The LSU AgCenter’s Dean Lee Research and Extension Station in Alexandria, La., has been awarded the 2007 Soil and Water Conservation Society of Louisiana “Good Land Use Award.”

The station received the award because of its outstanding record in conducting agricultural research in management systems for cotton, soybeans, corn, weed control, beef cattle and performance testing, according to David Williams, district conservationist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation Service in Alexandria, who made the nomination.

In addition to many other accomplishments in environmental stewardship, the station practices rotational grazing, nutrient management and integrated pest management, Williams said.

“We work diligently on conservation projects,” said Danny Coombs, the research coordinator at the station. “As they are implemented, these projects provide a more efficient use of water, prevent loss of wildlife habitat and control erosion.”

Normally, this annual award is given to a farmer, Williams said.

“This station is a good steward of the land,” Williams said. “Its actions have not only benefited the Bayou Boeuf Watershed but Louisiana’s agricultural community.” The Bayou Boeuf is the watershed in which the station resides.

The station, which is adjacent to the LSU-Alexandria campus, comprises more than 3,000 acres, including 900 acres of pasture, 650 acres of row crops and 1,200 acres of hardwood timber, according to John Barnett, the LSU AgCenter’s Central Region director.