The Origin of Extension Work—A Timeline
1887

The Hatch Act of 1887 provided for a department to be designated and known as the agricultural experiment station in each of the colleges established under the Morrill Act. Its purpose was

…to aid in inquiring and diffusing among the people in the United States useful and practical information on subjects connected with agriculture and to promote scientific investigation in experiments respecting the principles and application of agricultural science. [Prawl 1984, p. 18]

The stations were required to publish periodic bulletins or reports of projects and make them available to the public.

 

From the First Annual Report for the Kansas Experiment Station, State Agricultural College, for the Year 1888. (More historic publications by the Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station)