Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering records

Record Group

Identifier: UA-16.6

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The records consist of project summaries, newsletters, extension handouts, safety photo contest, safety posters, and National Dairy Engineering Conference proceedings. Also included is a 1948 dedication program for the agriculture engineering building and “From the Ground Up 75 Years of Progress in the Agricultural Engineering Department 1906-1981.” Also included are photographs of shop classes in the department. There are images of students in the classroom as well as in workshops testing materials and working with various types of machinery. There are photographs of harvesting and planting in the fields as well as interiors and exteriors of farm homes. Also included are photographs that highlight different safety issues found on a farm.

Dates

Creation: 1907 - 2014

Creator

Michigan State University. Agricultural Engineering Department (Donor, Organization)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Permission to publish material from this collection must be obtained from University Archives & Historical Collections, Michigan State University.

Historical Note

Agricultural Engineering classes were offered at MSU since 1899. In 1906 the Farm Mechanics Department was created. These courses were part of the agriculture curriculum and taught students how to operate and maintain gasoline and steam engines and farm machinery; how to design farm structures to accommodate cattle, poultry, sheep, horses, and swine; and how to drain swamps and clear land. Farm mechanics expanded in the early 1920s due to the growing importance of tractors, power machinery, electricity, and concrete . The name of the course changed to Agricultural Engineering in 1923. In 2004 the name was changed to the Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering to reflect current issues in the field.