UW Research and Extension Centers
| Sheridan
Research and Extension Center History General History The Sheridan Research and Extension Center (SREC) is located in Sheridan County, 6 ¾ miles east of the City of Sheridan and is at an elevation of 3,800 feet. The SREC is located in United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) plant hardiness zone 4 with an average growing season of 120 days. Average annual precipitation is 15 inches. The SREC was jointly managed by The USDA and The State of Wyoming through The University of Wyoming. The USDA opened the SREC in 1916 by leasing 160 acres of state land. In 1926 an additional 160 acres were purchased for the station. Wyoming State Highway 336 and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway covers about 14 of the 320 acres leaving the station with 306 total acres. Approximately 250 acres are farmed today and all of the crops are produced by dry-farming methods. The SREC has had many different names since it has been established which include; Sheridan Field Station, Sheridan Substation, and Sheridan Experiment Farm. The farm originally operated on
funds from the Wyoming Farm Board of Commissioners and the USDA Bureau of Plant
Industry. In 1919 the Farm Board of Commissioners was replaced by an
Agricultural Advisory Board and later replaced by the UW Board of Trustees in
1923. By 1953 the USDA had stepped out of the picture and the station was
operated entirely by the University of Wyoming. Direct federal funding ceased
in 1958. Currently funds are appropriated by the state legislature; however the
Director of the Agriculture Experiment Station supervises SREC programs.
Importance of SREC Since the start of the SREC, the aim has been to make research work useful to
the farmers and ranchers of Wyoming. In addition, SREC conducts horticulture
and turfgrass trials. The research is geared not only to farmers and ranchers,
but also to homeowners, golf course superintendents and horticulturalists. In
the past the station has been incredibly important for northeastern Wyoming
because many of the resources had yet to be developed. The
SREC has a cooperative agreement with Sheridan College. The Director of SREC
teaches one course per semester and serves on the Sheridan College Ag Advisory
Board and Sheridan College provides field research areas, laboratory space,
greenhouse space, and library access to the SREC.
Superintendents Since 1916 these people
have been superintendents and/or directors of the SREC: Since 1917 the SREC has been conducting trials in winter and spring wheat, oats,
barley, alfalfa and many grass trials. In the past the SREC also conducted
trials in flax, potatoes, millet, corn, sweet clover, winter rye, field peas,
and a few varieties of beans; however these trials have been discontinued. Orchard
and Vineyard Fruit trees and bushes have been tested at the SREC since 1923. The
previous orchard used to be located south of the office. These tests included
apples, plums, currants, and berries. The existing orchard is now located east
of the office. Currently on the station’s orchard there are apples, crabapples,
cherries, pears, and plums. The SREC established a vineyard in 1987 where over
50 varieties of grapes have been tested. There are currently 20 different
varieties of grapes planted in the vineyard today. Shelter
Belt The
Shelter Belt, located west of the office, was started in 1917 as a
beautification project as well as a variety trial. Originally 3,625 trees were
planted in a space of 100 ft. x 500 ft. Of the 3,625 only 24.5 percent
survived. Throughout the years the Shelter Belt has been added to and trees
that were killed during winter have been replaced several times. All of the
trees on the station have been mapped using a Global Positioning System (GPS)
and ArcMap Geographic Information System. The goal is to create a tree
identification trail that will be used as a learning tool for visitors.
Livestock When the SREC was run cooperatively by the USDA and the University of Wyoming
they had livestock on the property. The livestock included cattle, chickens,
hogs, and sheep. Both the cattle and the chickens brought in a profit for the
SREC through beef, milk and eggs. In 1965, all livestock were removed from the
property. Wyoming
Seed Certification The Wyoming Seed Certification Office opened in 1932 in
Laramie at the University of Wyoming. In 1981 bids went out for a new Office
and Seed Building at the SREC. It was finally relocated in 1986 to Sheridan
where it was managed by John Keenen up until 1988. Denny Hall became the
manager in 1989. The Wyoming Seed Certification Office was relocated for a
third time to the Powell Research and Extension Center in 1990. In Powell,
Denny Hall remained the seed manager up until 1996. Mike Moore is the current
seed manager. Excerpt
from the 1916 USDA Annual Report The first mention of this particular piece of land for
experimental work, that came to the writer’s attention, was by Sam Fuller the
County Agent for Sheridan County, and S.G. Boswell who had charge, in 1915, of
the experimental work of the State Board of Farm Commissioners near Sheridan.
Through them, it was suggested to W.L. Quayle, Director of the State Board of
Farm Commissioners, that this land might be procured for permanent experimental
work, and as a result Mr. Quayle and the writer inspected the land on June 24
and 25, 1915, and thought favorably of the land for state use. As the Office of
Dry Land Agriculture of the United States Department of Agriculture had once
thought favorably of starting an experiment station at Sheridan, it was
naturally suggested that the State Board of Farm Commissioners and the Office of
Dry Land Agriculture cooperate in work here, the experimental data they were
desirous of obtaining being the same. Cooperation did not develop to be a
serious matter until October, when John S. Cole, Field Agent for the Office of
Dry Land Agriculture, inspected the land in question, and visited the Sheridan
Commercial Club to find their feelings regarding cooperation. As
the land was leased State School land, steps had in the meantime been taken to
put it on sale at public auction on November 17th, when it was bid in
at $51 per acre by the Sheridan Commercial Club. However, the sale was not
confirmed by the State Land Board. It
was not until February of 1916 that a Memorandum of Understanding was drawn up
in Washington, D.C. by W.L. Quayle and E. C. Chilcott, in charge of the Office
of Dry Land Agriculture. Lease was made on the land to the U.S. Department of
Agriculture, and this memorandum duly signed on June 16, 1916. Author: Leroy
D. Willey, Superintendent of the SREC 1916.
References Information in
this document has been gathered from the USDA Annual Reports dated 1916-1953,
and by the University of Wyoming Agricultural Experiment Station Annual Reports
dated 1916-2001. Additional information has been collected through oral sources
including: Byron Nelson, Farm Manager at the SREC, and Debbie Nuss, Office
Assistant Senior at the Powell R&E Center.
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University of Wyoming
Dept. 3354
1000 E. University Ave.
Laramie, WY 82071
(307)766-3667
e-mail:
aes@uwyo.edu
