Founded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1922 and vacated by its last operator, a cotton growers’ association, the station will stay an agricultural research and teaching site under the university’s foundation.
Kern County is transferring the Shafter Cotton Research Station, about 80 acres of surplus county land at 17053 Shafter Ave. in Shafter, Kern County, California, to the California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB) Foundation. The Board of Supervisors approved the transfer Aug. 11, 2026, according to the county’s environmental notice. The foundation plans to keep the site an educational and experimental agricultural center.
Key takeaways
- Kern County’s Board of Supervisors approved transferring 17053 Shafter Avenue (Assessor’s Parcel Number 072-210-08) to the CSUB Foundation as Item CA-38 on Aug. 11, 2026, according to the county’s notice of exemption.
- The property covers about 80 acres with office, storage and greenhouse structures totaling about 67,000 square feet. The foundation intends to keep it an educational and experimental agricultural center.
- USDA founded the station in 1922. It became California Historical Landmark No. 1022 and a National Register of Historic Places listing in 1997.
- USDA left in 2012 because of budget cuts. After the growers’ association that followed it disbanded, Kern County invited letters of interest in November 2024 for uses such as an ag-tech incubator, research center or school.
- The county filed its California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) notice of exemption Aug. 13, 2026 (SCH 2026080483). The 35-day challenge window ran to about Sept. 17, 2026.
Shafter Cotton Research Station transfer at a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Project | Transfer of surplus county real property to the CSUB Foundation |
| Property | Shafter Cotton Research Station (the name on the parcel map attached to the county’s notice) |
| Location | 17053 Shafter Ave., Shafter, CA 93263; cross street Merced Avenue; Section 33, T27S, R25E |
| Parcel | APN 072-210-08 |
| Transferor | County of Kern (General Services Division, County Administrative Office) |
| Recipient | California State University, Bakersfield Foundation |
| Jurisdiction | Kern County Board of Supervisors |
| Case numbers | July 14, 2026 Item 52 (PM); Aug. 11, 2026 Item CA-38 (PM); SCH 2026080483 |
| Size | About 80 acres; about 67,000 sq. ft. of office, storage and greenhouse structures |
| Use | Educational and experimental agricultural center (existing use continues) |
| Price | Not stated in the county’s notice or July 14 meeting recap |
| Status | Approved Aug. 11, 2026; CEQA notice of exemption filed Aug. 13 |
| Next step | Deed and closing between the county and the foundation; no date published |
What did Kern County approve for the Shafter Cotton Research Station?
Kern County approved handing the station, a century-old farm research site, to Cal State Bakersfield’s foundation. On July 14, 2026, supervisors adopted a Resolution of Intent, Item 52 of the afternoon session. It set a 2 p.m. Aug. 11 public hearing on “the proposed transfer of surplus real property located at 17053 Shafter Avenue, in Shafter,” to the foundation, according to the county’s July 14 meeting recap.
The board took up the transfer Aug. 11 as Item CA-38. The notice of exemption names the Board of Supervisors as the approving agency and the General Services Division as sponsor. It does not give the vote count.
The State Clearinghouse listing describes the property as “approximately 80 acres of land and various office, storage, and greenhouse structures totaling approx. 67,000 square feet.” It says the foundation intends to keep the existing use as an educational and experimental agricultural center.
Neither the recap nor the filing states a price or other consideration. This is a transfer of surplus property, not an open-market sale, so it is not a land comparable for the Shafter area. Readers who want background on how public agencies dispose of land can read Kern CRE’s explainer on the California Surplus Land Act.
How did the environmental review work?
The county did not prepare an environmental impact report or a negative declaration. The notice cites four categorical exemptions in the CEQA Guidelines (Sections 15301, 15305, 15311 and 15312, the last covering sales of surplus government property). It also cites the common-sense exemption in Section 15061(b)(3), which applies when there is “no possibility” of a significant environmental effect.
The county’s chief general services officer signed the notice. The county filed it Aug. 13, 2026, and the State Clearinghouse logged it Aug. 14.
Where is the Shafter Cotton Research Station?
The station sits at 17053 Shafter Avenue in Shafter, with Merced Avenue as the cross street, in Section 33 of Township 27 South, Range 25 East, according to CEQAnet. The parcel is APN 072-210-08, carries the 93263 ZIP code and lies near State Route 43.
The parcel map attached to the notice labels the property as the Shafter Cotton Research Station, and the station’s Wikipedia entry gives the same street address.
