Oxford Research Station | Regencypkpartnership

NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY
OXFORD TOBACCO RESEARCH STATION, OXFORD, NC

In 1877, the first board of agriculture was established in North Carolina in response to farmers’ desire for an independent agriculture department. At the same time, the state legislation provided for the establishment of “Experiment Stations” as a division of the department. After that, the creation of our research station system started and has evolved into the 18 statewide locations we know today.

Thomas Cobb is the superintendent of the Oxford Tobacco Research Station located in Oxford, NC. Thomas’ family originates from Guilford County NC. His grandfather farmed tobacco, and his dad grew up working in tobacco. Unfortunately like most small farms in central NC the farm was broken up when he was a small boy. Thomas graduated from NC State in 2010 and pursued a career in Beef Cattle production. In 2020 Thomas became the superintendent of the Oxford Tobacco Research Station. Thomas lives in Oxford with his wife and three children.

Interviewing Thomas is Maggie Kane, founder of A Place at the Table, the first pay-what-you-can cafe in downtown Raleigh. Through her work with people on the streets, she realized the power of community and the beauty in bringing people together over incredible food. A Place at the Table serves only fresh, chef prepared foods, and partners with local farms and local vendors to provide the freshest ingredients because she believes everyone should have access to fresh, healthy, and affordable food.

Thomas, thank you so much for taking the time from your pressing duties to talk to us.

For those of us that may not have seen our previous conversations with the superintendent of other research stations, we learned from them that the network of state research stations was established in 1877. Is there anything specific to your station that you wish to add?

Well, our Oxford Tobacco Research Station was founded in 1912 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In 1964, the USDA expanded its tobacco research program at Oxford. This expansion included building glass greenhouses, a headhouse with laboratories, an insect-rearing building, and a new laboratory.

In 1994, it was taken over by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture, which continues to operate it today. In 2013, the North Carolina General Assembly allocated funds to NCDA&CS to support bioenergy development.

If we were to visit your station, what might we see in addition to crops in the field?

In addition to research, there are labs and office structures. We also have bulk tobacco barns used for curing, a pack house used for storing and sampling tobacco, several equipment storage sheds, plastic greenhouses, a mechanical shop, and a facilities maintenance shop.

We also have almost everything that a working farm might have - tractors, tillage equipment, planters, and trucks. Then there is the specialized equipment used for data collection.

It seems that there is a lot going on at your station. So, how much land do you actually have?

Maggie, we have three separate tracts of land totaling about 426 acres. There are about 150 acres of cropland with the rest used for woodlands and infrastructure.

What would you say are the main focuses at your station?

Overall, our main focuses are much the same as those of the other research stations - to conduct field-based research to identify opportunities for producers and stakeholders to advance the success of their agriculture operation.

I would say that our focus or mission is to allow the general public the opportunity to visit and learn about agriculture research and production, and how it effects them.

The location for each research station was carefully selected to take advantage of its specific soils, rocks, climate, rainfall, pests, and predators. What specifically makes Oxford such a great place to perform tobacco research?

This area has very heavy clay type soil. These soils tend to be lower in organic matter than what you might find in other parts of the state.

Tobacco is a crop that performs very well on lower organic soils. Therefore, the yield that can be expected from tobacco is much higher than what other crops might produce. Also, the climate is well suited for tobacco production.

research tobacco plats that have been planted and staked.jpg

What about ECONet towers? Does your Oxford station participate in this?

Yes we do.

Actually all of our research stations have ECONet towers that collect weather data and transmits it to the State Climate Office on the North Carolina State University campus in Raleigh for its state-wide use. Every station uses this data to understand the effect that weather has on our research projects.

Thomas. We understand that the location for each research station was carefully selected to take advantage of its specific soils, rocks, climate, rainfall, pests, and predators. What makes Oxford such a great place to perform tobacco research? Can you tell us specifically why your location was selected for a Research Station?

Excellent question, Maggie!

Historically this geographical area is predominately used for tobacco production which has been at the forefront of NC agriculture and is still one of its top cash crops today. This is why this site was selected to research tobacco.

Can you give us some idea of the kinds of accomplishments that have been achieved here due to its unique set of environmental factors?

I am proud to report that major breakthroughs in tobacco production and genetics have been achieved at this station. The more notables of these being our research into Granville Wilt disease and Blackshank disease.

Granville wilt is a soil born bacterium that was first reported in Granville County in 1881. Research done at this station helps to identify the symptoms and creates disease management options for producers.

