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Niles, Donald E. (ed.) / The Wisconsin engineer
Volume 48, Number 3 (November 1943)
Hagen, Hobart I.
Agricutural [sic] engineering, pp. 6-7
Page 7
Jut CAlala4d1 9. Acaew 49 '"44 The Department of Agricultural Engineering was founded about 1900, and the present Engineering building was completed in 1905. It is of engineering interest that this structure was the first reinforced concrete building on the campus. The late Prof. E. R. Jones was chairman of the department from 1918 until 1937 when Prof. F. W. Duffee, the present chairman, succeeded him. The agricultural engineering course was non-technical innature and consisted of the required credits in agriculture and in addition the major studies in agricultural engineering. This commercial major or non-technical course is still offered and is primarily designed for those students who are inclined toward engineering and desire to return to the farm or to take positions as agricultural agents, farm man- agers, or to enter the farm equipment business. Today there is also a professional major. Because the College of Agriculture and the College of Engineering are on the same campus, Wisconsin is enabled to train and develop technical Agricultural Engineers, who receive Bach- elor's degrees in both Agriculture and Engineering. It takes five years to complete the combined course, but it is well worth the price. The first student to graduate from the combination course was Russel L. Perry in 1926. However, it was not until 1928 and 1929 that the enrollment began to take on appreciable proportions and has been on the incline until the outbreak of the present conflict. It reached about 60 at the start of the war. Upon the completion of four years of required work, including 45 credits in agriculture, the B.S. Agricultural De- gree is granted, with a B.S. Degree in Civil, Mechanical, or Electrical Engineering after the fifth year, if all the re- quirements for these degrees have been met. Among the required courses in the Agricultural College are Agronomy, Animal Husbandry, Soils, Agricultural Bac- teriology, Agricultural Economics, and fifteen credits of Agricultural Engineering, which includes Farm Power and Machinery, Farm Surveys and Structures, Farm Mechanics, Tractors and Tractor Machinery, Soil Erosion, Drainage and Irrigation Engineering, Special Problems and Seminary. Practically all courses including both Agriculture and Engineering are required as listed. Members of the Agricultural Engineering department include: Prof. F. W. Duffee, chairman, who specializes in farm power and machinery; Prof. 0. R. Zeasman, soil erosion and drainage; Prof. S. A. Witzel, farm structures; Prof. F. B. Trenk, extension forester; Prof. H. D. Bruhn, extension farm power and machinery; Prof. M. J. La Rock, extension, farm structures; Prof. R. C. Swanson, farm safety specialist who recently became a member of the depart- ment and has been assigned director of the farm safety program; and assistant N. E. Rather, who completed the tech- nical Agricultural Engineering course last semester. The American Society of Agricultural Engineers was founded in the Agricultural Engineering building, December 27, 1907. Throughout the school year all agricultural engineering students function as a student branch of this organ- ization. It is essential that an agricultural engineer should have the same basic engineering training that is required of other professional engineers; yet he must have a training in and an understanding of agriculture that other professional en- gineers have not and will not acquire. Technical Agricultural Engineers are trained for the research departments of farm implement companies and the agricultural engineering departments of other State Colleges, for directors of rural electric lines, for the more eco- nomical construction of farm buildings, and for improved design of drainage, irrigation and soil erosion control works. Farm implement companies need engineers who know the requirement and problems connected with doing a farm job. Having had a thorough scientific background in agriculture, they are specially qualified to design and develop new machines for the various tasks on the farm which are labor saving and economical. Equipment must also be de- signed very often for a new type of work, arising from achievements of research workers in Agricultural Experiment Stations. For instance, when it was discovered that molasses or cornmeal was a good preservative for grass silage it was up to the agricultural engineer to design the proper equipment to distribute the preservative evenly with adjust- ments for control. The Agricultural Engineering departments of state agricultural colleges continually do research work in farm build- ing construction and design. In this way they are prepared to offer a great service to farmers in helping them in their building problems. These engineers, through their knowledge of agricultural economics and farm requirements, know what is the most desirable for each individual and can advise them wisely. Likewise, the agricultural civil engineer, who specializes in drainage and irrigation, will have a better knowledge of his work as far as adapting it to the special needs of the type of soil or the crops grown is concerned. Wherever there is a correlation between agriculture and engineering, the agricultural engineer is specially trained for that job. The future looks bright for him. Food to be produced in quantity must be backed up by the neces- sary farm implements, soil control and the comforts for the farm family. N OV EM B ER, 1943 7
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