About VAES
Morrill Act of 1862
The Morrill Act of 1862 was championed by Rep. Justin Morrill of Vermont and signed by Abraham Lincoln. This act granted every state federal land (30,000 acres). Each state was to sell the land and invest the proceeds in an endowment using the income to establish a land-grant college.
The mission of these institutions as set forth in the 1862 act is to focus on the teaching of practical agriculture, science, military science, and engineering although “without excluding other scientific and classical studies.” This was a response to the industrial revolution and the changing social class.
Today there are over 112 Land Grant Institutions, and 60 were established from the Morrill Act of 1862.
Hatch Act of 1887
The Hatch Act of 1887 created a key component of the land-grant system, the Agricultural Experiment Station (AES). The 1887 Hatch Act, sponsored by Rep. William Henry Hatch of Missouri, created experiment stations to “… conduct original and other researches, investigations, and experiments bearing directly on and contributing to the establishment and maintenance of a permanent and effective agricultural industry of the United States, including researches basic to the problems of agriculture in its broadest aspects, and such investigations as have for their purpose the development and improvement of the rural home and rural life and the maximum contribution by agriculture to the welfare of the consumer.”
The Hatch Act authorized the direct payment of federal grant funds to each state to establish an Agricultural Experiment Station (AES), in connection with the state’s land-grant institution. The amount of this appropriation varies from year to year and is determined for individual states through a formula based on the number of small farms and rural population. The federal funds require a 1:1 match by the state. The State Agricultural Experiment Stations (SAES) were charged with conducting research and development projects on behalf of farmers.
Subsequent acts, including the Adams Act of 1906, the Purnell Act of 1925, and the Bankhead-Jones Act of 1935, increased federal appropriations to SAES.
In 1946, the act authorizing the Regional Research Fund was signed.
Additional acts and appropriations established programs in Hatch Multi-state, Forestry, and Animal Health and Disease research. This research is a separate line item in the SAES budget and must be approved by Congress annually.
Approximately 25 percent of the annual Hatch appropriation from Congress is earmarked as Multistate Research Funds to promote collaboration among various states to address regional and national issues.
The McIntire-Stennis Act of 1962 promotes forestry research and graduate education at land-grant universities. The College of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences conducts McIntire Stennis research projects at Virginia Tech. This formula-funded research represents a continuing commitment by the USDA to partner with the state in support of mission-driven research for Virginia’s Agricultural and Forest Industries.
The Animal Health and Disease Research (AHDR), (Section 1433) supports research projects addressing health and disease of agricultural animals. The Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine conducts AHDR research at Virginia Tech.
Smith-Lever Act of 1914
The Smith-Lever Act of 1914 established a Cooperative Extension (CE) Service affiliated with each U.S. land-grant institution to disseminate research information from experiment stations to the public. The act authorized continuous federal support for these extension services, with the appropriation amount determined using a formula akin to the Hatch Act's. Additionally, the act mandated that states provide matching funds to qualify for federal funds.
Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station
ESTABLISHED:
The Virginia General Assembly established the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station (VAES) on March 1, 1886, at Virginia Tech, in Blacksburg, VA, in anticipation of the Federal Hatch Act of 1887.
MISSION:
The mission of VAES is to perform basic and applied research on agricultural, environmental, natural, and community resource issues related to the future needs of Virginia, the region, the nation, and the world.
RESEARCH:
VAES supports research programs in a wide range of disciplines in projects located at Virginia Tech and across the Commonwealth, in cooperation with Virginia Cooperative Extension, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Education, and Extension Service, and other state and federal agencies. It performs research and outreach in areas ranging from livestock management to ornamentals, field crops, wine production, seafood safety, biofuels, and human health. Researchers use some of the best qualitative and quantitative analysis techniques to address today’s most pressing agricultural and environmental issues.
VAES oversees research at numerous locations throughout the state:
- Research laboratories on Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg, VA
- Agricultural facilities on and around campus
- Network of 11 field research centers throughout the state.
- The centers, known as Agricultural Research and Extension Centers (ARECs), facilitate the testing of agricultural innovations in real-world settings across the state. They also offer learning opportunities for local farms, schools, and Extension Agents from Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE).
The partnership between VAES, who oversees research and VCE who disseminate results, benefits all states citizens in rural, urban, and suburban communities by providing knowledge that enhances the quality of individual and family life.
Mary Burrows, Director, VAES
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