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Spring/Summer 2001

Far from the University Crowd


Agronomist John Yocum surveys a growing trial for geraniums at the Southeastern Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Landisville. The research farm has plots of corn, soybeans, vegetables, bedding plants, and crabappple trees.
A farm can be a lousy place to conduct research. Soils can vary from field to field, temperatures and climate aren’t easily controlled, and sometimes the farm is simply in the wrong place.

Penn State and its Rock Springs research farms are located dead-center in the middle of the state, which is great for student demographics, but not so great for some agricultural research needs. Although most of Pennsylvania is in a single climatic zone, other areas, particularly the southeast, have different climates. In addition, through history or happenstance, agricultural industries are grouped in certain geographic areas. For example, most of the state’s apple and peach producers are located in Adams, Franklin, and York Counties, while most Pennsylvania mushroom producers are in Chester County.

When research demands certain conditions, scientists can’t bring different weather or different soils to Penn State—but they can go to where the action is. The college has a long history of establishing research stations in other parts of the state, and three regional farms operate today. All three research stations have been in operation since World War I, and each fulfills a mission that cannot be accomplished in Centre County.

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Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences