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Oregon Agriculture, 1944-1972

By Elizabeth Nielsen

Collection Overview

Title: Oregon Agriculture, 1944-1972

Predominant Dates: 1946-1972

ID: PUB 006-43d

Primary Creator: Oregon State University. Extension Service

Extent: 0.2 cubic feet. More info below.

Languages of Materials: English [eng]

Abstract

Oregon Agriculture consists of two groups of reports issued in the late 1940s-early 1950s and in the early 1970s  that summarize the status of agriculture and other natural resources in Oregon, identify trends, and recommend future directions.  The reports were published by the Oregon State University Extension Service.

Items from this collection have been digitized and are available in Oregon Digital.

Scope and Content Notes

Oregon Agriculture consists of two groups of reports that summarize the status of agriculture and other natural resources in Oregon, identify trends, and recommend future directions.

The first group of reports were prepared immediately following World War II and published under the title Oregon Agriculture.  This group consists of 21 reports.  The first report, issued in 1946, was a comprehensive analysis of the status of various aspects of the agricultural enterprise in Oregon by the faculty of the School of Agriculture.  Subsequent reports in this group address specific topics:  Fiber-Flax (1946); Part-Time Farming (1946), the Dairy Industry (1946 and 1952), Poultry (1946 and 1952), Farm Forestry and Cutover Land (1946 and 1952), Livestock Production and Marketing (1947); the Potato Industry (1947); Soil and Water Conservation and Use (1952); Farm Crops (1952); Fur Farming (1952);  Horticulture (1952); Land Economics (1952); Livestock (1952); Rural Life (1952); Soil and Water Resources (1952); and Specialty Crops (1952).  The final report in this group was published in 1955 and addressed the amount of irrigable land that would in the available in Oregon in the following half century.

The second group of reports  were published under the title of Oregon Community of Tomorrow as the proceedings of a series of meetings on the future of Oregon, conducted by the Oregon Rural Areas Development Committee.  Ten reports were published in this series between 1970 and 1972 addressing agriculture, forestry, marine science, manufacturing, the metals industry, recreation and tourism, nuclear power, international trade ,human resources, and the Oregon community of tomorrow.  Each report includes the text of presentations or panels as well as a position statement and recommendations from the Oregon Rural Areas Development Committee.

One additional item, predating the first group of reports, is also part of this collection as microfilm of a typed 11-page report, "Post-War Adjustments for School of Agriculture, Experiment Station and Extension Service at Oregon State College:  A Preliminary Report Suggesting Methods of Establishing a Basis for Procedure."    A committee representing resident instruction, Experiment Station research activities, and the Extension Service's state-wide programs was appointed by Dean and Director William A. Schoenfeld.  The committee recommended assessment and appraisal of the status of agriculture in Oregon and meetings in all counties of the state.  The report recognized there would be significant post-war impacts on counties and Oregon State College including increased enrollment and different curricular needs.  The committee was chaired by F.L. Ballard and submitted its report in May 1944.    This preliminary report formed the basis for the process that resulted in the reports published in 1946.

Items from this collection have been digitized and are available in Oregon Digital.

Biographical / Historical Notes

In 1944 a committee of the faculty of the School of Agriculture at Oregon State College was appointed to provide guidance for future work in resident instruction, research, and extension.  The committee in turn established 30 sub-committees to consider specific topics pertaining to agriculture in Oregon.   A comprehensive summary was published as the first report in the Oregon Agriculture series, An Analysis of Oregon Agriculture, and reports pertaining to specific topics were published as part of the series in 1946-47.

A State Agricultural Conference was held at Oregon State College in March 1952.  Reports of 12 major committees were discussed and approved at public forum sessions.  Reports of eleven of the committees were published as Oregon Agriculture 11-21 in the summer of 1952.

The Oregon Rural Areas Development Committee was a citizen group appointed by the Director of the Oregon State University Extension Service in the late 1960s to provide guidance on rural area development.  The committee held a series of meetings on the future of Oregon; the proceedings of those meetings were published as the Oregon Community of Tomorrow reports.



Author: Elizabeth Nielsen

Administrative Information

More Extent Information: 1 box and 1 microfilm reel

Statement on Access: Collection is open for research.

Acquisition Note: These publications were received by the former University Archives in several transfers through the 1990s.

Related Materials: The Special Collections and Archives Research Center holds hundreds of collections documenting agriculture, natural resources, rural life, and economics in Oregon.  Three foundational collections are the College of Agricultural Sciences (RG 158), the Agricultural Experiment Station (RG 025), and the Extension Service (RG 111) Records.  The Oregon Counties Long-Range Planning Conference Reports (PUB 006-16) address similar topics to these reports, focused on specific Oregon counties.

Preferred Citation: Oregon Agriculture (PUB 006-43d), Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon.

Creators

Oregon State University. Extension Service
Oregon Rural Areas Development Committee
Oregon State College. Agricultural Experiment Station
Oregon State College. Federal Cooperative Extension Service

People, Places, and Topics

Agriculture--Oregon--Planning.
Agriculture--Oregon.
Dairying--Oregon.
Forestry extension--Oregon.
Land use--Oregon--Planning.
Livestock--Oregon.
Natural Resources
Poultry industry--Oregon.
Regional planning--Oregon.
Rural development--Oregon.
Soils--Oregon.
University History
Water-supply--Oregon.


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