The Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center at Rock Springs in Pennsylvania Furnace, Pennsylvania is the primary location for field research performed by the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences.[1] It consists of the agronomy, entomology, horticulture, and plant pathology research farms, as well as being the location of Ag Progress Days and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Livestock Evaluation Center.
The Rock Springs Research Center traces its beginning to 1956 when Russel E. Larson, then the head of the horticultural department, began searching for suitable land for a horticultural research farm, as fields close to the University Park campus where being taken over by Penn State University Buildings.[2] [3] [4] The first farm in the Spruce Creek valley was purchased in 1958, and eight additional farms were purchased up through 1998, bringing the total land area to over 2000 acres (> 800 ha).
There is a wide range research conducted at the agronomy,[5] entomology,[6] horticulture, and plant pathology[7] research farms with dozens of faculty members involved in research projects.
Ag Progress Days, the largest outdoor agricultural exposition in Pennsylvania, is held every August at the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center.[8] [9] Ag Progress Days was held at various locations around the state until 1976, when Rock Springs became the permanent site.[10] Over 400 exhibitors and 40,000 people attend in a typical year.[11] [12] Activities include crop and farm machinery demonstrations, demonstrations on topics such as healthy lifestyle and cooking, ag safety and health, farm and business, animals and livestock, equine, agronomic crops and soils, and forest and wildlife, and tours that highlight current research activities at the center.