Special Collections Department
403 Parks Library
Iowa State University
Ames, IA 50011-2140

RS 9/2/3
Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station
Administrative Records, 1888-2003, undated


Descriptive summary

creator: Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station
title: Administrative Records
dates: 1888-2003, undated
extent: 2.52 linear feet (6 document boxes)
collection number: RS 9/2/3
repository: University Archives, Special Collections Department, Iowa State University.

 

Administrative information

access: Open for research
publication rights: Consult Head, Special Collections Department
preferred citation: Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station Administrative Records, RS 9/2/3, Special Collections Department, Iowa State University Library.

 

Abstract

Established as a result of the Hatch Act of 1887, the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station is the research arm of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Iowa State University. The Experiment Station conducts multidisciplinary research to help solve the complex agricultural problems facing scientists and farmers today. This collection contains administrative records including correspondence, reports, meeting minutes, budget information, licensing information, and policies. Of interest are several files relating to the controversy surrounding Pamphlet No. 5, a wartime publication which promoted the production and consumption of oleomargarine in place of butter much to the dismay of the dairy industry. The collection also contains meeting minutes from the Committee on the Distribution of Seed and Plant Material.

 

Historical note

The Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station was founded at Iowa State as a result of legislation passed by the U.S. Congress in 1887. Known as the Hatch Act, the legislation provided for the funding of agricultural research at Land Grant Colleges. On March 1, 1888, the Iowa General Assembly approved the terms of the Hatch Act and the Iowa Experiment Station was established. Administrative oversight of the Experiment Station was assigned to the Board of Trustees of the Iowa Agricultural College (Iowa State University). The Board, in turn, elected Captain R. P. Speer as the first director of the Experiment Station.

Early efforts of the Experiment Station staff involved establishing an orchard and planting experimental plots of grains, grasses, and vegetables on the campus grounds. Starting in 1888, the Experiment Station published quarterly Bulletins that described activities and results of the research conducted by the staff. Many of these results are also included in annual reports prepared by the director. In 1911, the staff, which by this time consisted of a combination of specialized researchers and a part-time teaching force, first published research bulletins and soon offered the first research fellowships.

Since its inception, the Experiment Station has existed under the auspices of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and it is not surprising that the Dean of the College also holds the title of Director of the Experiment Station. Although it serves as the research arm of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the Experiment Station also supports programs in almost every other college at Iowa State and at a number of off-campus research facilities in the surrounding area. During the earliest years of its existence, Experiment Station research focused on soil, crops, horticulture, and dairying. Today, research conducted by Experiment Station staff has become over-arching in scope and multidisciplinary in practice reflecting the complexity of agricultural problems facing scientists and farmers today.

 

Collection description

This collection (1888-2003, undated) contains administrative records including correspondence, reports, meeting minutes, budget information, licensing information, and policies. Of interest are several files related to Pamphlet No. 5, Putting Dairying on War Footing. This publication caused a controversy at Iowa State because it promoted the production and consumption of oleo margarine instead of butter. The resulting backlash from the dairy industry forced the college to publish a revised edition which in turn resulted in the departure of several researchers in protest. The collection also contains meeting minutes from the Committee on the Distribution of Seed and Plant Material and information on the licensing of several seed germplasms.

 

Related materials

Related collections in the Special Collections Department, Iowa State University Library include:

  • Collections related to the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station are classified under RS 9/2
  • Theodore W. Schultz Papers, RS 13/9/14
  • Robert Earle Buchanan Papers, RS 6/3/11
    		•

     

    Organization

    The collection is organized chronologically.

     

    Container list

    Box

    Folder

    Title

    Dates

    1

    1

    Organization and plans (Bulletin No. 1)

    1888

    1

    2

    Financial policies and reports

    1901-1902, undated

    1

    3

    Correspondence and memoranda with federal agencies

    1909-1945

    1

    4

    Botanical Section expense register

    1910-1912

    1

    5

    Meeting minutes (ledger book)

    1911-1926

    1

    6

    Organization and Regulations booklet

    1931

    1

    7

    Organization and Regulations booklet

    1934-1935

    1

    8

    Committee on the Distribution of Seed and Plant Material meeting minutes

    1935-1936

    1

    9

    Committee on the Distribution of Seed and Plant Material meeting minutes

    1937-1938

    1

    10

    Committee on the Distribution of Seed and Plant Material meeting minutes

    1939-1941

    1

    11

    Farm machinery survey log sheets (1 of 2)

    1940

    2

    1

    Farm machinery survey log sheets (2 of 2)

    1940

    2

    2

    Report: "Iowa Agricultural Experiment Station: Its Organization, Administration, and Fiscal Management"

