| The First Morrill Act, or the Land-Grant Act of 1862, donated federal lands to the states for the purpose of establishing colleges of agriculture and mechanical arts. The goal of this legislation was to provide agriculturalists with formal education and standardized farming practices, with the idea that this would disseminate science and technology and improve the economy.
In effect, the Morrill Act set in motion the modern agricultural system we have today. Subsequent legislation produced the experimental stations, where new science and technology were created and disseminated, and the cooperative extension service, which brought new methods and concepts of food production and preservation to the farmers and homemakers who did not have the opportunity to attend college. |
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