Archives West Finding Aid

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.