The Brownstown Agronomy Research Center consists of 208± acres. Of this approximate 208 acres, 160 acres are owned by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees and 48 acres are crop shared from landowners adjacent to or in close proximity of the facility. 117 acres of the approximate 208 acres is considered useable land for agronomic purposes. The remaining 91 acres consists of 55 acres of long term coniferous and deciduous tree research, 4 acres of ponds, and 32 acres of grass alleys, waterways, roads, and building sites.
The Brownstown Agronomy Research Center (BARC) was established in 1937, when after reviewing 3 different sites, Dr. Burlinson, head of the college of Agronomy, chose the Fayette county site. J.B. Turner, farm advisor in Fayette County and a descendent of Jonathan Baldwin Turner, led the Farm Bureau Board of Directors in sponsoring the purchase of 120 acres of land for $1800. The deed to this land was presented to Dean Mumford in June of 1937. Later that year, a 24' X 60' barn was built, and the Brownstown Center began operation. (The original barn, which is still in use today, can be seen in the black and white photo above.)
Brownstown was one of the first comprehensive field research centers operated by the department, upon which a wide spectrum of soil and crop management treatments were compared and demonstrated." Soil fertility and crop variety work began in the 1930's with equipment that included horse drawn discs, a Hayes corn planter, a walking plow and a sulky plow. Weed science and tillage work began in the 1950's, as did cooperative relationships with entomologists, plant pathologists, and agricultural engineers.