SEA GRANT COLLEGES 69 



FEDEu-L FUNDS TO ESTABLISH AND SUPPORT 

 STATiSS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS 



The origins' I'n-'.ch Act of 1887 to establish and support agricultural experi- 

 ment stations in " ^r .ection with the land- grant colleges provided $15,000 to each 

 state for this purpose. Congressional acts in 1906 and 1926 increased total fed- 

 eral assistance to each state to $90,000. Beginning in 1935, federal assistance 

 was allotted on a formula basis, on the proportion of the rural and total popula- 

 tion of the state to the total rural and total population of all the states. Also, 

 federal assistance to the individual states required that the federal fund be 

 matched by funds made available for agricultural research by the state. 



New legislation in 1946, providing additional support, authorized the use of 

 not more than 25 percent of sums appropriated for any fiscal year to be allotted 

 for cooperative regional research. The legislation of 1946 also required that 20 

 per cent of new appropriations be used for marketing research. 



Members of Congress and experiment station directors actively supported 

 the regional research concept to accomplish improved research planning, co- 

 ordination and avoid unnecessary duplication in research. Regional research 

 funds can only be used for cooperative regional research recommended by a 

 committee of nine persons, elected by and representing the directors of the 

 state agricultural experiment stations and approved by the Secretary of Agri- 

 culture. 



Section d(5) of Senator Pell's legislation provides for encouraging and facil- 

 itating the expansion, development or creation of regional centers of excellence 

 in various fields related to marine science. 



Experience with the cooperative regional research approach in agriculture 

 merits your careful consideration in developing plans for a coordinated ap- 

 proach. The regional approach makes it possible to concentrate funds and facil- 

 ities at a location that can unite several educational institutions in a common 

 geographic region to contribute to progress on a problem rather than have a 

 program so widely dispersed that it is not possible to provide staff or equipment 

 adequate to accomplish the needed research and desired training for increased 

 competence in marine science. 



CONGRESS RESTATES CONCEPT OF EXPERIMENT STATION RESEARCH 



Congress responded in 1955 to the requests of the Department of Agricul- 

 ture and the state experiment stations to consolidate the several acts authoriz- 

 ing federal fund assistance to the experiment stations. A basic objective of con- 

 solidated legislation was to improve research administration. The broad con- 

 cept of agricultural research stated in the amended Hatch Act of 1955 is as 

 follows: 



"It shall be the object and duty of the state agricultural experiment 

 stations through the expenditure of the appropriations hereinafter 

 authorized to conduct original and other researches, investigations, 

 and experiments bearing directly on and contributing to the establish- 

 ment and maintenance of a permanent and effective agricultural in- 

 dustry of the United States, including researches basic to the pro- 

 blems of agriculture in its broadest aspects, and such investigations 

 as have for their purpose the development and improvement of the 

 rural home and rural life and the maximum contribution by agricul- 

 ture to the welfare of the consumer. . ." (1, p. 233). 



For the fiscal year 1965 the Hatch Act institutional grants to the experi- 

 ment stations provided $36,729,000 in formula funds and $10,200,000 for 



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