A group of students and plants in a lab

Cornell AES

Bringing research to life

Improving the health and welfare of people and our planet

Cornell AES is vital to New York state agriculture and food security. We contribute to healthy and resilient communities, and improve the lives and well-being of people by advancing research on agriculture and food systems, the environment, applied economics, and community and individual development.

Cornell AES by the numbers

175

Researchers supported by Cornell AES funding annually

350

Research projects on farms and in greenhouses

8

Research farms across New York state, and 127K square feet of greenhouse space

Working for a sustainable future

The challenges facing our planet and people are daunting. At Cornell AES we are passionate about creating a more resilient future. To us, sustainability is not just a concept, but an intricate part of everything we do.

A group of people standing behind a field of sunflowers

Research farms and facilities

Cornell’s world-class research farms and plant growth facilities that are managed by Cornell AES, provide the crucial support and environments needed to move critical research from concept to commercial application.

Funding research

Cornell AES-managed Federal Capacity Funds provide vital support for important research projects in three Cornell colleges. Learn about the grant programs and the application process.

Information for Cornell researchers

Research impacts

Find out how research supported by Cornell AES addresses a broad array of real-world problems. Read about innovative science-based solutions and promising research projects important to people, the economy, the environment and our future.

Explore our research impacts

News & updates

Scott Morris with plants in a greenhouse

News

18-year study: deer inhibit trees, raise plant diversity
At high densities, white-tailed deer inhibit growth of trees but increase the overall diversity of smaller plant and weed species, according to a long-term study published Dec. 23 in PLOS One. Twenty years ago, Cornell researchers established...
  • Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station
  • Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
Jonathan Chai in a green house with datura and squash flowers

Field Note

Jonathan Chai ’24: Exploring plants, insects and floral microclimates
Jonathan Chai ‘24 worked for two years as an undergraduate research assistant in the lab of Robert Raguso , professor of neurobiology and behavior. Raguso’s lab made the first discovery that insects are attracted to plants as much by humidity as...
  • Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Agriculture
Margaret Smith in corn field

News

Margaret Smith, “embodiment of the land grant mission,” elected emerita
After almost 50 years at Cornell – from an undergraduate student to a widely respected steward of Cornell’s land grant mission – Margaret Smith has been elected professor emerita. Smith came to Cornell in 1974 and earned her bachelor’s (’78) and...
  • Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Plant Breeding and Genetics Section