Agricultural experiment station is a research center that conducts scientific investigations to solve problems and suggest improvements in food and agriculture systems. Experiment station scientists work with farmers, ranchers, suppliers, processors, and others involved in food production and agriculture. Station scientists also work with natural resource and environmental organizations, rural communities, and consumers. Agricultural experiment stations have made outstanding contributions to the development of food and agriculture in the United States and Canada.
The United States has dozens of stations, including stations in the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Each state has at least one main station at a state school called a land-grant university. Many states have branch stations to meet the needs of different climate and geographic zones in those states.
The U.S. experiment stations are state institutions, but the federal and state governments cooperate in funding the research done at the stations. The states provide most of the government money. Additional income comes from competitive grants, contracts, and the sale of farm products.
Station scientists study biological, economic, and social problems of food, agriculture, and related industries in each state. They investigate such subjects as crop rotations, soil health, plant and livestock diseases, and environmentally friendly agriculture. They also work to develop and apply advanced technology to food and agriculture. The scientists work with specialists called extension agents or county extension faculty, who teach farmers about the latest local developments in agriculture. Most station scientists are faculty members of the land-grant universities.
The first state agricultural experiment station in the United States was organized in 1875 at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. It was supported by private donations and state funds. Federal aid for experiment stations across the country began with the Hatch Act of 1887. The provisions of this act and later legislation providing increased funds were combined in the Hatch Act of 1955. The McIntire-Stennis Act of 1962 authorized forestry research at experiment stations. The federal government takes part in the experiment station program through the National Institute of Food and Agriculture of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The department coordinates research activities among the state experiment stations.
In Canada, about 50 percent of the experiment stations are controlled by the Canadian government. The Central Experimental Farm in Ottawa is the headquarters of the federal system. Private industries, universities, and agricultural colleges control the remainder of the stations. Each province has a number of provincial stations.
