For more than 100 years, the University of Nevada, Reno, a land-grant institution, has had a deep-rooted, symbiotic relationship with Nevada’s agriculture industry. The passing of the Hatch Act in 1887 gave rise to the University’s Agricultural Experiment Station, which originally undertook research and education in horticulture, forestry and other agriculture-related fields. The station occupied the second building on campus, followed by the Valley Road Field Laboratory, offering the first opportunities in experimentation. Today, the Nevada Agricultural Experiment Station operates as part of the College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources (CABNR).
The numerous programs and projects conducted through NAES are living testimony to the continued commitment by the University to the sustainability of Nevada’s important agriculture industry. Our efforts include basic research utilizing new genetic techniques to improve plant and animal breeding; applied research to find crops using less of Nevada’s precious water resources; programs controlling emerging diseases, disasters, invasive species and insect pests; innovative collaborations to better market and finance agricultural products; and programs and research to achieve a balance of uses and species on public lands.
The buildings and grounds of the University Agricultural Experiment Station in Nevada with irrigation ditch, 1900. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