What is the history of the Shafter Cotton Research Station?
USDA opened the station in 1922 to support California’s young cotton industry, with researcher Wofford Benjamin Camp as its first director, Valley Ag Voice reported in April 2026. Its best-known work was Acala cotton bred for San Joaquin Valley conditions, according to Wikipedia.
The station became California Historical Landmark No. 1022 on March 3, 1997, and joined the National Register of Historic Places on Oct. 17, 1997, according to Wikipedia. Valley Ag Voice describes a 20-acre campus of 23 buildings surrounded by 60 acres of experimental plots. The historic core totals 11,580 square feet and includes the original laboratory, the superintendent’s residence, a cotton gin and a greenhouse. A deep well and surface water from the Shafter-Wasco Irrigation District serve the plots, The Shafter Press reported.
Why did Kern County declare the station surplus?
USDA withdrew in 2012 because of budget cuts and left the land, buildings and infrastructure as Kern County assets, Valley Ag Voice reported. The San Joaquin Valley Quality Cotton Growers Association took over operations in June 2012, according to Wikipedia. By November 2024 the association had disbanded and vacated, The Shafter Press reported. The two outlets differ on when the county took ownership, and the county has not published an acquisition date.
The county then looked for a new user. Its Property Management Department held an open house Nov. 12, 2024, invited letters of interest and scheduled an auction of on-site farm equipment for Dec. 7. Jim Damian, the county’s chief economic development officer, said the uses under consideration included an ag-tech incubator, a research center and a school. The Shafter Press also reported that the county was weighing a feasibility study or a possible sale or donation.
What does CSUB plan for the Shafter site?
CSUB plans to keep the site in agricultural research and teaching use, and no detailed program has been published. The recipient is the CSUB Foundation, an auxiliary nonprofit established in 1969 to support the university through advocacy, fundraising and management of its endowment.
CSUB’s interest was public by spring. In April 2026 a university spokesperson told Valley Ag Voice that CSUB was actively exploring ways to acquire the property or partner in its use, and that the process was not final. The same report said CSUB envisioned a research hub where faculty and students would work on site. That would fill a gap: Valley Ag Voice noted that CSUB’s agriculture program emphasizes agricultural business and lacks plant science and agronomy programs.
CSUB has published no program, budget or timeline for the station.
What does the CSUB transfer mean for Shafter commercial real estate?
For the private market, the main effect is what does not happen. Eighty acres with about 67,000 square feet of buildings near State Route 43 will stay in institutional, agricultural use rather than go to a private buyer. In our view, the landmark and National Register listings would have made large-scale redevelopment difficult in any case.
Shafter is growing around the station. The city is weighing a new development agreement for the 5,334-home Mission Lakes Specific Plan and a Housing Element rezoning that would add capacity for 1,836 homes. On the industrial side, Anvil Steel is doubling its Coberly Road warehouse to 67,360 square feet, and a 129,236-square-foot furniture warehouse is proposed in the Shafter area.
Space is available for companies that want to be near a university research farm. A national brokerage’s Q2 2026 Bakersfield industrial report put availability at 10.1%, with average asking rent of $0.71 per square foot per month, triple net (the tenant pays taxes, insurance and maintenance). A regional brokerage report measured Q2 2026 vacancy at 9.55%, down from 10.90% in the first quarter.
Is there an opening for ag-tech and agricultural service firms?
Possibly. In our view, the bigger opportunity is for ag-tech, seed, irrigation and crop-input companies. A research farm with greenhouses, well- and district-irrigated plots and student researchers can attract firms that want field trials and a Kern County base. The county itself floated an ag-tech incubator for the site in 2024.
CSUB has not said whether it will invite industry partners onto the property. If it does, owners of flex and small-industrial space around Shafter could see demand, because partner firms would need offices, labs and storage near the plots.
What questions remain about the transfer?
Several points remain open: the price or other consideration, the board’s vote, any deed restrictions tied to the site’s historic status, and when CSUB will put the vacated buildings back into use.
What happens next for the Shafter Cotton Research Station?
A deed and closing between the county and the foundation come next, and no date has been published. Under CEQA Guidelines Section 15062, filing a notice of exemption starts a 35-day period to challenge the exemption. Counted from the Aug. 13 filing, that window ran to about Sept. 17, 2026. No challenge has been reported. Any new buildings or major site changes CSUB proposes later would likely need their own approvals.
