Agriculture
is an important component of the economic well-being of the citizens
of South Carolina. More than 55 percent of the state’s crops
are grown and harvested in the 16 county Pee Dee region.
Florence
is the hub of the “Pee Dee”, which is named for the
river flowing through its center.
Florence was selected in 1911 as the site for a branch station
of the South Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station, administered
by Clemson University. When
the original Pee Dee Experiment Station was established on the Darlington
Highway in 1911, it was well removed from the business and residential
sections of Florence. Growth
of the city and increased need for land for agricultural experimentation
and development led to the acquisition in 1972 of 2,300 acres of
fields, forests and wetlands, the present site.
Today,
some 65 scientists, technicians, and support staff of Clemson University
and the U.S. Department of Agriculture continue to conduct research
and outreach programs that are applicable to the Pee Dee, but also
reach worldwide.
The faculty
and staff include scientists and technicians trained in the disciplines
of agronomy, weed science, plant pathology, nematology, entomology,
soil science, agricultural economics, animal science, and wood technology.
Programs at the Pee Dee Research and Education Center focus on important
row crops, such as corn, soybeans, cotton, and tobacco, but also
include broad based programs in agroecology and turfgrass science.
Programmatic linkages are strong with faculty from the main campus
and the USDA, as well as other universities. Several faculty have
delivered programs overseas, including Australia, China, Japan,
the United Kingdom, Africa, and South America.
