beltsville agricultural research center (usda)

BEAVERDAM AND SHEEP ROADS

BARC in Beltsville, Prince Georges County, Maryland covers 6,500 acres. The facility is owned and operated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The perimeter of BARC can generally be outlined by the following transportation routes: Interstate 95 to the west; Sellman, Odell, and Powder Mill Roads to the north; Laurel Bowie Road (Maryland State Route 197) to the east; and Interstate 95/495 and Maryland State Route 193 (Greenbelt Road) to the south. Several significant north/south transit corridors transect the property, the largest of which are U.S. Route 1 (Baltimore Avenue) and the CSX Railroad right-of-way in the west, and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway that cuts through the central portion of BARC. Research at BARC addresses soil, water and air conservation, human nutrition, and integration of agricultural systems as well as plant and animal science. In addition to large agricultural plots, wooded areas and wetlands, there are more than 800 buildings on the premises including research laboratories, administrative offices, shops, greenhouses, barns, and several houses.