Timeline
- 1922: USDA establishes the Shafter Cotton Research Station.
- 1997: State landmark No. 1022 (March 3) and National Register listing (Oct. 17).
- 2012: USDA withdraws; the San Joaquin Valley Quality Cotton Growers Association takes over operations.
- November 2024: With the growers’ association disbanded, Kern County holds an open house (Nov. 12), invites letters of interest and sets an equipment auction for Dec. 7.
- April 2026: CSUB says it is exploring acquiring or partnering on the property.
- July 14, 2026: The board adopts a Resolution of Intent and sets the hearing.
- Aug. 11, 2026: Board hearing and approval, Item CA-38.
- Aug. 13 to 14, 2026: County files the notice of exemption; the State Clearinghouse posts it (SCH 2026080483).
Frequently asked questions
What is the Shafter Cotton Research Station?
It is an agricultural research site at 17053 Shafter Avenue in Shafter that USDA founded in 1922. The station is known for Acala cotton, a variety developed for the San Joaquin Valley, and it holds state landmark and National Register status from 1997. Kern County owns it now that the last operator, a growers’ association, has left.
Who is getting the Shafter Cotton Research Station?
The California State University, Bakersfield Foundation is the recipient. Supervisors adopted a Resolution of Intent July 14, 2026, and approved the transfer of the roughly 80-acre property at an Aug. 11 hearing (Item CA-38). The county filed its CEQA notice of exemption Aug. 13 under State Clearinghouse number 2026080483.
How much did the CSUB Foundation pay for the Shafter property?
Public records do not say. Neither the July 14 meeting recap nor the August CEQA notice states a price or other consideration. Because the deal moves surplus county land to a university foundation, it is not a useful comparable for valuing farmland or industrial land near Shafter.
What will CSUB do with the Shafter Cotton Research Station?
The county’s CEQA filing says the foundation intends to keep the existing educational and experimental agricultural use. A CSUB spokesperson told Valley Ag Voice in April 2026 that the university sees a research hub for faculty and students. The university has released no detailed plan, budget or schedule.
Why did Kern County declare the station surplus?
The county no longer had an operator for it. USDA left in 2012 over budget cuts, and the growers’ association that took over had disbanded and vacated by November 2024. The county then sought letters of interest, floated an ag-tech incubator, research center or school, and, per The Shafter Press, weighed a sale or donation.
How big is the Shafter Cotton Research Station?
The county’s filing lists about 80 acres and roughly 67,000 square feet of office, storage and greenhouse buildings on APN 072-210-08. Valley Ag Voice describes it differently: a 20-acre campus with 23 buildings inside 60 acres of experimental plots, with 11,580 square feet of historic structures.
Looking for flex, industrial or agricultural property near Shafter, or wondering how this transfer and the area’s growth affect your holdings? Call Kern CRE at 661-885-6949 or contact us. Get Kern County CRE news monthly: subscribe to the Kern CRE report.
Sources
- Transfer Surplus Real Property to California State University Bakersfield (CSUB) Foundation, Notice of Exemption (SCH 2026080483), CEQAnet (State Clearinghouse), received Aug. 14, 2026.
- Notice of Exemption: Transfer Surplus Real Property to CSUB Foundation (with parcel map), Kern County General Services Division, filed Aug. 13, 2026.
- Board of Supervisors Meeting Recap for July 14, 2026, County of Kern, July 14, 2026.
- CSUB Considers Shafter Research Station Acquisition, Valley Ag Voice, April 23, 2026.
- Kern County Seeks Proposals for Historic Shafter Cotton Research Station, Valley Ag Voice, Nov. 19, 2024.
- County looking for interest in Cotton Research Station, The Shafter Press, Nov. 21, 2024.
- Shafter Cotton Research Station, Wikipedia.
- CSUB Foundation, California State University, Bakersfield.
- Cal. Code Regs. tit. 14, Section 15062: Notice of Exemption, Legal Information Institute (Cornell).
- Bakersfield Industrial MarketBeat, Q2 2026, Cushman & Wakefield, Q2 2026.
- Q2 2026 Bakersfield, CA Industrial Market Report, Lee & Associates, July 2026.
About this article
Kern CRE prepared this article with help from AI research and writing tools. An editor reviewed the draft, checked its facts against the sources linked above and edited it for accuracy and clarity. Details come from public records and the sources cited; unless stated, Kern CRE and ASU Commercial were not involved in the transaction or project.