History
The Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station at Michigan State University was created on February 26, 1888, after the passage of the 1887 Hatch Act, which created a nationwide network of agricultural experiment stations. These stations were charged with conducting research and development projects on behalf of farmers. In 1925, the Purnell Act added agricultural economics, rural sociology and home economics to the experiment stations' mission.
Today, the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station sees its mission as generating knowledge through research to help agriculture and natural resources and rural communities and families in Michigan. A profile of the state's adolescent population, projects developing new varieties of beans and potatoes, a study on the marketing of Michigan apples in Great Britain, research on leadership development, a project to control scab in wheat and a database of pesticides at risk are just a few examples of the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station's commitment to offering research results that are useful to all segments of the state's population.
