists of an office/hatchery building, 15 chicken housing facilities, a large storage building, an office/conference room/laboratory with a mini processing facility, a machine shed/shop, a compost unit, a waste storage shed, a small feed mill and a residence. The feed mill at the Chicken Educational Unit will be replaced by the new Feed Mill Educational Unit being built at the Lake Wheeler Road Field Laboratory just north of the Pesticide Storage Unit.
Most of the facilities at the Chicken Educational Unit are in reasonably good repair. The east end of one of the houses is being remodeled by the poultry unit staff into a penned broiler facility. The interior ceilings and pens in Houses 4, 5 and 6 have been scheduled for renovation (approximately $15,000 - $20,000/house) for the past two years by the LWRFL crew, but this work has not been done due to lack of manpower and funding. Most of the Chicken Unit poultry houses will need to be re-roofed over the next few years, and most will need to be repainted within the next couple of years. If the LWRFL units are to be first-class research/technology demonstration units, the remodeling work that is now in progress or scheduled should be completed as should needed roof work and painting. In addition, roads at the entrance to the Chicken Unit should be paved and space should be added to the hatchery/office complex to provide an enlarged work room for processing chicks. House 8, which is currently used for poultry equipment storage, should be remodeled, and a bulk feed bin should be installed at House 10. Once the Feed Mill Educational Unit is fully operational, the Poultry Unit feed mill should be converted to a short-term bagged feed storage building for the Chicken and Turkey units.
Turkey Educational Unit: The LWRFL Turkey Educational Unit consists of an office/hatchery/lab building, seven turkey housing facilities, and a machine storage building. One of the poultry houses contains an office/employee break room. The compost unit, the litter storage shed, the feed mill and the residence located at the Chicken Unit also serve the Turkey Unit.
In general, the facilities at the Turkey Educational Unit are in reasonably good repair. The primary exception is the hatchery. The turkey hatchery (room) is poorly ventilated, the equipment is old and nearing the end of its useful life, and the facility itself is inadequate in size and arrangement. Since reproduction is one of the major problems for the turkey industry and since reproductive physiology is a major component of the Poultry Science Department's research and extension programs, it is proposed that a modern, T-design structure be built and equipped to serve as the hatchery for this unit. The turkey hatchery has not grown with the rest of the unit. The original incubator size as well as the building were adequate when only one breeder hen building existed at the unit. The incubators, which were used when first installed, have now been in place for more than 20 years. The manufacturer's plate indicates they were made in 1945. Proposed is construction of a 30 feet by 40 feet building, which will double the incubator space currently available. In addition, the entrance parking area and a road between several of the buildings should be paved. Buildings should be painted and reroofed. Several buildings should be remodeled to allow tractor/bobcat clean out. This will reduce the amount of labor needed for clean out and improve the research design functionality of these buildings.
Feed Mill Educational Unit
[top]
Background:
The Feed Mill Educational Unit, for which ground has been broken, is to be an integral element of an environmentally sound integration at the Lake Wheeler Road Field Laboratory of animal production units, the Waste Processing Facility of the Animal and Poultry Waste Management Center, and other facilities and programs within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The Feed Mill Educational Unit will serve as an excellent teaching model of good natural resource stewardship practices and how they can be combined with efficient, integrated and sustainable animal agriculture. For example, it is anticipated that some Feed Mill research will focus on the development of feeds designed to enhance waste management or help control waste odor.
The feed mill will provide poultry and animal scientists with a state-of-the-art facility with which faculty may manufacture modern designer feeds for animals, thus positioning the college as a leader in animal feed milling and nutrition education. This facility should help attract excellent undergraduate and graduate students. The facility will be the backbone of an educational program designed to produce graduates who are competent in feed mill management. North Carolina produces over 11 million tons of animal feed annually. Feed mills are complex and technologically advanced. They require well-educated college graduates to manage them. There is an acute shortage of such graduates that could be met by an appropriate educational program.
This facility will also allow the college to fully and efficiently utilize current animal facilities and help maintain North Carolina's diverse agricultural industry and its economic impact. During the harvest of the more than 60 agricultural commodities grown in North Carolina significant byproducts can be produced that now have undeveloped economic uses in animal feeds. This facility and related programs will allow students to be fully involved in the development of technologies to utilize these potentially valuable byproducts. The facility will also encourage the current trend towards precision animal nutrition, meeting the nutritional requirements of animals while minimizing environmental impact.
