Agricultural Experiment Station
The AES is Colorado’s leader in research, extension, and agricultural education programs. Our work uses a multifaceted approach ensuring successful partnerships and outcomes for Coloradans. We enrich our programming to foster sustainable growth for Colorado-based agricultural industries and contribute to food safety and nutritional security. Ultimately, our efforts are aimed to improve human health for our state and share our knowledge regionally, nationally, and worldwide.
Our Work
Research and Engagement
AES conducts research addressing economic viability, environmental sustainability, and social acceptability of activities impacting agriculture, natural resources, and consumers in Colorado. We support eight research centers engaged in research to meet agricultural production needs in Colorado’s many unique agricultural regions.
Research Centers
The Agricultural Experiment Station oversees research centers across the state conducting research that meets the agricultural production needs for the state.
Agricultural Research, Development and Education Center
ARDEC is an off-campus farm, working livestock facility and horticulture field research center located just 4 miles north of Fort Collins. The Colorado Agricultural Experiment Station oversees the ARDEC’s 1,065-acre operation including acreage dedicated to ARDEC-South, the Horticulture Field Research Center and the livestock facility.
Arkansas Valley Research Center
The Arkansas Valley Research Center is our oldest running center, founded in 1888. Our work serves the southeast irrigated farming area associated with the Arkansas river and its tributaries. Our research focuses on optimizing livestock and agriculturally important crop production. We also collaborate with the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences in our on-site Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory.
Eastern Colorado Research Center
The Eastern Colorado Research Center is a 3760-acre livestock and rangeland research operation centered between Akron and Sterling, CO. We work on over 35 native and seeded rangeland pastures with a 22-feedlot pen capacity. The Center also has bunk space, enclosed working areas, chutes, and scales for working and weighing livestock.
Plainsman Research Center
The Plainsman Research Center is in Colorado’s historic dust bowl region in the far southeastern plains. Our primary work stems from those bygone days, finding strategies to optimize crop yields with limited water resources. Our primary crops of interest include wheat, grain sorghum, forage sorghum, corn, sunflower, bean, and canola. And we are always testing alternative crop plants for new applications.
San Luis Valley Research Center
The SLVRC is one of the oldest centers in our Ag history. Established in 1888, the primary research focus migrated toward selecting and optimizing potato varieties certifying seeds for Colorado growers. The potato breeding program later began in tandem with the potato variety selection program. The SLVRC catalogued historical cultural practices used for disease and pest management to enhance modern techniques.
Southwestern Colorado Research Center
The Southwest Colorado Research Center is a 155-acre, high-elevation research station in southwest Colorado. Our research investigates dryland and irrigation techniques and the beneficial effects on crop and soil health. We are actively engaged with regional community development and promote food systems and natural resource projects in the area. We also partner with CSU Extension on a research and demonstration orchard with over 75 fruit tree varieties.
Western Colorado Research Center
The Western Colorado Research Center comprises three research stations in Mesa County on Colorado’s Western Slope. WCRC facilities include greenhouses, laboratory space, and certified organic acreage. Our research focuses on high-elevation tree fruit and wine grape production, ornamental horticulture, organic agriculture, seed production and water conservation.
Metro Agricultural Research Center
The latest addition to the AES network, the Metropolitan Agricultural Research Center specializes in research and education at the urban-rural interface. Its current primary focus is Controlled Environment Agriculture, utilizing enclosed structures like greenhouses and growth chambers to optimizes plant growth conditions like water, energy, space, and labor for efficient and eco-friendly high-value crop production. This applied research will extend to broader socioeconomic challenges and align with local producers, consumers and communities to promote a more locally based, self-reliant food economy.
Plant Growth Facilities
The PGF is a multidisciplinary Institutional Core Research Facility overseen by the Agricultural Experiment Station. Our operational research footprint is over 60,000 square feet including greenhouses, growth chambers and biocontainment facilities. The PGF community of over 600 faculty students and staff work on a wide variety of plant material. Our conservatory houses our tropical and desert plant collections used for hands-on education in our Biology, Botany, and Horticulture labs.
Biogeographic Data Summary
AES and Research Centers
Get a snapshot of each research centers unique climate and growing season data to inform how our centers can collaborate on your research projects.
| CAES Research Center | Location | Miles from Campus | Elevation (feet) | Average Precipitation | Average Frost-free Days | Principal Soil Type | Acres | Building Square Feet | Research Foci |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARDEC* | Fort Collins | 11 | 5,152 | 15" | 150 | Fort Collins Loam | 997 | 197,958 | Diverse crop and livestock systems, plant breeding and seed increase |
| AVRC | Rocky Ford | 230 | 4,178 | 12" | 158 | Rocky Ford Clay Loam | 124 | 18,337 | Vegetable crop development and systems, Crop water use |
| ECRC | Akron | 128 | 4,300 | 16" | 140 | Valentine Sand | 3,760 | 22,419 | Beef production, breeding and grazing management |
| PRC | Walsh | 330 | 3,974 | 14" | 161 | Baca Clay Loam | 880 | 3,052 | Dryland and limited irrigation cropping systems |
| SLVRC | Center | 268 | 7,668 | 7" | 96 | Norte Gravelly Sandy Loam | 314 | 43,269 | Potato breeding, storage and production |
| SWCRC | Yellow Jacket | 482 | 6,950 | 15" | 120 | Wetherill Loam | 158 | 11,816 | Dryland and irrigated crops, soil health and alternative crops |
| WCRC | Orchard Mesa | 307 | 4,470 | 8" | 182 | Mesa Clay Loam | 80 | 24,676 | Tree fruits and vines |
| WCRC | Grand Valley | 314 | 4,600 | 8" | 143 | Fruita Sandy Loam | 94 | 14,168 | Water efficient cropping systems |
| WCRC | Hotchkiss | 296 | 5,800 | 12" | 150 | Mesa Stony Loam | 84 | 14,895 | Tree fruit and vines, Cover crops |
Upcoming Center Events and News
CSU awarded grant for Western Slope agrivoltaics research
CAS/AES annual awards ceremony honors employee, student excellence
Contact Information
Agricultural Experiment Station
408C University Services Center – 3001 Campus Delivery
Fort Collins, CO 80523-3001
Phone: (970) 491-5371
Email: cas_aes@Mail.colostate.edu