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Southeast Purdue Agricultural Center (SEPAC)
SEPAC is located in Butlerville, Indiana (Jennings County).
The farm was established in 1977 when the State of Indiana transferred
830 acres from the Department of Mental Health's Muscatatuck State
School to Purdue University. In 2005, an additional 1,600 acres
was transferred from the Department of Natural Resources to Purdue
University, bringing the total farm acreage to 2,430 acres.
The majority of soils at SEPAC are poorly drained silt
loams. The soils have low organic matter content and are highly
erosive. No-till farming practices are used on the majority of
the cropland at SEPAC. Cropland at SEPAC involves research on
primarily corn, soybeans and wheat. Forested land is used for
timber management and tree plantation research. The farm also
issues hunting and access permits for the former DNR portion of
the property.
Research at SEPAC concentrates on grain crops and forestry.
Approximately 50 different research projects are being conducted
at SEPAC at any one time. The research projects involve over 30
professors, graduate students, and technicians.
Projects
include research on:
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Pest management
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Nutrient management
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Variety performance
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Soil Drainage
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Water Quality
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Forestry plantation management
The headquarters facility at SEPAC contains an 1100 sq.
ft. conference room for education and training. Additional facilities
and equipment include soil drainage and water quality station,
modern field machinery, a farm shop, pesticide handling facility,
equipment storage buildings, grain bins, crop sample dryers and
a walk in cooler.
Traditional field days and tours held at SEPAC give producers
an opportunity to meet one-on-one with agriculture researchers
to discuss topics important to their operations. In addition,
hundreds of adults and children visit SEPAC each year to learn
about the latest farming techniques and about agriculture in general.
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