Universities across the nation engage in research, but at least one land-grant college or university per state is home to a State Agricultural Experiment Station. An Agricultural Experiment Station is a scientific research center that investigates potential improvements to food production and agribusiness.
Experiment Station scientists provide research and discoveries that fuel Cooperative Extension’s hands-on education curriculum and work with farmers, ranchers, suppliers, processors, and others involved in food production and agriculture.
The Hatch Act of 1887 authorized the establishment of an agricultural experiment station in each state, which today employs about 13,000 scientists. Many states have branch stations to meet the special needs of different climate and geographical zones in those states. Federal and state governments cooperate in funding the research done at the stations, with additional income coming from grants, contracts, and the sale of products.
Get more information on Agricultural Experiment Stations in your state
View List of NIFA programs for which State Agricultural Experiment Stations are eligible to apply