Sanborn Field - Columbia, Missouri - American Guide Series on Waymarking.com

SANBORN FIELD, NE. corner Rollins and College Aves., established by the Federal Government in 1888, is the oldest agricultural experimental farm in the nation. - Missouri: A Guide to the "Show Me" State, Columbia section pg. 213

Historic Sanborn Field

Established in 1888 as the Rotation Field by Dean J.W. Sanborn, Sanborn Field was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1965 along with the Duley-Miller Erosion Plots also located on this campus.  Sanborn Field is among the oldest continuous, long-term research plots in the world and is the oldest experimental plot west of the Mississippi River.  Long-term, continuous research here has helped researchers discover how agriculture and environment interact.  In 1948 researchers at Sanborn Field isolated the fungus Streptomyces aureofaciens, the source of aureomycin a first-generation antibiotic.  Other pioneering studies showed that manure is not a balanced, complete source of nutrients and that the value of complete and balanced soil management includes manure, ag lime, and commercial fertilizer to prevent soil deterioration and maintain soil productivity.  Long-term objectives of Sanborn Field are rooted in the crop rotations and monocultures under continuous management here for more than 100 years.  Researchers continue to measure soil and crop changes in these unique plots as they document crop response, soil physical properties, and nutrient balance.  Soil and plant samples taken continuously at Sanborn Field aid the study of long-term environmental changes.  As a living demonstration of interactions in the soil-plant-environment continuum, Sanborn Field serves as an on-campus laboratory for teaching. ~ text of marker