The development of the Animal and Poultry Waste Management Center has provided a number of opportunities to coordinate activities with the Feed Mill Educational Unit. One of the primary missions of the Animal and Poultry Waste Management Center is to convert byproducts (animal mortalities, offal, hatchery wastes, plant components not normally harvested, etc.) into value-added co-products for the animal or plant industries. The extremely high temperatures produced during milling render the co-products produced biologically safe for re-entry into the feed stream. These concepts are not generally part of typical undergraduate or graduate curricula. Thus, a unique learning opportunity will be available.
Teaching, Research, Outreach:
The facility will make possible on-campus instructional programs at the associate, undergraduate and graduate levels in feed formulation; feed manufacturing; mill design, operation and maintenance; mill safety; ingredient and finished feed quality assurance programs; specialty feed production; and mill regulatory programs. It will also be possible to produce relatively small batch precision feeds for animals as well as precision premixes and concentrates that are well suited for academic exercises. In addition, the feed mill unit will be used for extension programs, including workshops and short courses. The facility will also allow graduate research on certain aspects of feed manufacturing for the poultry and livestock industries.
The educational objectives of the Feed Mill Educational Unit are especially important to North Carolina's agricultural economy. Currently, there are limited educational programs in the United States that specifically provide a balanced program in animal feed milling technology and animal management. The North Carolina feed milling industry must now compete for a limited number of graduates from university milling programs or train people from different educational backgrounds. Many new recruits to the feed milling industry are not as well prepared as the industry needs. The NC State University program will help fill that educational void. Plans are to first develop an academic minor in feed milling, then expand the program as resources become available.
Initially, the core course in the new academic minor, Feed Mill Management and Feed Formulation, will be taught at the facility. While additional courses are expected to be added as the program develops, students taking at least 12 other existing courses are expected to use the facility. The proximity of the facility to campus will be particularly important to these students. Typically, lengthy and expensive field trips are required to expose a class to the numerous learning opportunities provided by a facility like the Feed Mill Educational Unit. This is not practical for many courses. Thus, important concepts can be omitted due to constraints imposed by a lack of facilities. The proximity of the main campus will allow this facility to be heavily utilized on a daily basis by both graduate and undergraduate students.
Needed for the Future:
Ground has been broken for the initial phase of this facility.
There is a need for an additional $2 million to complete the facility. Additional external ingredient storage and basic milling equipment to complete the infrastructure are needed. A new faculty position to provide leadership to a feed milling educational program is needed, while efficient operation of the Feed Mill Educational Unit will require a staff of three new full-time employees.
National Training Center for Land-Based Technology and Watershed Protection
[top]
Background:
The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences has endeavored at the Lake Wheeler Road Field Laboratory to establish nationally recognized facilities for the demonstration and training of conventional and advanced waste (animal, municipal, industrial and septic) treatment and management technologies that protect the environment and sustain our diverse land uses. Among these facilities is the National Training Center for Land-Based Technology and Watershed Protection. The Training Center includes working, hands-on demonstrations and displays of the full range of land-based waste treatment technologies as well as complementary watershed protection techniques and water quality monitoring methods. The facility also provides areas for training in the land application of waste.
The scope of instruction at this new, second-generation training center far exceeds the scope at the original On-Site Wastewater Training Center in Chatham County. That center, developed in 1990 under the leadership of the NC State Soil Science Department and the Cooperative Extension Service, focused solely on septic systems. The original center was the first of its kind in the country and precipitated the development of similar centers at universities and colleges throughout the U.S. (many are just now coming on line).
NC State, however, endeavors to maintain its leadership role in developing and demonstrating improved waste management options for both domestic and animal wastewater. The Soil Science Department has provided leadership to establish a training center planning committee that has the unique combination of faculty expertise and private/public partnerships to develop such an ambitious training center. The new training center includes training areas for on-site wastewater systems (septic systems), spray irrigation of both municipal and animal wastewater, land application of biosolids (sludge and septage) and animal waste slurries, operation of municipal wastewater treatment plants, agronomic training, septic system research, and watershed protection techniques.
Included within the Training Center is a nearly 4,000 square feet pole barn, which includes an enclosed area of 960 square feet. Equipment is stored in the barn's covered bays, while the enclosed area is equipped with folding chairs and tables and can be used for shelter for people attending center events. A pump house, which houses an irrigation pump and electrical control system, is also part of the facility.
