More than 2.5 million people live in Ohio, with 196,000 farms in operation. Ohioans start moving from rural areas to take industrial jobs in the cities. Cuyahoga county population grows by 50% over 10 years. Pork processing rules Cincinnati. Ohio companies, like the Otis Steel Company, propel the state to the second spot for steel production in the nation. Railroads crisscross the land, opening Ohio businesses to new markets across the United States. Competition from other states drive down prices on agricultural goods.
The Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College is founded in 1870 as a land-grant university in accordance with the Morrill Act of 1862. The school is situated on Neil Farm, just two miles north of Columbus—centrally located in the state and easily accessible by railroads and canals. When the curriculum expands beyond agricultural and mechanical courses, the name changes to The Ohio State University in 1878.
This is an age of great growth for the nation, The Gilded Age, but not everyone enjoys prosperity. Workers continue to flock to the cities for jobs, but working conditions are poor, hours are long, and the working class struggles to make ends meet. Corn is the top crop in 1885, followed closely by wheat, oats, and potatoes. Parts of the country, including Ohio, slip into a recession. Between 1870 and 1910, five Ohioans are elected President of the United States: Rutherford B. Hayes (19th), James A. Garfield (20th), Benjamin Harrison (23rd), William McKinley (25th), and William H. Taft (27th).
Discord between the university and the agricultural community over the move to a liberal arts education prompts the Ohio legislature to create the Agricultural Experiment Station in. Columbus. Today, the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center is part of the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) Wooster Campus.
The recession that started in 1880 continues. Farmers develop land in western Ohio by draining swampland. Chemical fertilizers increase yield on farms, while machinery improves the speed and quantity of crops harvested. Paulding County has the largest population increase in the state, 93%. Warren County loses 10%.
The Agricultural Experiment Station moves to Wooster. Hundreds of one-tenth acre field plots and 26 miles of field tile are laid as part of a demonstration for Ohio farmers and the Midwest on the many ways to bring back farmed-out land. The Ohio State Department of Agriculture becomes the School of Agriculture (1881) and then the College of Agriculture and Domestic Science in 1896 to acknowledge the training offered to prepare Home Economics teachers and the outreach work focused on improving lives at home. The college is recognized nationally as a leader in agricultural education thanks to enrollment, public support, and instructional staff.
The state flag is officially adopted in 1902. Over 4 million people live in Ohio at the turn of the century. By 1910, there are 272,045 farms in operation in the state, 67% under 100 acres.
A.B. Graham, known as the father of 4-H, joins the Ohio State staff as superintendent of agricultural extension within the Department of Rural Economics. In 1905, Graham wrote his plan for Extension work: to elevate the rural standard of living; to emphasize hard work and build character; to acquaint students with their environment and encourage investigations; and to educate adults in agriculture science and up-to-date farm practices. The Ohio State board of trustees establishes an Agricultural Extension Service. Nine years later, the national Cooperative Extension System is created with the signing of the Smith-Lever Act.
The Spanish Influenza spreads through the United States and Ohio. In Chillicothe, 1,200 soldiers training for World War I at Camp Sherman perish. Many Ohio colleges and universities temporarily close to slow the spread of the disease. Ohio’s population shifts with large increases in the northwestern part of the state where steel jobs abound. Ohio ranks No 7 in the United States for value of livestock.
The Department of Agricultural Education forms under the direction of Chair Wilbur F. Stewart within the renamed College of Agriculture, for the training of agricultural teachers with hands-on centers located in Worthington, Canal Winchester, Hilliard, Grove City, Westerville and Hamilton Township. Enrollment in the college declines by half, as able-bodied students head off to war.
The Progressive Era in Ohio can be clearly seen as the rural areas of Ohio lose residents to urban centers. Over 3.5 million people live in urban areas, while only slightly more than 2 million live in rural communities. There are 256,695 farms across the state. The economy shifts from largely agricultural to more industrialized.
Coal resources dwindle in Appalachia; jobs decline and whole towns disappear when the coal mining companies leave the region. Residents in the 29 Appalachian counties in Southeast Ohio start to migrate north, following the promise of employment in the paper, tobacco, and steel industries.
A year-round lake laboratory is secured on Lake Erie, when Juelius Stone buys Gibralter Island and “castle” from the Cooke family and donates it to the university. Today, the island is home to Stone Laboratory, a freshwater biology research, science education and outreach center.
Twelve million people are unemployed in the United States, and Ohio is hit hard by the Great Depression. Workers who moved to the cities in the early 1900s for industrial jobs face unemployment. Over 40% of factory workers lose their jobs. Sixty-seven percent of construction workers are laid off. Trumbull County sees a 47% increase in residents, while rural counties in the western and southeastern parts of the state lose anywhere from 1 to 14% of their population.
Ohio State cuts faculty salaries and reduces course offerings to offset a loss of revenue. A new financial aid office opens to help students pay their tuition. A new Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit is established between the United States, State of Ohio, and several universities in response to concerns over dwindling natural wildlife resources.
Most of Ohio sees moderate gains in population through the decade. Women fill the worker void as men head off to the war. The Willys-Overland Company and Goodyear Aircraft Corporation build jeeps and airplanes for the war effort, employing workers from Appalachia and tens of thousands of others who move to Ohio looking for defense work. Of the 839,000 Ohioans who fought in the war, 2% did not return.
The School of Economics—later merged into the newly renamed College of Agriculture and Home Economics in 1958—celebrates its 50th anniversary in 1946. Research in the school focuses on food, nutrition, textiles, home management, and housing to improve the lives of city, village, and farm families. The Departments of Botany and Plant Pathology on the Columbus and Wooster campuses combine into one department in 1948.
