Lake Wheeler Road Field Laboratory

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The Lake Wheeler Road Field Laboratory offers nearly 1,500 acres for teaching, research and extension requests made by NC State faculty. Many of the units hosted here are operated by various departments in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) — such as Animal Science; Poultry Science; Crop and Soil Sciences; Biological and Agricultural Engineering; Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences; and Entomology and Plant Pathology.

Lake Wheeler Field Lab Units and their operating departments are listed below. Contact information appears at “Agriculture-Related Units in the Raleigh Area.”

Activities at these units are supported by the Lake Wheeler Field Laboratory personnel, which include staff for field operation, landscape & maintenance, and vehicle maintenance. Support activities include forage production, waste management, landscaping, maintenance, and repairs. Additional agronomy-related research is conducted directly by the farm operations staff.

Lake Wheeler Road Field Laboratory
4201 Inwood Road
Raleigh, NC 27603
Bridget Lassiter, Superintendent
bridget_lassiter@ncsu.edu
919-513-1575

Animal-Related Units Located at the Lake Wheeler Road Field Laboratory

Animal Health Building (Animal Science)
Animal and Poultry Waste Management Center Processing Facility (Poultry Science)
Aquaculture Education Unit (Fish Barn) (Applied Ecology)
Beef Education Unit (Animal Science)
Bee Research Facility (Applied Ecology)
Dairy Education Unit (Fo od, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences)
Equine Education Unit (Animal Science) – located at 5100 Reedy Creek Rd, Raleigh, NC
Feed Mill Field Laboratory (Poultry Science)
Randleigh Dairy Heritage Museum (Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences)
Poultry Field Laboratory (Poultry Science)
Swine Education Unit (Animal Science)

Where City Meets Farm

Just five miles from downtown Raleigh and the NC State campus sits the Lake Wheeler Road Field Laboratory, a productive and diverse teaching farm that drivers passing by could easily miss.

In the midst of Raleigh’s urban sprawl, the Lake Wheeler Road Field Lab remains an active research farm for NC State and a critical resource for North Carolina’s largest industry.

The true value of a landmark field lab

Aerial shot of NC State Dairy Farm. — Breathtaking view of grassy lush farmland with contemporary barn under light pink sky in early evening with city skyline in background. @jkasephoto www.jkase.com Credit: Justin Kase Conder Copyright: © 2021 Justin Kase Conder Usage with express permission only.

Plant-Related Units Located at the Lake Wheeler Road Field Laboratory

Air Quality-Plant Growth & Development Unit (USDA)
Agroecology Education Farm (Crop and Soil Sciences)
Fike Agronomy Teaching Field Lab (Crop and Soil Sciences)
Small Grain Research Area (USDA-ARS)
Soil and Water Technology Center/Land Application Facility (Crop and Soil Sciences)
Structural Pest Training Facility (Entomology)
Turfgrass Field Laboratory (Crop and Soil Sciences)