Teaching, Research, Outreach:
The facilities are used for traditional on-campus instruction (Agricultural Institute, undergraduate and graduate students) and extension training and education of a diverse clientele (agents, homeowners, producers, consultants, agency personnel, legislators and other agricultural and environmental professionals. The potential of these facilities is just starting to be realized. It is anticipated the facilities will be heavily used for college courses, field trips, extension training and industry design classes. A full-time coordinator, a full-time technician, and dedicated classroom space (for both small and large classes) are needed. Extension's training role is the main impetus behind the center and should be its top priority. This includes cooperation with the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources Division of Water Quality for their waste application certification schools. Also, academic classes and field tours will use this area. There is potential for research, including graduate students, on waste application equipment technology. The nature of the waste materials requires that the educational facilities be located off campus, but within less than a 30-minute travel distance.
Needed for the Future:
A road providing direct access to Lake Wheeler Road is needed, as is a centralized equipment storage/workshop area where all facility maintenance could be performed. This area could also serve as a technician's office. A trailer quad structure is now being used for this purpose. Additionally, some type of storage structure/shelter, such as small, open pole barn, is needed in the agronomic area of the Training Center. And improved bathroom facilities are needed near the existing pole barn.
Waste Processing/Composting Facility
[top]
Animal and Poultry Waste
Management Center
Background:
The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences' Animal and Poultry Waste Management Center provides facilities for developing, testing and demonstrating novel methods of managing the waste products of animal agriculture and converting these wastes into useful, valuable products. The center operates waste processing and composting facilities at the Lake Wheeler Road Field Laboratory. The processing unit houses extruders, a fluidized bed dryer, pellet mills, and other waste processing equipment. Adjacent animal research units at the Lake Wheeler Road Field Laboratory provide facilities to test new waste management practices and technologies under commercial-scale conditions.
Teaching, Research, Outreach:
Center-sponsored projects involve approximately 60 faculty from numerous departments in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The Waste Processing Facility has also been used extensively by numerous agribusiness groups working with center faculty and personnel to explore various methods of processing manures and animal mortality into products that have market value, are safe and socially acceptable. This work has resulted in marketable end products such as feedstuffs for the aquaculture industry, pet food industry and animal agriculture industry. The center is currently working with agribusiness groups to transfer novel methodology for processing poultry and swine mortality to the commercial market. Several workshops, seminars and training sessions have been conducted at the center facility during the last two years. The Waste Processing Facility is among the college's most visited facilities. Scientists and others interested in animal waste management from the around the world visit the facility each year.
Needed for the Future:
The Waste Processing Facility is currently utilized for storage of mobile equipment that is necessary to conduct the research and education activities for this program. Growth and expansion in this area have exceeded expectations. A separate equipment storage facility would greatly enhance productivity and safety at the facility. In addition, the facility is processing animal waste generated at the adjacent animal education units (poultry, swine and dairy). Temporary waste storage prior to treatment is needed in order to comply with state regulations. Equipment and waste storage facilities are projected to cost approximately $100,000.
Aquaculture and Fish Educational Unit
[top]
Background:
The Aquaculture and Fish Unit at the Lake Wheeler Road Field Laboratory provides facilities for breeding, rearing and maintaining fish stocks for the teaching, research and outreach activities associated with aquaculture and for conducting experiments on fundamental biology of fishes, on the requirements for breeding and growing fish and on the design and operation of recirculating water systems.
Teaching, Research, Outreach:
Courses in fisheries and aquaculture are among the most popular offered by the Department of Zoology. The undergraduate courses in fisheries attract approximately 120 students each year. At least 25 percent of all graduate students or about 25 students in the department are studying fish or aquaculture. Current facilities for teaching hands-on courses in breeding and care of fish are limited. The addition of modern laboratories at Lake Wheeler Road will substantially improve course offerings. The department anticipates the addition of a concentration in aquaculture to train students with the requisite skills to serve the growing aquacultural industry in North Carolina. The Aquaculture and Fish Unit will allow development of the appropriate courses for this curriculum.
The Fish Barn currently located at Varsity Drive is used extensively for extension activities and even intensely as a show place for outreach to the public. We anticipate that future extension and outreach activities will be equally intense at the Aquaculture and Fish Unit at the LWRFL.
