The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) is the only land-grant institution in Pennsylvania, with its main campus at University Park. It began in 1855 as the Farmers’ High School. Penn State says it is one of only three land-, space-, sun- and sea-grant universities in the United States, and it reports more than 86,000 students.
Agriculture is taught and researched in the College of Agricultural Sciences, which has nine academic departments, 17 undergraduate majors and graduate programmes in 13 major areas, and says it invests more than $100 million a year in research and graduate study. Its Agricultural Experiment Station, supported by the Hatch Act, holds the college’s state and federally funded research. Research and extension centres include the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center, the Southeast Agricultural Research and Extension Center and the Fruit Research and Extension Center. Penn State Extension operates in every county. The college says its researchers receive support from partners in government, business and other sectors to bring ideas to commercial use.