Alabama farmers will continue to benefit from research being conducted at the Prattville Experiment Field thanks to a cooperative agreement between the Autauga Quality Cotton Association and the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station.Once targeted for closure as part of the Experiment Station’s effort to streamline its operations, the Prattville Experiment Field not only will remain open under the agreement, but soon will include a new auditorium and meeting facilities.Dr. Jim Bannon, director of the Experiment Station’s outlying units, said the Prattville Experiment Field is a shining example of how Auburn University is working with the agriculture community to enhance research operations.”This is an excellent example of our goal to engage the experiment station with the constituents and communities we serve,” Bannon said. “It is essentially a partnership where we are thinking outside the box to generate revenue for the Experiment Station and maximize the use of our land and facilities.”Under the agreement, the Experiment Station agreed to lease Autauga Quality Cotton one acre of land at the Prattville site for the construction of its headquarters. In return, the cotton-marketing cooperative will provide an auditorium and meeting facilities as well as office space for Experiment Field Superintendent Don Moore.Jeff Thompson, executive vice president of Autauga Quality Cotton, said the agreement will benefit not only members of his association, but all farmers.”We felt strongly that we did not want to lose any of our experiment stations–especially Prattville, because of its proximity to our members and Auburn University,” Thompson said. “Our hope is that this building will become the center of cotton research and information for the state.”Founded in 1967, Autauga Quality Cotton is the only cotton cooperative in the Southeast that still emphasizes both production and marketing, Thompson said. As a result, the association has relied heavily on work being done at the Prattville facility. Thompson includes research findings in his monthly newsletter, and the association has worked with the Experiment Station in conducting on-farm trials. In recent years, Autauga Quality Cotton has marketed all the cotton produced by the Experiment Station’s outlying units. That working relationship, coupled with the association’s past use of research data, provided a foundation for the new agreement, Thompson said.In addition to cotton variety trials, Moore said the Prattville Experiment Field does research on herbicides, pest management, disease control and soil fertility. Although about 90 percent of the unit’s work is with cotton, Moore said he also has conducted research on corn, soybeans and small grains. He did not expect the agreement with Autauga Quality Cotton to change his research focus.”It shouldn’t affect the type of work we do,” he said. “What it will do is provide an auditorium where we can bring producers in to talk about research. We’ve been having to meet under a pecan tree in late August when we have our field days, and it can get pretty uncomfortable.”The agreement also will allow Moore to move out of the portable building that now serves as his office. Thompson said he expects to break ground on the new building before the end of the year.Meanwhile, Bannon said he hopes to be able to announce more cooperative arrangements in the coming weeks.One agreement that’s in the works would allow the North Alabama Agriplex to use a portion of the land at the North Alabama Horticulture Substation in Cullman for an agricultural park. Another effort would shift the research emphasis at the Lower Coastal Plain Substation in Camden to include forestry, wildlife and eco-tourism. Meanwhile, a hunting lease is being negotiated at the Piedmont Substation in Camp Hill, and the Monroeville Research Field is being used for a long-leaf pine study.Bannon said these changes will help provide an infusion of revenue into the Experiment Station’s operating budget while shifting research emphasis into areas that could enhance the profitability of Alabama farms. “Agriculture is changing, and we’ve got to change with it,” Bannon said. “The work we are doing now will help keep us at the forefront and on the cutting edge.”