Research
OSU Ag Research, formally known as the Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station system, is a state agency administered by OSU Agriculture that accounts for more than a third of OSU’s ongoing research projects each year and 85% of research royalty payments that fund further studies at the university.
More than 1,000 research trials in laboratories and fields are conducted each year, accounting for about $45 million in total expenditures. Research is conducted in more than 40 research facilities, including 15 outlying stations situated on more than 14,000 acres across Oklahoma.
Research projects are a collaboration between OSU and farmers, ranchers and landowners,
as well as agriculture commodity groups, industry, local communities, public and private
agencies and federal competitive grant programs.
Applied research is conducted under local conditions for the purpose of developing
best management practices and technologies that address issues related to food, plants,
animals, local economy and human health with laboratory and social research addressing
many of the same issues. The following areas highlight how diverse and vast OSU Ag
Research is:
- Animal production and health
- Plant production and health
- Environmental and natural resources
- Economic development and human health
- Food safety and security
- Industry and technology development
The Hatch Act
The Hatch Act of 1887 serves as a bridge between the Morrill Act of 1862 and the Smith-Lever Act of 1914. The Morrill Act gave states the authority to sell public lands to create land-grant colleges to teach agriculture and the mechanical arts. The Smith-Lever Act created the Cooperative Extension Service, which takes the findings of university researchers to farmers and ranchers.
The Hatch Act states that experiment stations should, "conduct original and other research, investigations and experiments bearing directly on and contributing to the establishment and maintenance of a permanent and effective agricultural industry ..." Simply stated, this legislation educates producers about crop growing conditions, making American agriculture more productive. Research findings from experiment station systems across the country result in improved farming methods. Scientific breakthroughs through Hatch Act funding have benefited every person in the U.S. and much of the world.
For OSU faculty and staff, access the Hatch Project employee portal.