    1940

    2

    3

    Committee on the Distribution of Seed and Plant Material meeting minutes

    1942-1943

    2

    4

    Pamphlet No. 5 controversy (oleomargarine): Report of the Conference of Committee of Twelve

    1943

    2

    5

    Pamphlet No. 5 controversy (oleomargarine): Correspondence, reports, and statements

    1943-1944

    2

    6

    Pamphlet No. 5 controversy (oleomargarine): News clippings

    1943-1944

    2

    7

    Report: "Sponsorship of Publications by the Agricultural Experiment Station"

    1944

    2

    8

    Committee on the Distribution of Seed and Plant Material meeting minutes

    1944-1945

    2

    9

    Project Committee meeting minutes

    1945

    2

    10-11

    Budget requests

    1945-1946

    3

    1

    Committee on the Distribution of Seed and Plant Material meeting minutes

    1946-1948

    3

    2

    Gifts and grants

    1947

    3

    3

    Organization and Regulation booklet

    1947

    6

    10

    Report: "The Introduction, Multiplication, Preservation and Evaluation of New Plants for Industrial and Agricultural Use"

    1959

    6

    11

    Report on Industrial Crop Planting at the Iowa Agricultural Experiment Station in 1960

    1960

    6

    12

    Agricultural Products Utilization Committee meeting materials and reports

    1961-1962

    3

    4

    Agronomy and Agricultural Engineering Research Farm: News clippings and brochure

    1962-1974

    3

    5

    Correspondence: Iowa General Assembly

    1966-1970

    3

    6

    Report of the Task Force Panel on Agricultural Related Business and Rural Service Organization and Management Research

    1968

    3

    7

    USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture): Experiment station task forces correspondence and reports

    1969

    3

    8

    Forms

    1970-1973

    3

    9

    Budget

    1976-1978

    3

    10

    Study of Iowa family farms questionnaire

    1977

    3

    11

    Budget

    1978-1979

    3

    12

    Budget

    1980-1981

    3

    13

    Correspondence and reports for the Ankeny Research Farm and the Crossroads Project development

    1981-1987

    3

    14

    Budget

    1982-1983

    3

    15

    Budget

    1983-1984

    3

    16

    Budget

    1984-1985

    3

    17

    USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) Soil Tilth Center

    1984-1988

    3

    18

    Budget review workshop agenda, planning materials, and notes

    1985

    3

    19

    Iowa Rural Life Poll

    1985

    4

    1

    Plant Introduction Station

    1985-1986

    4

    2

    Department of Agricultural Education correspondence

    1986

    4

    3

    Department of Agricultural Engineering correspondence and report regarding station cuts

    1986

    4

    4

    Department of Economics correspondence and report regarding planned station cuts

    1986

    4

    5

    Correspondence

    1986-1987

    4

    6

    Correspondence: Eaton, Gordon

    1986-1987

    4

    7

    Iowa Beef Industry Council

    1986-1987

    4

    8

    Cooperative State Research Service correspondence, reports, and budget

    1986-1988

    4

    9

    Correspondence

    1986-1988

    4

    10

    Departmental Executive Officers correspondence and reports

    1986-1988

    4

    11-12

    Integrated farm management projects

    1986-1988

    4

    13

    Meat Export Research Center

    1986-1988

    5

    1

    Center for Advanced Agriculture Committee

    1987

    5

    2

    Budget

    1987-1988

    5

    3

    Groundwater quality correspondence and reports

    1987-1988

    5

    4

    Iowa Farm Bureau Federation

    1987-1988

    5

    5

    Iowa Sheep and Wool Promotion Board

    1987-1988

    5

    6

    Licensing and releases of corn germplasms and inbreds

    1987-1988

    5

    7

    Licensing and releases of soybean varieties

    1987-1988

    5

    8-9

    Licensing and releases of soybean varieties Elgin 87 and Harper 87

    1987-1988

    5

    10

    Midwest Oil Seeds, Inc.

    1987-1988

    6

    1

    Budget

    1987-1989

    6

    2

    Budget

    1987-1990

    6

    3

    Licensing and releases of various crop varieties

    1988

    6

    4

    Management and operation of ISU farms

    1988 circa

    6

    5

    Research grant proposal: "Developing and Improving Institutional Animal Resources" by James A. Roth

    1989

    6

    6

    Budget

    1990-1991

    6

    7

    Report: "Identifying Priorities for Iowa's Future"

    2003

    6

    8

    Organization and regulations

    undated

    6

    9

    Report: "Contributions to the Design of Instruments, Machines, and Structures" by the Department of Agricultural Engineering

    undated