UGA Griffin Campus

For more than 100 years, the University of Georgia Griffin Campus has played a leading role in the development of modern agriculture in the South. The campus was first established as the Georgia Experiment Station in 1888 as a result of the federal Hatch Act.

Early research focused on fertilizers and soil erosion, but soon a complete program of agricultural and environmental research developed. Griffin scientists helped revolutionize agribusiness and farming statewide by solving many persistent crop problems. The deep-furrow method of planting winter oats, pioneered here around 1900, saved southern farmers millions of dollars. Researchers have bred numerous crop varieties, such as Empire cotton, which had major impact on Georgia cotton growers in the 1940s. Griffin scientist, Dr. Jasper Guy Woodroof, contributed greatly to early food science research by developing the technology for frozen foods.