Department of Agriculture Rice Research & Extension Center

University of ArkansaS

Stuttgart, Arkansas

Project Details
37,000 square feet

WER designed the Rice Research & Extension Center for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. The new center replaces several scattered buildings on the University’s campus and provides an updated facility for continued research and outreach in this important agricultural community.

The University of Arkansas Rice Research & Extension Center is located on 1,022 acres devoted to research in rice and rotation crops such as soybean and wheat. In combination with the USDA/ARS National Rice Research Center located next door, the Center is the largest rice research location in the U.S. and is well known worldwide. Students, interns, and research and industry professionals visit frequently staying from one day to a few years. 

Research at the Center is applied and production-oriented. The faculty is engaged in research projects in plant breeding and genetics, pathology, entomology, agronomy, water conservation, physiology and economics. The Extension faculty members disseminate the results from this research and demonstrate research applications on whole-field or whole-farm situations. 

The central lobby and entry space connect administrative offices, a conference center, and clean labs, as well as support functions for faculty, staff and visitors. South of a central courtyard, a separate 12,000-square-foot building includes labs for rice breeding, entomology, agronomy, pathology, drying, milling and seed storage with close access to the fields.