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One of the more recent changes at this location has been the leasing of 75 acres to the Lee county Board of supervisors for the development of a Lee county Agri-center and the completion of a new Research and Extension Center office complex. In addition, a horticulture research unit was established in April 1996 to conduct research in support of the vegetable and ornamental industry.

The research station was first established in 1947 by the Mississippi legislature on about 173 acres, all located east of Coonewah Creek. In the 1960's, with the help of CDF, about 230 acres, all west of Coonewah Creek, were purchased. In the 1970's an additional 20 acres of bottomland were purchased. As agriculture has changed, the station has also undergone many changes.

From the late 1940's through the 1950's, major emphasis was in poultry and broiler management research. From the late 1950's through the 1960's, dairy management and horticulture research was the main focus. The station had one of the top-producing Jersey dairy cattle herds in the nation. In the early 1970's emphasis was placed on the dairy replacement heifer management and agronomic row-crop research. The "calf-hut" replacement dairy heifer rearing method was developed through the station’s heifer replacement management research program.

The soybean cyst nematode pest was first identified by scientists in station research plots in the early 1970's. This discovery led to the evaluation and development of cyst nematode-resistant soybean varieties. In the late 1970's soybean stem canker disease, was first identified in station research plots, leading to the evaluation, development, and release of stem canker-resistant varieties, The station’s current major agronomic effort, led by Dr. Normie Buehring, is in the evaluation of herbicide and insect tolerant crops, and the evaluation and development of conservation tillage systems for corn, cotton, and soybeans that minimize soil sediment loss, enhance yield, and reduce production cost. This year, the station has studies in progress involving industry, Mississippi State University scientists, and scientists from other branch stations in the evaluation and development of new agronomic crop production technology.