Agricultural Land and Resource Management (ALRM), an office of the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station (AAES) and Auburn University College of Agriculture, was organized in the mid-1970s to assist in the preliminary phases of construction of the E. V. Smith Research Center in Shorter, the AU Poultry Farm and Swine Nutrition Unit in Auburn and the Solon Dixon Forestry Center in Covington County. The office also assisted in planning units, selecting architects, choosing contractors, site preparation and project oversight.

When it was formed, ALRM was known as Research Operations. In 2005 it was renamed Land and Facilities Management to more accurately reflect its changing role. Its current name-Agricultural Land and Resource Management-indicates further expansion of the services provided.

Main office of Alabama Land and Resource Management at Auburn University.

      Today, ALRM is a farm/agricultural service and support organization for the AU College of Agriculture and the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station with many years of experience under its belt and a workforce of multi-talented personnel. Among the tasks we tackle are: facilities maintenance and repair, planning of farm-related buildings and structures, construction of those structures, pond construction and repair, lagoon and waste water management system construction, parking lot construction and maintenance of utilities, plumbing, electrical, mechanical, hydraulic and pneumatic systems, all while managing more than 600 acres of open land located in the Auburn area.

       ALRM also supports teaching and research programs related to the College of Agriculture and the AAES. If labor, support or knowledge about equipment is unavailable from other campus sources, we provide the support needed to conduct a project. Available equipment includes most wood working tools, hand operated or power driven tools, garden and farm tools, ladders, mowers, weedeaters, axes, power saws, etc.

     Along with seven agricultural tractors and PTO equipment, ALRM is responsible for five bulldozers, a backhoe, rubber tire loader, trenching machine, self-loading pan, dump trucks, tractor trailer trucks, tanker truck, trailers, fork lifts and other prime movers.

     ALRM also assists the AAES’s research units located throughout the state with many of their needs upon request.

     ALRM has conducted or assisted with a wide range of projects on the AU campus. The list is extensive and includes building or assisting in the construction of ponds along South College Street, Shug Jordan Parkway and Donahue Drive in Auburn as well as 63 AU fisheries research and teaching ponds. ALRM equipment and personnel also helped to build the ¾-mile road leading into the AU Raptor Center and the flight pen located at that site.

Pond built by Agricultural Land and Facilities Management.

     In an average year, ALRM completes more than 250 work requests ranging from minor jobs that may take only an hour to complete to complicated jobs requiring hundreds of man hours. Each work request submitted is processed and, upon completion, denotes man hours, equipment used and material costs.

      ALRM is headquartered at 925 Camp Auburn Road in Auburn, just below the AU Poultry Farm. Facilities at this site (other than the metal framework) were designed and constructed by ALRM personnel. Located at the site are LFM offices, shops and storage areas. Shop facilities include a wood working shop, welding shop, metal fabrication area, vehicle/service lift area, paint booth, parts/stock rooms, supply room, sign making shop, drafting/plan room, blueprint room, historic plans and file room (AAES only, dating back to 1946) and a small conference room.