College of Agriculture, University of Arizona,
Arizona Land and People, Vol. 46, Number 1
IntroductionMission Focus The Agricultural Experiment Station System, established nationwide in 1887, conducts and promotes research at land-grant institutions. Research generated through the Arizona Agricultural Experiment Station underlies both academic and extension programs. This knowledge is conveyed formally to university students; extension faculty pass it along informally to people in communities throughout the state.
Letter from the Director Dear Reader, This nation has experienced dramatic changes in the business of agriculture since the Arizona Agricultural Experiment Station was founded 110 years ago. Agriculture has evolved from an industry based mostly on hard work and ingenuity to one based on science and technology. The modern food and agricultural system encompasses primary production, processing, marketing, retailing and consumption activities that now involve more than 18 percent of U.S. employment, and substantial contributions to the nation’s export earnings. This need will be met in large part through research conducted by the Agricultural Experiment Station System at the nation’s land-grant colleges of agriculture. The Arizona Experiment Station has more than 240 ongoing formal research projects. These represent a continuum, from fundamental research on the structure and function of genes to integrative research that develops fundamental discoveries into targeted practices and technologies, to adaptive research that applies the findings to actual production, processing, marketing and environmental systems. Research is conducted in the areas of the environment and natural resources; animal and plant systems; family, youth and community; trade and economics; and human nutrition, food safety and health. Research is important to everyone as a way of identifying and solving problems, both in the scientific community and in local communities. For example, students in the college conduct research as an integral part of their degree programs. Visiting high school students also learn about research techniques in special summer school programs in the college. Extension faculty and volunteers also use research methods to gather data in communities for decision making. Faculty, staff and students share results of their research with the public through reports, journal articles, articles in the popular press, field days, workshops, seminars, and one-to-one conversation. This publication is just one example of the many methods employed. We hope you will enjoy the information provided. Sincerely, Colin Kaltenbach Document part of 1997 The Agricultural Experiment
Station Today |
The
Arizona Agricultural Experiment Station stimulates learning through
exploration and discovery to enhance agriculture, the environment, our
natural resource base, family and youth well-being and the development
of local communities. We accomplish this mission by the integration,
dissemination, and application of knowledge in the agricultural and
life sciences. 
The
Arizona Agricultural Experiment Station is not a single location, but
rather a network of research activities and applications that range
across the state in laboratories, cropland and communities. The College
of Agriculture manages agricultural centers at nine locations in Arizona,
to take advantage of different geographic conditions. College of Agriculture
faculty and students collaborate on research projects with other colleges
and departments on campus, and with governmental, civic and private
sector organizations and individuals on and off campus.