Southern Regional Research Center

United States Department of Agriculture Southern Regional Research Laboratory

USDA Southern Regional Research Center
Established	1941 by the United States Congress
Research type	Agricultural and basic science
Budget	US$25 million
Director	Thomas E. Cleveland
Staff	200
Location	New Orleans, Louisiana
Campus	40 acres (16 ha)
Operating agency	United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service

The United States Department of Agriculture Southern Regional Research Center (SRRC) is one of four regional laboratories within the United States Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service. Principal research areas of the SRRC include food safety, global food security, climate change, biofuels, agricultural sustainability, health and nutrition. It furthermore emphasizes improved product quality of natural fibers especially cotton, according to the SRRC's mission statement. The SRRC laboratory is located at 1100 Robert E. Lee Boulevard, New Orleans, Louisiana 70124-4305 (Latitude 30.01881, Longitude -90.08952). It has an annual budget of approximately $25 million, employing 70 scientists and 130 other people in laboratory support roles.

The SRRC laboratory was established as a result of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938 by the United States Congress. Construction on the laboratory commenced in 1939 at its current 40 acre (162,000 m²) building site, a tract in the northeast corner of City Park on Robert E. Lee Boulevard near Bayou St. John, New Orleans, Louisiana. The laboratory opened in 1941. Research at the laboratory initially emphasized crops in the southern United States that were produced in surplus, especially cotton, sweet potato, and peanuts. The history of the laboratory is documented on-line by the United States Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service. The laboratory was designated a National Historic Chemical Landmark in May 2004.