Clarence Watson and Brent Westerman. OAES, 139 Ag Hall, Stillwater, OK 74078
The Hatch Act of 1887 establishing the State Agricultural Experiment Station (SAES) system has had profound effects on the economy, quality of life, and environmental quality in the USA. It is particularly appropriate to discuss the effect of the SAES in Oklahoma as both the ASA and the state of Oklahoma turn 100 years old in 2007. The Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station (OAES) was founded in 1890 by the Territorial Legislature and located at Oklahoma A&M College in Stillwater, OK. Today the OAES is represented by 16 research stations across the state as well as state-of-the-art facilites on the Stillwater campus including the Stored Products Research and Extension Center, the Controlled Environmental Research Lab, The Noble Research Center and Biosafety Laboratories. OAES currently employs 90 FTE faculty reperesenting nine departments and three colleges. The OAES currently conducts in excess of 1000 field-based research trials statewide on its research stations. Research is conducted on all major commodities including beef cattle, wheat, poultry, swine, cotton, sorghum, turfgrass, as well as numerous other commodities. OAES also conducts research in post-harvest processing and business development through its Food and Agricultural Products Center. The research stations are critical to the mission of the OAES since Oklahoma is one of only four states in the nation that has 10 or more distinct ecological zones. The OAES is unique in that it represents a blending of the southern, southwestern, and midwestern influences. The OAES has a strong applied agricultural research emphasis, but is also involved in cutting edge research including precision agriculture, bioenergy, microbial forensics, nanotechnolgy, and genomics. Research programs address production agriculture, urban issues, economic development, natural resource conservation and utilization, biosecurity, and community development. The OAES is helping Oklahoma citizens, agencies, and businesses to increase and prosper in a global marketplace. Today, combined direct agricultural production in Oklahoma is a $4.7 billion industry, supporting 343,000 workers.
