Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture
Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

A newsletter for faculty, staff and students

September-October 2005 • Vol. 31, No. 5

Ground broken for Dan Felton, Jr. Building at Lon Mann Cotton Research Station

A groundbreaking was held Sept. 14 for the Dan Felton, Jr. Building at the Cotton Branch Experiment Station, which is being renamed the Lon Mann Cotton Research Station.

DAN FELTON, Jr. BUILDING — The new headquarters will provide a 160-seat auditorium, labs, offices, a kitchen and conference room. As shown in this rendering by Architecture Plus, Inc., it will be attached by a covered breezeway to the existing Soil Testing and Research Laboratory building.

Vice President for Agriculture Milo Shult said the name change for the research station and the naming of the new headquarters building are to honor two of the region’s leading farmers, ginners and civic leaders.

“All of Arkansas and the Mid-South have benefited from the outstanding leadership and contributions to their communities of Mr. Mann and Mr. Felton,” Shult said. “We are delighted to honor the legacy of their lives and the continuing contributions of their families.

“This and other improvements to this Station reflect the strong commitment of the Division of Agriculture to supporting continued growth in the vital agricultural sector of the economy in Lee County and eastern Arkansas,” Shult added.

	TEAMWORK — June Mann (second from right), Counts Felton (orange suit), UA President B. Alan Sugg (left), Vice President for Agriculture Milo Shult (seventh from right), and Board of Trustees Vice President Stanley Reed (red jacket) were among those who broke ground for the Dan Felton, Jr. Building.

Lon Man and Dan Felton, Jr., passed away in December 2003 and August 2004, respectively. Their wives, June Mann and Counts Felton, and other family members participated in the groundbreaking along with U of A President B. Alan Sugg, Board of Trustees Vice President Stanley Reed and State Sen. Steve Higginbothom.

Station Director Claude Kennedy said the new building will provide 6,628 square feet for the Station headquarters, attached by a covered breezeway to the existing Soil Testing and Research Laboratory building. The design is by Architecture Plus, Inc., of Fort Smith. Jim Lindsey Construction is general contractor.

The project was made possible by contributions to the University of Arkansas Campaign for the Twenty-First Century of more than $500,000 from June Mann and family, Counts M. Felton and family, the Soil Test Review Board, Jim Lindsey, Arkansas Seed Dealers, Stanley and Charlene Reed, Southern Cotton Ginners, Bob and Barbara McGinnis, Dr. Jessamine Gist and Tom Gist, Clyde and Martha Hogan and Larry McClendon.

Lon Mann, who was inducted into the Arkansas Agricultural Hall of Fame, operated a cotton gin started by his father, which is now the McClendon, Mann and Felton Gin Co. He was president of the National Cotton Council of America, the National Cotton Ginners Association and Agricenter International. He received the 2000 Horace Hayden Cotton Ginner of the Year Award in recognition of outstanding leadership to the U.S. cotton industry, superior customer service, and civic contributions.

Mann was president of the Mid-South Ginners Council, the forerunner of the Southern Ginners Association, and of the Agricultural Council of Arkansas. He received the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service Cotton Achievement Award and the National Cotton Council Harry Baker Award.

Dan Felton, Jr., was a farmer, cotton ginner, merchant, and cattleman. He was a leader in both the livestock and row crop sectors of agriculture in Arkansas and the Mid-South, serving as president of the Arkansas Registered Angus Association and the Agricultural Council of Arkansas.

Felton was a member of the Arkansas State Board of Education, the Commission on Higher Educational Finance, and the board of the Marianna/Lee County School District. He was a member of the St. Francis Levee Board and the First National Bank at Marianna board of directors. He served aschairmanof the Lee County Democratic Central Committee for 30 years.

The Cotton Branch Experiment Station was established in 1926 as one of the first three permanent branches of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station. The Legislature appropriated $7,000 to purchase 160 acres of land and build a brick residence, brick office, mule barn, machine shed, shop and gin building. The original office building and residence are still in use.

The Eastern Arkansas Soil Testing and Research Laboratory was added in 1954 and now provides soil and plant analysis services statewide in addition to a soil fertility research program directed by Dr. Morteza Mozaffari.

The Station today consists of 653 acres and buildings valued at more than $2 million. Recent improvements include land leveling and adding irrigation capacity for a total of 300 acres, a large new equipment shelter and renovation of other facilities.

Research at the Station includes annual evaluation of cotton, soybean, wheat and corn cultivars and breeding lines, as well as studies to determine optimum fertility, irrigation and pest management for these crops.