Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research Center

Beltsville Agricultural Research Center main building in 2018
The campus viewed from the top floor of the National Agricultural Library in 2018
Aerial view of BARC's Dairy Research Facility

The Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC), also known as the National Agricultural Research Center,[1] is a unit of the United States Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service. It is located at 39°02′N 76°53′W / 39.033°N 76.883°W / 39.033; -76.883Coordinates: 39°02′N 76°53′W / 39.033°N 76.883°W / 39.033; -76.883 in unincorporated Prince George's County, Maryland,[2] with sections within the Beltsville census-designated place.[3][4] The BARC is named for Henry A. Wallace, former United States vice president and secretary of agriculture. BARC houses the Abraham Lincoln Building of the National Agricultural Library.

Among its research programs are Air Quality; Animal Health; Crop Production; Crop Protection and Quarantine; Food Animal Production; Food Safety; Global Change; Human Nutrition; Integrated Farming Systems; Manure and Byproduct Utilization; Methyl Bromide Alternatives; Plant Biological and Molecular Processes; Plant Diseases; Plant Genetic Resources, Genomics, and Genetic Improvement; Quality and Utilization of Agricultural Products; Rangeland, Pasture, and Forages; Soil Resource Management; Veterinary, Medical, and Urban Entomology; and Water Quality and Management.

The center's Harvest for the Hungry program donates about 75,000 pounds (34 metric tons) of fruits and vegetables each year for distribution to local charities, in conjunction with volunteers from the community who do much of the labor of harvesting.

Each February, BARC hosts the Washington's Birthday Marathon, the eighth oldest marathon in the United States.

During the September 24, 2001 tornado outbreak, the BARC facilities sustained extensive damage as the result of an F3 tornado.[5]

References

  1. ↑ "National Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville, Maryland. 1937. General statement and description (pictures and text) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture 16,000 acre-farm." U.S. Library of Congress. Retrieved on September 2, 2018.
  2. ↑ "Beltsville Agricultural Research Center: Beltsville, MD." U.S. Department of Agriculture. Retrieved on September 2, 2018. "10300 Baltimore Avenue Bldg. 003, Rm. 231, BARC-West Beltsville, MD 20705"
  3. ↑ "2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP (INDEX): Beltsville CDP, MD." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on January 31, 2018. Pages: 1, 2, 3
  4. ↑ "Census Incorporated Places & Census Designated Places." Prince George's County. As of August 24, 2003. Retrieved on September 2, 2018. This map shows that sections of the BARC are outside of the Beltsville CDP.
  5. ↑ USDA research center severely damaged in tornado. (press release) United States Department of Agriculture, September 25, 2001. Retrieved on 2008-12-22.
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