Due to COVID-19, our office and grounds will be closed to the public effective Monday, March 16, 2020 and will remain closed until we receive word from Montana State University Administration.

We do have staff working and ask that you please call our office at 406-423-5421 so we may assist you with your needs.

Welcome

The Central Agricultural Research Center consists of 600 acres and serves agricultural producers by producing foundation seed of crop varieties developed and released by the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station (MAES), including cereals, oilseeds, pulses and forage crops.

The current research center staff is comprised of one superintendent, two faculty, a farm operations manager, a farm mechanic and support personnel. A local advisory board made up of area producers and industry representatives from the surrounding counties, provides guidance on CARC research priorities.

Our Mission

The mission of the research center is to serve the specific needs of the clientele in local production areas and the broader needs of Montana agriculture in general through applied research directed to the problems and impacts of agricultural production.

The MAES mission, as established in 1893, is "to conduct and promote studies, scientific investigations and experiments relating to agriculture, natural resources and rural life, and to diffuse information thereby acquired among the people of Montana." The research centers fulfill the agricultural research component of MSU's Land Grant University mission of teaching, research and extension.

The species investigated at CARC include cereals (barley, durum, triticale, and wheat), oilseeds (canola, flax, mustards, safflower, and sunflower), pulses (lentils, peas, and chickpeas), other specialty seed-food crops (millet, buckwheat, and teff), and forage crops (annual and perennial legumes, annual and perennial grasses and salvage use of damaged grain crops). Public tours are conducted during our summer field days to present research findings and results.