Needed for the Future:
To meet current and anticipated needs of the fish and aquaculture program the following are needed: four additional laboratories (each should contain 2,000 square feet, smaller but otherwise similar to the current aquaculture facility at Lake Wheeler Road); one analytical laboratory; and an office, classroom and locker room complex. These facilities will require new well capacity of 100 gallons per minute. A total of 15 acres are required to site the buildings, dig a 2-acre pond for wastewater treatment, develop a waste composting area and provide parking.
The following is a description of generic facilities required for programs in aquaculture or related research.
Laboratory: Each faculty member's program requires a separate wet laboratory or building. Separation of these facilities should provide for some measure of biosecurity. Each laboratory should be permanent construction with concrete floors and centralized drains. Each building or lab should have a distribution network of fresh well water and recycled fresh water. The water recycling system should include waste removal components, oxygenation components and sterilization components. Water leaving each facility should exit via the water recycling system and be discharged into a central holding pond. Each wet lab building or laboratory should provide at least 2,000 square feet of usable laboratory space.
Analytical Lab Space: A centralized and shared analytical lab will serve the needs of all aquacultural and related programs at the Lake Wheeler Road Field Lab. A laboratory of approximately 2,000 square feet should include walk-in refrigeration and walk-in freezer capabilities, a feed storage room and dry lab capabilities for analysis of water quality, including centrifuges and analytical balances.
General Purpose Support Building: Adjacent to the analytical lab, a general purpose building will provide locker rooms with showers and bathrooms, an office for each faculty member's program, and a general purpose classroom.
Water Source and Wastewater Treatment: For each 2,000 square feet laboratory, new well capacity of 20 gpm will be required. As mentioned in the previous section, each facility will have a self-contained water treatment and recycling unit. Treated water from this system will be discharged into a common 2-acre pond. The pond will serve as a water holding facility and irrigation pond for field crops when water is available. The pond should also serve to house caged fish for experiments or simply extra holding capacity.
Emergency Backup Systems: Power losses are extremely threatening in densely stocked waters common to such laboratories. As emergency backup, a 1,500 gallon liquid oxygen tank should be sited for common laboratory use. Additionally, the electricity for the Aquaculture and Fish Unit should be augmented with an automatic standby electrical generator.
Air Quality-Plant Growth and Development Unit (USDA-ARS)
[top]
Background:
The program mission is to determine the effects of atmospheric stresses arising from anthropogenic activities and global climate change on agricultural productivity and sustainability throughout the United States. Primary current concerns are tropospheric ozone (from photochemical reactions of chemicals from energy generating processes) and carbon dioxide (from combustion of fossil fuels). As problems are identified, the effects of other atmospheric chemicals or stresses are investigated (e.g., fluoride, ethylene, ammonia, chlorine, sulfur and nitrogen oxides, acidic precipitation and UV-B radiation). Specific objectives/approaches are to: 1) determine effects of defined doses of air pollutants and mixtures on growth, development, yield and quality of plants and develop statistical dose-response models; 2) determine effects on soils and pathogens as these affect plant growth and productivity; 3) understand how abiotic and biotic stresses affect plant response to atmospheric stresses; 4) determine mechanisms of plant response and develop physiologically based response models; 5) cooperate in breeding programs to develop resistant cultivars; 6) evaluate plants as sinks for deposition, and 7) develop approaches for mitigation of impacts of atmospheric stresses. The proximity of the Lake Wheeler Road location is satisfactory for program needs, and students can easily travel to the field sites.
Teaching, Research, Outreach:
Through projects with Sci-Link and Globe-Net programs of the College of Education data are used in developing curricula for teaching about air pollution effects on plants. The Air Quality Unit is also involved in graduate education. Thesis research is performed at the field site, and scientists (NC State/Agricultural Research Service faculty) advise or direct thesis research.
Needed for the Future:
Current facilities are not optimal. All labs and offices are in trailers. A permanent building has been requested from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and plans are being developed. The building would be approximately 10,000 square feet with labs and offices. A greenhouse needs to be associated with it. Funding for these structures is to be provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Background:
Wake County is in the process of finalizing a 50-year lease with NC State University for more than 200 acres of property surrounding Yates Mill Pond. This land will be developed by the county as an educational park with emphasis on the environment and natural resources and on history, especially that surrounding Yates Mill and the times during which it was operative. Development of the park will include construction of a trail around Yates Pond, dredging of the pond and construction of a building of 16,000 square feet. This building will serve as the visitor's center for the park and will be jointly occupied by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, especially the Department of Zoology.