America engages in the Korean War, taking the lives of 1,777 Ohioans. Fear of communism spreads across the nation. Conflicts over communism, known as the Cold War, will last into the 1980s. Appalachian counties in Ohio start to lose residents, with Noble County decreasing in population by 19%. Farms in the state number almost 200,000, with 21 million acres in farmland.
Thanks to the G.I. Bill, veterans account for a large percentage of enrollment in the college. Non-farming students comprise 55-60 percent of the freshman class, following a trend toward agribusiness. During the 50s, under the direction of Dean Leo Rummell, the college focuses on research. Field Days throughout the year on the Wooster Campus bring research results to Ohioans.
Ohio experiences an economic downturn when businesses move their operations out of the state or overseas. Lake County experiences the highest increase in population, 96%, while other counties surround Cincinnati and Cuyahoga see large increases as well. The state loses 80,000 farms, and 2.5 million acres in farmland over 14 years. The state loses 80,000 farms, and 2.5 million acres in farmland over 14 years.
The Department of Plant Pathology is established in 1967. The new Horticulture, Forestry, and Food Technology Center on the main campus is dedicated on October 30th, 1969, a modern space with two greenhouses, three classrooms, offices, 12 classroom laboratories, and 10 laboratories for graduate students and faculty research.
More than 10.5 million people now live in Ohio. A quarter of the population live in rural areas. And of those rural dwellers, only 16% live on farms. Rural counties in the southern part of the state decline in population anywhere from 1 to 10 percent. Franklin County continues to increase, gaining 23% more residents.
On campus, students protest the Vietnam War, which ends in 1973. Farm Science Review, launched in 1963 by College of Agriculture Dean Roy M. Kottman, celebrates 10 years as a premiere farm machinery show with field demonstrations and educational displays on conservation, fertilizer application, research on corn rows and solid-row soybean planting.
Recession hits in 1982 and millions across the United States lose their jobs. A decline in agricultural imports and falling crop prices impact farmers. The economy rebounds and Ohio enjoys a period of growth. Medina and Clermont counties have the highest surge in population, 37 and 35% respectively, while Cuyahoga County loses 12% of its residents. There are 86,934 farms in operation on 15,404,054 acres of farmland.
The college establishes the Gwynne Conservation Area, with a pond and Interpretive Center at the Molly Caren Agricultural Center in in London, Ohio. Visitors to the site explore the 67-acre site to view agricultural and natural resources management practices full of natural habitats and wildlife.
Ohio employment lags behind the U.S. rate. Top industries in Ohio include service jobs and trade, as employment in manufacturing declines. Total personal income from farming is only 1%. With 10 million acres of harvest cropland, Ohio ranks in the top 10 for corn and soybeans. Number of farms declines to 80,000 by the end of the decade. Average farm size is 186, compared to 464 acres nationally.
The newly renamed College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences acknowledges the three main areas of research and education within the college. The Department of Agricultural Education celebrates 75 years in 1992. Originally created to prepare and develop teachers of agriculture, today the department includes agricultural communication and community leadership as well.
The world is rocked by the terrorist attacks on 9/11. Ohio legislators create the Office of Ohio Homeland Security, mirroring the federal government. Falling house prices and mortgage loan defaults in 2007 kick off a period of recession in the economy that lasts through 2009. Ohio’s unemployment rate reaches 11% by 2010, with six counties above 19%. Delaware County sees the largest gain in the state, a 65% increase in population, while Warren County residents increase by 40%.
Ohio State enrolls 48,477 in 2002, making the Columbus campus the second largest campus in the United States. The LEED certified 4-H Center opens on Fred Taylor Drive in Columbus to provide a gathering space for Ohio youth, adult volunteers, community organizations and Ohio State University partners.
Population numbers in Ohio continue to level off, a trend that started in the 1970s. Slightly more than a quarter of the population is aged 45 to 64. Delaware and Warren County continue to grow, with a 49 and 35% gain. Cuyahoga County loses 8% of its population. In 2017, there were 77,805 farms in operation with almost 11 million acres of harvest cropland. Average farm size is 179 acres.
One of the college’s oldest statewide research centers, the Muck Crops Agricultural Research Station adds new facilities in 2009, including offices, a workshop, a laboratory, and a new greenhouse. Research at the station focuses on the profitability, safety, and quality of vegetable crops grown in muck soils—a unique, black soil rich in organic matter typically found after bogs or marshes are drained.
Ohio’s population is projected to grow slowly over the next 20 years. Today, 80% of Ohioans live in a metropolitan area. And county residents continue to migrate to more urban and suburban areas. Agriculture continues to be a valuable segment of the Ohio economy. Ranking in the Top 10 for grains, swine, and horses, Ohio's food and agricultural sectors generate 50 billion in gross products and employ 900,000 workers.
Tractors, controlled by computers, dispense fertilizer based on soil quality. Drones target and eradicate weeds. Strawberries grown in Ohio…in December. Sounds futuristic, but these technologies already exist.
Every day, the scientists, faculty, and students at the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences are working on research and ideas that will bring new technologies and advances to improve our lives, our food, and our world. Plans are underway to add new world-class facilities, a controlled environment building and multi-species barn, at the Waterman Agricultural and Natural Resources Lab to train the next generation of industry leaders.
This year, The Ohio State University celebrates its sesquicentennial. As the cornerstone college at the university, The College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences also celebrates 150 years of research, outreach, and engagement in Ohio. Explore that history below, glimpsed through the lens of data and stories unique to the Buckeye State.
Use the horizontal slider bar below to examine changes in population and agriculture for each decade. Select a different data source in the drop-down menu below to show population gains and losses, percentage change, or total population statistics.