History Lesson 🎓 Land Grant Colleges

Good morning. Welcome to your 3 minute history lesson. Where we brief you on an important topic that helped to shape modern agriculture.

The Birth of Land Grant Colleges: A Tale of Dirt, Sweat, and Education

Picture this: it's the mid-1800s, and the United States is on the cusp of a new era. The Industrial Revolution is in full swing, and people are flocking to cities to work in factories and mills. But what about the farmers? How can they keep up with the changing times and modernize their agricultural practices?

Enter the Morrill Act of 1862, which was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln on July 2 of that year. The act, also known as the Land Grant College Act, provided federal land to states to be sold or leased, with the proceeds going toward the establishment of colleges that would teach agriculture and the mechanical arts.

The act was named after its sponsor, Vermont congressman Justin Smith Morrill, who believed that education was the key to the country's future prosperity. He envisioned a network of colleges that would educate farmers and provide them with the tools and knowledge they needed to improve their yields and adapt to new technologies.

There Had To Be A First

The first land grant college was Kansas State University, which earned its designation on February 16, 1863. However, Michigan State University also claims that title. Regardless, there were around four dozen in the initial founding.

The oldest land grant college was Rutgers University, which was founded in 1766 in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Rutgers was originally a private college, but it became a land grant college when the state of New Jersey accepted the terms of the Morrill Act.

The Expansion of Land Grant Colleges

Over the next few decades, more than 70 land grant colleges were established across the United States. These colleges not only taught agriculture, but also engineering, science, and other fields that were important to the country's development.

Some notable land grant colleges include:

• South Dakota State University (1881) I’m biased

• University of California, Berkeley (1868)

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1865)

• Michigan State University (1855)

• Texas A&M University (1876)

• University of Wisconsin-Madison (1865)

These colleges were instrumental in the growth of American agriculture. They developed new technologies, such as crop rotation and hybrid seeds, that increased yields and made farming more efficient. They also trained generations of farmers, who went on to spread their knowledge across the country.

The Importance of Land Grant Colleges Today

Today, land grant colleges continue to play a vital role in American agriculture. They conduct research on everything from soil health to animal genetics, and they develop new technologies that help farmers adapt to ever changing innovation.

But land grant colleges are more than just agricultural institutions. They also educate students in a wide range of fields, from business to the arts. And they serve as hubs of innovation and entrepreneurship, helping to drive economic growth in their communities.

So the next time you bite into a juicy apple or tuck into a steak dinner, remember the role that land grant colleges have played in making that food possible. And if you're ever in New Brunswick, New Jersey, be sure to stop by Rutgers and give a nod to the pioneers who started it all.

P.S. Here’s some additional interesting stats I found on land grant colleges:

• There are currently 110 land grant colleges and universities in the United States.

• Land grant colleges educate approximately 4.5 million students each year.

• The Morrill Act granted each state 30,000 acres of federal land for each member of Congress representing that state to be sold or leased to fund the establishment of colleges teaching agriculture and the mechanical arts.

• The second Morrill Act of 1890 provided additional funding for land grant colleges and required states to provide matching funds.

• Land grant colleges receive funding from the federal government through the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).

• In 2021, the federal government provided $1.5 billion in funding to land grant colleges and universities.

• Land grant colleges are located in every state, as well as in the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Appreciate you reading today's edition - please share with 5 friends!

Brought to you by:

Was this shared with you? Click 'Subscribe' to add a bit of daily history knowledge to your inbox.

Email [email protected] to let us know topics we should cover or to become a supporter.

View past issues here.