Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center
Encyclopedia
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. The center is home to research projects ranging from plant and animal sciences to human ecology and medicine, and includes branches across the state covering a total of over 7,000 acres (28 km²). The OARDC's main campus is located in Wooster, Ohio
Wooster, Ohio
Wooster is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Wayne County. The municipality is located in northeastern Ohio approximately SSW of Cleveland and SW of Akron. Wooster is noted as the location of The College of Wooster...
, next to the Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute
Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute
The Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute , located in Wooster, Ohio, is an associate degree-granting program within the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences of Ohio State University. The curriculum includes general and basic studies, applied and technical...
.
History
The Ohio Agricultural Experiment Station was founded in 1882 in Columbus, OhioColumbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
and moved to Wooster, Ohio
Wooster, Ohio
Wooster is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Wayne County. The municipality is located in northeastern Ohio approximately SSW of Cleveland and SW of Akron. Wooster is noted as the location of The College of Wooster...
ten years later. The station grew at Wooster, with focusing on crops commonly raised in Ohio, such as corn
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
, livestock husbandry and nutrition
Nutrition
Nutrition is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary to support life. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with a healthy diet....
, and expanding into other departments such as entomology
Entomology
Entomology is the scientific study of insects, a branch of arthropodology...
. It was renamed the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center in 1965 and entered a period in which it thrived with increased funding and new breakthroughs, such as Lowell "Skip" Nault's immensely important discovery of a teosinte
Teosinte
Zea is a genus of grasses in the family Poaceae. Several species are commonly known as teosintes and are found in Mexico, Guatemala, and Nicaragua....
in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
that could be crossed with corn to make it more resistant to disease in 1979.
This golden age was cut off shortly afterwards, though, as the OARDC suffered from the state's need to cut expenditures and merged with the Ohio State University in 1982 due to funding problems. After a decade of continued financial woes, the OARDC experienced a resurgence in the 1990s with the help of new director Thomas Payne and new funding.
Research and Projects
The OARDC has pioneered research in aerial pesticide application, round hay bales, new apple cultivars, Phytopthora fungus in soybeans, removal of lead contamination in soil, and hundreds of other projects. The center provides information for farmers and an education for graduate students, and also deals with consumer-friendly products, rural and urban communities, environmental stewardship, and many other issues important in and beyond Ohio.Locations
Wooster, OhioWooster, Ohio
Wooster is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Wayne County. The municipality is located in northeastern Ohio approximately SSW of Cleveland and SW of Akron. Wooster is noted as the location of The College of Wooster...
(main campus)
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
Ashtabula (Kingsville, Ohio
Kingsville, Ohio
Kingsville is a census-designated place in central Kingsville Township, Ashtabula County, Ohio, United States. Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 44048...
)
North Central (Fremont, Ohio
Fremont, Ohio
Fremont Public Schools enroll 4,450 students in public primary and secondary schools. The district administers 9 public schools including seven elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school, Fremont Ross. In addition, the city is home to one private catholic high school, Saint Joseph...
)
Muck Crops (Celeryville, Ohio
Celeryville, Ohio
Celeryville is a census-designated place on the boundary between the New Haven and Richmond Townships of Huron County, Ohio, United States. Celeryville is located approximately one mile south of Willard, and the community relies on Willard's social services....
)
Northwest (Hoytville, Ohio
Hoytville, Ohio
Hoytville is a village in Wood County, Ohio, United States. The population was 296 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Hoytville is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , of which, of it is land and 1.32% is water.-Demographics:As of the census of...
)
NAEWS & Pomerene Lab (Coshocton, Ohio
Coshocton, Ohio
Coshocton is a city in and the county seat of Coshocton County, Ohio, United States. The population of the city was 11,682 at the 2000 census. The Walhonding River and the Tuscarawas River meet in Coshocton to form the Muskingum River....
)
Western (Springfield, Ohio
Springfield, Ohio
Springfield is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Clark County. The municipality is located in southwestern Ohio and is situated on the Mad River, Buck Creek and Beaver Creek, approximately west of Columbus and northeast of Dayton. Springfield is home to Wittenberg...
)
Eastern (Caldwell, Ohio
Caldwell, Ohio
Caldwell is a village located along the West Fork of Duck Creek in Noble County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,956 at the 2000 census...
)
OSU South Centers (Piketon, Ohio
Piketon, Ohio
Piketon is a village in Pike County, Ohio, United States, along the Scioto River. The village is best known for the uranium enrichment plant located there . The population was 1,907 at the 2000 census...
)
Southern (Ripley, Ohio
Ripley, Ohio
Ripley is a village in Brown County, Ohio, United States, along the Ohio River 50 miles southeast of Cincinnati. The population was 1,745 at the 2000 census.-History:...
)... *now closed*
Jackson, Ohio
Jackson, Ohio
Jackson is a city in and the county seat of Jackson County, Ohio, United States. The population was 6,184 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Jackson is located at ....