The Shafter Research S​tation is located in the
heart of California’s San Joaquin Valley, approximately 15
miles northwest of Bakersfield on the outskirts of the city of
Shafter. Formerly known as The Shafter “Cotton”
Research Station, the facility was established here in 1922
by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, with the mission of
establishing California’s cotton industry based on developing
high quality cotton varieties and maximizing their market
potential. Through the cooperation and shared vision of
growers and researchers, solutions developed over nearly a
century at Shafter made a world-wide impact on quality
cotton production methods and supplies.

​​

     In June of 2012, due to government budget cutbacks, USDA withdrew its management and operation of the Station and relinquished its        public-sector control. In light of this development, and after careful consideration, the San Joaquin Valley Quality Cotton Growers Association decided the asset value of the facility to agriculture was too great to abandon. Immediately, the Association embarked on its mission of privatization, diversification, and redevelopment of The Shafter Research Station as a service to the industry. Their primary goal is to responsibly manage the facility and allow interested parties to use it to further their research initiatives.

     The facility consists of a 20 acre security-gated campus comprised of 23 buildings which is surrounded by 60 acres of specially configured experimental plot land. This plot land is equipped with a permanent underground irrigation system, which includes its own deep well in addition to surface water supplies provided by the local Shafter-Wasco Irrigation District. The full complement of irrigation choices are available at the Shafter Research Station from level flooding and in-row irrigation to surface and overhead sprinklers or drip systems. The soil in the laser-leveled 300 foot long plots consist of Wasco Sandy Loam, and can be secured for short term cropping research or multi-year studies.

  Interested parties can obtain short-term licenses (less than one year) or multi-year subleases of any part of the Station. Whether a client prefers laboratory space, plot land, storage areas, a greenhouse, or a private office suite, any choice is available to prospective research tenants. Space reservations are now being accepted, so if any of the facilities are of interest to your organization or program, please contact us by clicking here.