About
New Franklin (665 acres)
The Horticulture and Agroforestry Research Farm is the primary research site for the Center for Agroforestry at the University of Missouri. This farm includes numerous experimental fruit (peach, pawpaw, elderberry) and nut orchards (chestnut, black walnut, northern pecan, ‘Bucks Unlimited’TM oak); forest farming, riparian buffers, silvopasture, alley cropping, and windbreak demonstrations as well as forage shade trials; flood tolerance trials; biofuel trials; pinestraw production trials; greenhouses; five lakes and ponds and one of Missouri’s oldest brick homes, the 1819 Thomas Hickman House on the National Register of Historic Homes. Tours and educational events, including the annual Missouri Chestnut Roast, are hosted regularly.
- History and more about the Hickman House
- Make a gift
- Follow us on Facebook
- Subscribe to our YouTube channel, Mizzou Agroforestry
Directions
10 Research Center Rd.
New Franklin, MO 65274
Phone: 660-848-2268
- From U.S. Highway 40 take Missouri Highway 5 north into New Franklin.
- Continue on Highway 5 approximately 0.4 mile past the main intersection.
- Turn left at New Franklin High School.
- Turn right into research farm.
Contact
For general questions, contact Barry Eschenbrenner, 660-848-2268
Staff
- Senior Farm Manager – Barry Eschenbrenner, eschenbrennerb@missouri.edu, 660-848-2268
- Cheryl Recker, reckercl@missouri.edu, 660-848-2268
Research Highlights
- Forest farming including mushrooms.
- Nut variety trials including pecan, chestnut and black walnut.
- National Arboretum/NC-7 Trials, a U.S. National Arboretum Midwest Research and Education Site.
- Flood and drought-tolerance facilities.
Extension & Education
- Home of the annual fall Missouri Chestnut Roast event, which started in 2003.
- Educational workshops on agroforestry and horticultural practices.
- On-site consultations for landowners.
- CAFNR undergraduate and graduate students gain research and educational experience at AES REEC across the state.
- MU Extension – Agriculture and Environment Program