Blackshank was first reported in Forsyth County NC in 1931. It is a soil born mold or fungal type organism. Our research in developing genetic resistant varieties has been at the forefront of combating this disease, as well as developing cultural and chemical control methods.

Today, our research on disease makes up about 60% of the research platform on the station. The other 40% is made up of field crop research including research on the production of soybeans, corn, wheat, and sunflowers. We have also added hemp and sesame research, and last year we added clover and rye research to the portfolio as well.

Thomas, let’s talk about soybeans for a moment since these help meet food, feed and fuel demands around the world. What kind of research is done at your station and what are the issues?

Maggie, we are always studying soybeans at the production level by looking at best production practices for our geographical area. In our area, soybeans are the second most produced field crop behind tobacco. This makes it very important that we identify best management practices. Additionally, we currently engage in research that looks into a genetic variety of soybeans and the performance those beans have in our geographical location.

We are also proud that we host the soybean Official Variety Test, which is a NC State variety test in soybeans that is done across multiple locations in the state. Those that are interested in learning more about these tests can use the following links:

https://officialvarietytesting.ces.ncsu.edu/soybeans-2023/

https://officialvarietytesting.ces.ncsu.edu/

Going back, what would you say are some of the historic accomplishments at this station?

Notable research accomplishments include fertility investigations concerning tobacco plant nutrition, development of the first tobacco varieties with resistance to Granville Wilt and black shank diseases, and the invention of tobacco bulk curing barns. Also, the first flue-cured rack tobacco barn and curing boxes were developed at our research station.

And how about improvements that were made more recently?

Some of our more recent station improvements include:

• A bar code scanning system for sorting and grading research plot tobacco

• New transplanter units for planting research tobacco and general crop tobacco

• A “No till” vacuum planter for planting field crops

• A new storage shed and roof on the Currin Farm Annex

Are there any more recent developments you want to talk about?

Well, let's not forget about sesame.

Sesame is a low-input, drought and heat tolerant crop primarily produced for its high oleic and linoleic acid seed. This is a newer crop option for NC producers that has gained popularity over the last 5 years or so. Large acreage grain farmers have well-established systems and equipment that are virtually the same as those used for sesame production. NC State has been leading the research around sesame production in North Carolina, and it is proving to be a great option for NC farmers.

Anything else?

OTRS Research Technition Charles Lane.jpg

I talked about soybeans earlier, and I want to mention that these are a very versatile and renewable crop. They are grown in every county of North Carolina. NC State scientists are combining field and lab approaches at our station in order to develop effective fungicides and fungicide programs for soybeans. They also evaluate seed treatments that may help reduce yield losses due to soybean nematodes, a group of parasitic roundworms that attack plants.

What kinds of ongoing programs and educational events do you have, and who can go to them? How does one find out about these?

Every year we host a field day in conjunction with the NC cooperative extension to showcase the research that is being done here.

These field days are the most common events. They give the public the opportunity to see what research is being done and how it might be applicable to their operation. Additionally we host school tours allowing students to come see agriculture production, and to learn what agricultural research is about and how it affects them.

How can we find out more about upcoming events and programs?

The field days, as well as all of the other research stations can be found on the NC State field day portal website here.

What is your involvement with the North Carolina State Fair?

We really enjoy supporting the annual NC State Fair in Raleigh. We are responsible for providing the tobacco for tobacco tying contests as well as the historic stick barn. We consider it an honor to be selected to supply the tobacco for the Fair every year.

There is a tobacco tying contest showcasing how tobacco used to be hand tied on sticks. Anyone can enter this contest. The tobacco will then the put into a historic stick barn and fire cured during the week of the Fair. On the last Friday of the Fair, there will be a mock auction showcasing how tobacco was historically sold at market. Anyone can visit the curing barn during the week of the Fair to see the tobacco curing process and learn about the history of tobacco in our state.

What about community involvement? Are there are any opportunities for your research station to be involved in the community?

This is a very good question, and I am glad that you asked it!

The Oxford Tobacco Research Station has been an important part of the community since its establishment in 1912. The station provides a location for local tobacco growers to visit and learn about the newest varieties and technologies. Over time, our research programs have diversified to meet the continued needs of the farming community.

Bioenergy crops are also grown on the station for research and demonstration. The establishment of these crops on the research station provides a convenient location for events such as tours and field days to share new technologies.

Thomas, I want to thank you for all of your help. I had no idea just how big and important the Tobacco industry is in North Carolina. Your research to protect our state’s Tobacco production and assist those who depend on Tobacco for their livelihood is equally important.