Docville Farm

 The Arlene Meraux River Observation Center, “AMROC,” was dedicated in 2014 to honor the legacy of Arlene Meraux. AMROC serves as a community space and learning center. In addition to a meeting room and large classroom dedicated to community education, workshops, and projects, the building features a fifth-floor observation deck overlooking the mighty Mississippi River. The ground floor provides even more event space on the Docville Farm campus.

 We provided the infrastructure for the Center for Louisiana Citrus Innovation and Research, the anchor of a comprehensive program for strengthening the Louisiana citrus industry. It serves as a permanent demonstration of best practices for containerized citrus production. Growing citrus trees in containers and within protective screens provides pest control and allow more trees to be grown per acre. And the microclimates provide a buffer from freezing. To support citrus and commercial horticulture research that takes place at the Center, we established a $320,000 endowment to create four LSU professorships.

 We raise plants needed for our coastal restoration programs in our Docville greenhouse. It also serves as a learning resource for K-12 students throughout the year and has become a highlight of AgMagic on the River, an annual event that links Louisiana’s agriculture and environment with people’s everyday lives.

We named the turn-of-the-century house on Docville Farm in honor of Lena Randazzo Torres on the occasion of her 100th birthday in 2021. She was born on Docville in a cottage that stood where the levee runs today and later grew up in the farmhouse yards away, which we restored after it was damaged during Hurricane Katrina. Miss Lena was a trailblazer who dedicated herself to public service and community leadership.

 In 2015, we dedicated the Dave Thompson Event Barn in honor of Mr. Thompson’s 65 years of service to the Meraux family and the community. The 19th-century barn’s structure was originally located at the French Market in New Orleans, and it was moved and reconstructed on Docville by Anita Meraux in the late 1940s. Today, we host many community events in the barn.