Cornell University’s Geneva Experiment Station

The New York State Agricultural Experiment Station (NYSAES) at Geneva, Ontario County, New York State, is an integral part of the New York State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University. It is a mission-oriented experiment station with a strong emphasis on applied research. It also maintains a balance of basic research to serve as building blocks for future research applicable to New York agriculture.

As the sixth oldest institution of its kind in the country, the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station was established by an Act of the New York State Legislature on June 26, 1880 and became operative on March 1, 1882. More than 100 locations were considered for the site of the station, and Geneva was eventually chosen.

Originally, farmers wanted the station to serve as a model farm. However, the first director, E. Lewis Sturtevant, immediately established the policy that the station was to conduct agricultural science research and to establish experimental plots, both of which would have little resemblance to commercial agriculture. Nevertheless, the primary mission of the Station has always been to serve those who produce and consume New York's agricultural products.

In its early days, Station scientists, who were few in number, concentrated their efforts on dairy, horticulture, and evaluation of varieties of vegetables and field crops. In 1887, the program was broadened to include work on beef cattle, swine, and evaluation of fruit varieties. During this period, the station also began playing its continuing active role in the state's agricultural law enforcement program.

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