"I have encountered that term along my career travels and thought I had a good grasp on its definition. I was aware that Kentucky had two such universities, the University of Kentucky and Kentucky State University, but as I began delving into the full meaning of what constituted this special type of educational institution, the confidence I once had in my understanding of a land grant university took a hit. My research led me to realize the full import and background of such universities. There I found a wealth of information that I simply didn't know existed about how it evolved into what I know today.
Once the South seceded from the Union in 1861, the Northern states passed many laws that helped spur economic growth and expansion in the Western Territories. The Homestead Act and the Morrill Act were both passed in 1862, which provided generous terms to enable people to settle and own their own farms. The Morrill Act gave each state left in the Union 30,000 acres of public land for every member of its congressional delegation. The Act required that the states sell the allotted land parcels and use the proceeds to establish colleges in engineering, agriculture, and military science. Under the Morrill Act, over 70 "land grant" colleges, as they came to be known, were established; a second Act in 1890 extended the land grant provisions to the 16 southern states that had previously been excluded. As a direct result of the Morrill Act, many of these "colleges" have grown into large public universities, educating millions of students who otherwise might not have been able to afford a private college education.
Our own land grant university in Lexington, the University of Kentucky, serves the commonwealth well. UK's College of Agriculture is very progressive in a number of ways and is leading our state as we move from a tobacco economy to a more diverse agricultural economy. The College of Agriculture provides Kentuckians with a continuous stream of strong leaders with a concern for our land and resources. The services the College of Agriculture offers are far reaching, from the statewide Cooperative Extension Program to the equine education and research programs that are beneficial on an international scale. To quote Scott Smith, dean of the college of agriculture at the University of Kentucky, "Today's land grant colleges should have a mission that encompasses, but is much broader than, production farming. Our reach has been extended to all kinds of producers and consumers. The quality and sustainability of our natural resources and food systems is at the heart of most of what we do."
One of my favorite spots to visit is UK's South Farm, which is 100 acres of lush farmland surrounded by housing developments and a shopping center. In this unsuspecting spot, there is so much going on, from vibrant fruit trees to a sustainable classroom, and even organic research. Recently the South Farm hosted a Chefs Afield Event, where chefs from around Kentucky prepared locally grown products. One of the event organizers, Slow Food Bluegrass leader Mark Williams (Williams is also executive chef for the Brown-Forman Corporation) noted that "the farm sat on land that was surveyed by Daniel Boone for his nephew, who built the adjoining home, known as Waveland. The fact that the land was still in use as a farm over two centuries was an affirmation of the type of stewardship that the land grant system was designed to provide. Without the protection of the land grant system, the university may not be able to provide the community with a living classroom from which to tell the story of sustainable agriculture."
I tasted products grown in Kentucky that I may have never had the opportunity to taste were it not for this system and the opportunities that it provides for citizens. We as Kentuckians should consider ourselves lucky to be so close to such great agricultural possibilities and applaud the leadership at our university for continuing along the path for which it was founded.
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