Davis Purdue Agricultural Center (DPAC)

Size and Topography

703 acres in northwestern Randolph and southwestern Jay Counties, including 522 tillable acres and 100 managed forested acres (known as the Herbert Davis Forestry Farm)
A variety of soil types but mostly fine-textured, heavy clay soils (Blount/Pewamo) commonly found in east central Indiana - gently rolling, hard to manage, poorly drained, low organic matter

Panoramic UAV Views of the Davis Purdue Ag Center

Heritage

The Davis-Purdue Agricultural Center Includes 523 tillable acres and 100 managed forested acres in Randolph and Jay Counties. Mrs. Martha F. Davis donated the original farm to Purdue University in 1917 in memory of her son.

In 1926 forestry professor Burr N. Prentice painstakingly numbered, mapped, described, and tagged every tree at this location. His work, and the work of Purdue foresters after him, have made the Davis-Purdue Research Forest the largest and oldest mapped forest in North America, resulting in its designation as a Registered Natural Landmark.

Contact Information

Jeff Boyer

6230 North State Road 1
Farmland, IN 47340-9340

Phone: 765-468-7022
Fax: 765-468-8125
Email: jboyer@purdue.edu

Resources

Mapped timber stand
Constructed wetland used for educational programs for landowners and K-12 groups
30+-acre field with drainage tile designed specifically for managing the seasonal water table
GPS technology in use since the 1990s
Equipment and resources conducive to field-scale work, rather than small-plot research
National Weather Service Station Data
Purdue Ag Center Automated Weather Station Data

Field Days & Training Events

Drainage Field Day June 26, 2021 (PDF Flyer)
Field Day - August 19, 2021
For more information contact Jeff Boyer at 765-468-7022 or jboyer@purdue.edu

Current Research

Researchers at DPAC study soil fertility, crop diseases, weed control, insect problems, site-specific agriculture, controlled drainage and drainage water analysis, old-growth timber stands/wildlife interactions, and variable-rate fertilizer applications in corn, soybeans, and winter wheat.

The Purdue Agriculture departments involved in research at DPAC include Agronomy, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Agricultural Economics, Forestry and Natural Resources, and Entomology.

Agricultural Research at Purdue, 615 West State Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907 USA, (765) 494-8370

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Davis Purdue Agricultural Center​​ (DPAC)