Source: Oldfield, J.E., 1994, In Service to Animals, The Evolution of the Department of Animal Sciences at Oregon State University, 60 p.

Date: Spring 2002

Agriculture forms the roots of Oregon State -- when the university was established in 1868 it was as the Oregon Agricultural College. On-site agriculture facilities began near the central campus and gradually moved westward as new lands were acquired and the urban campus expanded. At the turn of the century agricultural buildings were near the current central campus and included a dairy building, a horse barn that housed draft breeds, a beef cattle barn, silos, and a piggery. By 1929 a sheep barn was built on the SE corner of campus way and 35th St and a large hog barn near the present location of the EPA Water Lab. The hog barn had 29 group pens, bins for 6300 bushels of grain and space for 40 tons of straw bedding. In 1936 the dairy moved to its current location and into a new building built by the Civilian Conservation Corp.

In the late 1940's OSU acquired several hundred more acres of land in the Oak Creek watershed. This new land included 500 acres near the current Sheep Center, 50 acres south of Highway 20 that became South Farm, 50 acres north of Harrison across from the dairy, and E.E. Wilson's farm of 250 acres which was along Oak Creek Road. Professor Oldfield noted that ownership of the Wilson farm gave OSU "virtually complete" water rights to Oak Creek.

Today there are five agricultural units within the basin:

values for area and animal numbers are from the Department of Animal Science website
*numbers in parentheses are those given in the Oak Creek Task Force Report.

OSU News Stories about the Research Farms

1/9/2002 - Concerns about budget reductions...

6/25/2001 - Field day features robotic milking machine...

Spring 2000 - Sheep barns breed Dorper sheep...(scroll down on page)

7/2/1999 - OSU holds public meeting on Oak Creek problems...

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Datasets and Class Projects

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Drew, J. L., 1964, Economic analysis and adjustment opportunities of grade A dairy enterprises in Benton County, Oregon [MS Thesis]: Department of Agricultural Economics, Oregon State University, 90 p.

Available: OSU Valley Library OSU Valley Library LD4330 1964 44

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Appleby, Arnold, 1999, 50 years of The OSU Weed Control Program, A history and memoirs: Oregon State University Printing Office, Corvallis, OR, 88 p.

Available: OSU Valley Library LD4343.A671 1999

Courtney, E. W., c1984, Agricultural education : history of the department: Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 216 p.

Available: OSU Valley Library LD4349.5 .C681 1984

Notes: Focuses mainly on faculty chronology.

Oldfield, J.E., 1994, In Service to Animals, The Evolution of the Department of Animal Sciences at Oregon State University, 60 p.

Available: OSU Valley Library LD4349.5 .A5051 1994

Notes: Information about faculty chronology, land acquisition, building construction.

Southern Pacific Company and Corvallis Commercial Club (Or.), 1912?, see reference on History page.

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