Musser Fruit Research Farm
The Musser Fruit Research Center is an interdisciplinary research and demonstration facility dedicated to developing and disseminating knowledge for sustainable production in the Southeast.
About the Musser Farm
Most of Clemson’s peach research takes place at the University’s Musser Fruit Research Center, better known as Musser Farm located at Oconee Point in Seneca. The Musser Center is a 240-acre fruit tree research farm with an excellent collection of commercial peach cultivars and related wild Prunus species. The farm includes nectarine, almond, apricot, plum, and cherry trees along with various interspecific hybrids.
Through a recent bond issue, the State of South Carolina, in collaboration with the S.C. Agriculture Experiment Station, appropriated $1.5 million to enhance the research and teaching capabilities at the facility. This new construction, totaling nearly 6,000 ft2, includes 2,500 ft2 of “wet chemistry” laboratory space, offices, a greenhouse, lathe house, walk-in cold rooms, post harvest storage rooms, and two growth chambers.
The farm is surrounded on three sides by Lake Hartwell, which modifies the microclimate during spring freezes. Trees were first planted in 1984 with the main building completed in September 1992. The farm was officially dedicated April 15, 1994. Musser Farm and its buildings were constructed as part of a $1.5 million state bond issue to improve fruit research facilities at Clemson University. To download the PDF brochure of this farm, click here (PDF, 688 KB).
Musser Fruit Farm Team
| Name | Position | |
| Jeffrey Hopkins | Manager | hopkin4@clemson.edu |
| Kathy Brock | Ag. Animal Assoc. | kbrock@clemson.edu |
| Trey Burrell | Ag. Animal Assoc. | rburrel@clemson.edu |
| Sam Hudson | Research Assoc. | samh@clemson.edu |
| David Oullette | Ag. Animal Assoc. | dolltt@clemson.edu |
604 South Friendship Rd.
Seneca, SC 29678
Office: (864) 882-0028
Fax: (864) 656-0276