OSU Extension Mercer County

Some of the earliest starts in the college education of agriculture and agricultural research began with the Morrill Act of 1862, which set aside government land to establish “land-grant colleges and universities.” The Hatch Act of 1887 made the first grants in aid of federal funds to the states for conducting agricultural research. An important turning point in Ohio’s agricultural progress came in 1895 when a group of students in the School of Agriculture at The Ohio State University decided that results of classroom instruction at Ohio State and research done at the Ohio Agricultural Experiment Station were not getting out to farmers on the land. They planned and encouraged research and demonstrations of farms over the next ten years. These demonstrations were mainly held on farms operated by former students of the college. This was indeed the first “extension” of college teaching and experimental research in Ohio. On July 1, 1905, A.B. Grahm became the first Superintendent of Extension at The Ohio State University. He immediately wrote up this plan for Extension work:

“To elevate the standard of living in rural communities.”
“To emphasize the importance of hard work and habits of industry, which are essential to building a strong character.”
“To acquaint boys and girls with their environment and to interest them in making their own investigations.”
“To give boys who shall become interested in farm work an elementary knowledge of agriculture and farm practices and to girls the simplest facts of domestic economy.”
“To educate the adults in elementary science of agriculture and in the most up-to-date farm practices.”

Going along with the first plan of Extension work in Ohio were two basic objectives: 1) to introduce more instruction in agriculture and domestic science into rural schools, and
2) to care for as many boys and girls in agricultural clubs as practicable, with or without the public schools.