A demonstration farm, experimental farm or model farm, is a farm which is used primarily to research or demonstrate various agricultural techniques, with any economic gains being an added bonus. Demonstration farms are often owned and operated by educational institution or government ministries. It is also common to rent land from a local farmer. The leaser is allowed to perform their demonstrations, while the land owner can be paid for the land usage or may be given the resulting crops. Many demonstration farms not only have crops, but may also have various types of livestock. Various techniques for feeding and bedding are tested on these farms. Demonstration farms run by universities are not only used for research, but are also used for teaching purposes. The

Ontario Agricultural College The Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) originated at the agricultural laboratories of the Toronto Normal School, and was officially founded in 1874 as an associate agricultural college of the University of Toronto. Since 1964, it has become affil ...

operates a demonstration farm in which students take active participation in their classes. There has also been an expanding number of demonstration farms which are used to test various forms of renewable energy, primarily wind turbines and solar panels.

Model A model is an informative representation of an object, person, or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin , . Models can be divided in ...

farms became popular during the

Industrial Age The Industrial Age is a period of history that encompasses the changes in economic and social organization that began around 1760 in Great Britain and later in other countries, characterized chiefly by the replacement of hand tools with power-d ...

, providing education to urbanized populations and encouraging improved welfare standards for agricultural workers. Farm buildings were designed to be beautiful as well as utilitarian, inspired by the ideals of the

enlightenment Enlightenment or enlighten may refer to: Age of Enlightenment * Age of Enlightenment, period in Western intellectual history from the late 17th to late 18th century, centered in France but also encompassing (alphabetically by country or culture): ...

History

Hofwyl: early example of a model farm

In the nineteenth century, a combined effect of

population pressure Population pressure, a term summarizing the stress brought about by an excessive population density and its consequences, is used both in conjunction with human overpopulation and with other animal populations that suffer from too many individuals ...

and the scientific revolution drove Western Europe to consider a fundamental revolution in agricultural training and practice. A number of prominent European agricultural experts, including the agricultural secretary of Scotland and famous agriculturalist Arthur Young, argued for the creation of institutions dedicated to agricultural experimentation. One attempt to introduce scientific approach to agriculture was the formation of ‘model farms’ across Europe. These farms served as experimental models, in which to develop and experiment with husbandry practices and technology. One of the most well-reputed and long-lasting model farms was Hofwyl, an estate near the Swiss city of

Bern Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...

. In 1799, Philipp Emanuel von Fellenberg purchased 250 acres of land and over the next forty years, created five establishments on his model farm, which he named Hofwyl. An agriculturist by trade and a moral reformer at heart, he sought to establish agricultural educational institutions dedicated to both scientific approach to agriculture and reconnecting individuals of all social classes to the land. His two most celebrated schools, the Scientific Educational Institution for the Higher Social Classes (1806) and the Poor School (1810) garnered attention and visitors from all over Europe and the United States. Through the establishment of an institution dedicated to the discipline of agricultural experimentation, improvement, and innovation, Fellenberg hoped to elevate his students’ minds and improve society in general. He divided his pupils between two aforementioned institutions: the sons of rich gentlemen and affluent landowners, and those of the poor and vagrants. The Scientific Educational Institution for the Higher Social Classes provided rigorous academic and practical training in scientific disciplines deemed useful in agricultural studies, such as mathematics, chemistry, and natural history, while the Poor school sought to instill its less fortunate students with skills and manual training necessary for agricultural operations. The former group followed a rigorous schedule from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., covering not only the theoretical aspects of studies, but also training in practical gardening and husbandry techniques and immersive work with local peasantry. The elite students were encouraged to undertake self-activities such as student government, and also shouldered the responsibility of experimenting with and maintaining their land plots.

At educational institutions

Campus farms are common in the United States and other countries. They are used in some cases as part of educational curricula. They also sometimes help produce food for campus dining halls, but generally have low agricultural output.

List of demonstration farms

;Canada *

Central Experimental Farm The Central Experimental Farm (CEF), commonly known as the Experimental Farm, is an agricultural facility, working farm, and research centre of the Science and Technology Branch, formerly the Research Branch, of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. ...

, Ontario, Canada ;India * District Livestock Farm (Hosur, India), India ;Spain * Iturrieta, Spain ;Tajikistan *

Food and Agriculture Organization The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; . (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition and food security. Its Latin motto, , translates ...

of the United Nations (FAO) Digital Demo Farm,

Tajikistan Tajikistan, officially the Republic of Tajikistan, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Dushanbe is the capital city, capital and most populous city. Tajikistan borders Afghanistan to the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border, south, Uzbekistan to ...

;USA * University of Illinois Experimental Dairy Farm, Illinois * Belle Fourche Experiment Farm,

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state, state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Dakota people, Dakota Sioux ...

* Long Island Rail Road Demonstration Farm, New York *

Pomona College Organic Farm The Pomona College Organic Farm is an organic farming, organic campus farm, campus farm on of the southeast corner of Pomona College's campus in Claremont, California. It is within Blanchard Park (more commonly known as "the Wash"). It was begun ...

, California
Wisconsin Demonstration Farm Networks

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

In the arts

In the 1916 novel ''Seventeen'', which takes place in a small city in the

Midwestern United States The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

(probably

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

), a group of perhaps 15 teenagers takes a trolley ride to a model farm. There, they take a guided tour, then adjourn for a huge farm-style luncheon served by farm staff and made from the farm's produce. A dance follows. In this scenario, the model farm was adjacent to the city. The farm served meals to the general public, and functioned as an entertainment destination. During and episode of Kid Food Nation, the cast and the viewers see the processes it takes to grow, package and ship fresh food by getting a look inside Nature Fresh Farms greenhouse and packaging facilities.

References

Bibliography

*Flagg, Maurice Irwin. ''Model farm houses''. St. Paul, Minn.: University of Minnesota, Dept. of Agriculture, Agricultural Extension Division, 1914. Print. *Haslam, R, 1991,''Leighton Hall Estate'', Powys, Country Life 116–9. *G.E. Mingay, ''The Victorian countryside, Volume 1'' (Routledge, 2000), p214 ff. *Robinson J M ''Georgian Model Farms: A Study of Decorative and Model Farm Buildings in the Age of Improvement 1700-1846''. Oxford 1983. * Sarah Tarlow. ''The archaeology of improvement in Britain, 1750-1850'' (Cambridge University Press, 2007), p67 ff. *Wade-Martins S. ''Historic Farm Buildings'' Batsford, London 1991. *Wade-Martins S. 2002, ''The English Model Farm – Building the Agricultural Ideal, 1700-1914” English Heritage/Windgather Press. *Wade-Martins S. 2010, The model farms of the Victorian Countryside “The Victorian: The magazine of the Victorian Society”. Issue 34, 4–8 July 2010 *Wiliam E, 1986 Historical Farm Buildings of Wales, John Donald, Edinburgh

External links

The story of a model farm in Guilford County, North Carolina
{{Authority control * * Farms by type Agronomy