Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Records
Title
South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station Records
Date(s)
- 1887-2019, undated (Creation)
Extent
55.42 linear feet [56 record boxes, 1 document case]
Name of creator
Administrative history
The Hatch Act of 1887 established the Agricultural Experiment Station. This act required all of the colleges established under the Morrill Act of 1862 to establish a department to be known as an "Agricultural Experiment Station." This station was to acquire and diffuse practical and useful information on topics related to agriculture for the people of the United States. The promotion of scientific investigation and experimentation was also a requirement of the act. An annual report was to be provided from all stations and periodic bulletins or reports of progress were to be distributed. Federal funds were provided for this venture, and in 1887, Dakota Agricultural College, as South Dakota State University was then known, established its Agricultural Experiment Station along these guidelines.
Today, much of the Agricultural Experiment Station research is done at Brookings, however, a considerable amount is conducted at six field stations and at the West River Agricultural Research and Extension Center at Rapid City. Field stations are maintained to conduct research designed to solve local or special-purpose problems. Beyond this, research on farms and ranches, in wildlife areas, in streams and reservoirs, and with cooperating businesses and institutions results in research being conducted in nearly every county of the state. / The research function of the College of Agriculture and Biological Sciences results from carefully designed experiments providing a base of new knowledge and service to the citizens of South Dakota. This new knowledge is effectively used by farmers, ranchers, homemakers, industry, in the campus classroom, and in extension education programs throughout the state.
Research may be grouped in the following subject matter areas: livestock, crops and soils, community and public affairs, animal health, fertilizers, garden and orchard, home and consumer, water resources and irrigation, forestry, insects, farm machinery, marketing, business management, farm buildings, pollution, range and grass, fisheries, plant diseases, wildlife, sociology, and biostress in plants, animals, and humans. Research is financed by state and federal appropriations, industry grants, and federal and state grants. Research results are published in Experiment Station or Extension bulletins, journals of scientific societies, and a quarterly publication, Farm and Home Research.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
The South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Stations Records is composed of material generated by the stations and includes financial reports, general office records, research, institutional reviews, and publications, including some bulletins and circulars. Also included are files related to station biochemistry.
The administrative files are composed of general office records generated by the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station. Folders contain newsletters, committee files, task force files, correspondence, brochures, programs, and financial data. In addition, the series contains reports of the Agricultural Experiment Station during the time period of 1907-1916. This information should also appear in the published reports of the Agricultural Experiment Station.
The research is composed of research conducted by Experiment Station staff. Folders consist mainly of final reports, but may also include some correspondence. Material for inactive and terminated projects is also included.
Publications consist of bulletins, circulars, leaflets, and pamphlets published by the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station on research conducted by staff of the Experiment Station and are meant for distribution like a periodical. Some cross-over in subject and title may occur between bulletins and circulars. This is an incomplete collection of Agricultural Experiment Station publications. Items are added to this collection only after it has been determined that the library's collection is complete. It is suggested that, when conducting research, the library catalog be searched for a particular title, author, or number. Various other South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station publications can be found in this collection. Folders consist mainly of reports or preliminary reports. Also included are leaflets and pamphlets and a video cassette on manure management. Leaflet or pamphlet numbers were included if present in the publication.
The seed releases material is comprised of information regarding various seeds that have been developed through the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station.
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
This collection is open to researchers without restrictions. The materials in the Archives do not circulate and may be used in-house only.
Researchers conducting extensive research are asked to make an advance appointment to access archival material. Please call or e-mail prior to visiting the collection and indicate as much detail as possible about a particular topic and intended use.
Physical access
South Dakota State University supports access to the materials, published and unpublished, in its collections. Nonetheless, access to some items may be restricted as a result of their fragile condition or by contractual agreements with donors.
Technical access
Conditions governing reproduction
Languages of the material
- English
Scripts of the material
Language and script notes
Finding aids
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Custodial history
Immediate source of acquisition
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related archival materials
Related descriptions
Notes element
General note
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