Teaching, Research, Outreach:
Courses that will use the Yates Mill facility routinely include introductory biology courses, wildlife courses, ecology courses and the limnology course. We anticipate that each year nearly 2,000 NC State students will visit the Yates Mill Park as part of their course work. Especially important to these courses is the extensive, mature and relatively undisturbed forest land that comprises a large part of the park. This is one of the only areas near campus where students have the opportunity to study mature and undisturbed forest communities. The faculty and students within the departments of Botany, Forestry and Zoology will likely use the forested areas at Yates Mill Park for research. There is also considerable potential for studies of the interface between agriculture and the environment at this intensively managed field lab.
Preliminary discussions with Wake County Park personnel suggest that the college and the park will develop joint educational activities, especially in environmental education for secondary school children. The college has a great opportunity to join the park personnel in conducting educational programs that focus on agriculture, the environment and the interaction of the two.
Needed for the Future:
The college will have use in the Yates Mill Park visitors' center of a laboratory wing of 5,000 square feet that will be used to house ectothermic animals and to provide laboratory facilities for teaching and research on them. This section of the building will also include a classroom that will be used by several classes within the college. In addition to this dedicated space in the building, there will be a fenced area outdoors that will be outfitted with cages for conducting behavioral and physiological studies with ectotherms. Currently, three faculty members and approximately six graduate students are doing work with ectotherms that would be more easily accommodated in such new facilities. All laboratories in this wing will be built on a modular template so they may be used for a variety of experimental purposes in the future.
Pesticide Storage Complex
[top]
Background:
The mission of the Pesticide Storage Complex is to provide environmentally safe storage for pesticides used in the education, research and extension efforts of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences while meeting all local, state and federal rules and regulations. The PSC Manager is responsible for all reporting and inventory control functions required by these regulations.
Thus, while the PSC has only a supporting role in the college's trifold mission, it is nevertheless a vital role that will only increase in importance as the regulations and policies governing pesticide usage and storage continue to impact and impinge on those faculty and staff utilizing these products. The Pesticide Storage Complex will play a vital role and require a presence at Lake Wheeler Road Field Laboratory for at least the next quarter century.
Needed for the Future:
The present facility should have sufficient capacity to serve college researchers. Current utilization of capacity is approximately 30 percent, so ample space is available to meet projected future needs. It is not anticipated, therefore, that the PSC will require additional physical resources.
Background:
The mission of the shop is to provide service, working space and storage in support of activities at Lake Wheeler Road Field Laboratory. The duties performed in the shop area are many and varied. They include such diverse tasks as preventive maintenance on equipment, fabrication of research and production tools and equipment, woodworking projects, major and minor vehicle and equipment repairs, and support of physical plant repairs. The shop area serves also as a storage area for field laboratory supplies and equipment. Everything from repair supplies to seed and fertilizers and large equipment such as tractors, combines and backhoes is stored in the shop area.
Needed for the Future:
The Lake Wheeler shop currently operates from three major buildings that were part of the original Finley Farm structures. One of these buildings, the old peach grading and cooling shed, has been recommended for demolition by General Services Administration because the ceiling is falling in. A second building, the garage, is small and ill suited for the multiplicity of demands placed on it. A tractor, for example, cannot be broken down for repairs in it because it would tie up the only available service bay for too long a period of time. Thus, work of this nature must be done by private-sector vendors at a high labor rate. A new shop facility should be considered the next major capital item for the Lake Wheeler Road Field Laboratory.
A new shop facility should have a locked fence enclosure with night lights for security. It should have approximately 45 storage bays for equipment; a staging area; a two-bay garage; storage for bagged fertilizer, seed and other supplies; safe storage for oils and lubricants; lockable storage for small items such as hand tools; a loading/unloading dock; a woodworking shop area; a general shop area; offices; and locker rooms. Such an area will require approximately five acres. It should be sited to minimize slow moving vehicular traffic on Lake Wheeler Road. As part of the projected plans for the LWRFL, this facility could be part of a larger facility that would also replace the facilities at the Reedy Creek Road Field Laboratory.