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Sanborn Field and Soil Erosion Plots
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Sanborn Field
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| Location: | Columbia, Missouri |
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| Built: | 1888 |
| Governing body: | State |
| NRHP Reference#: | 66000413 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP: | October 15, 1966[1] |
| Designated NHL: | July 19, 1964[2] |
Sanborn Field is an agricultural experiment field, located on the University of Missouri campus. Established in 1888, Sanborn Field was the first facility in the United States intended to measure erosion and run-off for differing crops and agricultural practices. Work at Sanborn Field was influential in the establishment of soil conservation policy in the United States.
Research on soil properties at Sanborn began with manure fertilizer and shifted to chemical fertilizer in 1914. Experiments have also shown the value of crop rotation, while other experiments focused on the recovery of exhausted soils.
The fields, once in a rural area, are now surrounded by built-up portions of Columbia. The plots measure 52.5 feet (16.0 m) by 118.5 feet (36.1 m).
The organism Streptomyces aureofaciens, the original source of the antibiotic aureomycin, was first isolated from Plot 23 in 1945.[3]
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