The growing season is usually between 150 and 160 days. Most of the old-fields have excellent land use records that date back at least 50 years. The scientific and support facilities at the Farm are extensive, having been accumulated over an almost sixty year period of active research. The main building houses offices, a small library, computer facilities, laboratories, meeting rooms, dormitory rooms, two 2-bedroom apartments, a dining hall, a large kitchen, herbarium and laundry facilities. In other buildings are two large greenhouses, tool sheds, two work shops, and storage sheds.
Climatological data is recorded daily at the Farm.
A nominal charge is made for dormitory and laboratory use. Because of the extensive and contrasting tracts of old-field habitats, the Farm is eminently suited for manipulative field experiments that focus on vegetational patterns and processes impinging on succession. Projects that require the manipulation of large tracts of land can be supported at the Farm. Coupling the Arboretum collections with naturally occurring trees and shrubs provides some unique research opportunities. Some recent work in this area involves the comparison of leaf-mining insect communities occurring on the native oaks with those occurring on closely related but exotic oak species in the Aboretum.