Miner Institute's Mission: Research, Education, Demonstration

Miner Institute conducts integrated, cutting-edge education, research, and demonstration programs that optimize the biological and economic relationships among forage-crop production, dairy and equine management, and environmental stewardship.

Mission Statement

Research
Miner Institute conducts practical research on the dairy-crop interface, equine reproduction and management, and environmental conservation. Its research activities combine a global perspective with a regional application.

Education
Miner Institute offers a range of undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education programs in dairy and field crop science, equine management, and environmental conservation. The Institute provides meetings, workshops, and residential undergraduate and graduate programs in cooperation with a number of regional colleges and universities.

Demonstration
Miner Institute demonstrates the best practices in dairy farming, equine management, and environmental conservation through its dairy, crops, equine, and field and forestry operations and through outreach activities in the region.

Vision 

We envision a vital agricultural community in northern New York and surrounding regions built on effective use of forage crops and management technologies that optimize animal production and well-being while sustaining the natural environment, particularly in the fragile Champlain Basin.

Values

We highly value the Miner tradition of high quality agricultural programs serving northern New York needs, conducted by a talented and diverse staff in a beautiful historical setting. We especially value applying the latest technological innovations to improve agricultural profitability and sustainability in the tradition of William Miner.

Uniqueness

Unlike other agricultural educational institutions, Miner Institute uses its farm, facilities, and staff to conduct fully integrated education, research, and demonstration programs rather than treating them as separate and unequal functions.

History: William Henry Miner and Heart's Delight Farm

Heart’s Delight Farm was developed on William Henry Miner’s family homestead of 144 acres in Chazy, New York, beginning in 1903. By 1918, the farm had grown to 12,000 acres – 4,000 acres of tillable land, 2,000 acres of pasture and 6,000 acres of woodland. Within the cropland, 450 acres were devoted to growing corn and 600 acres to small grains. There was a wide variety of animals on the farm including beef and dairy cattle, mules, draft horses, purebred horses, sheep, pigs, chickens, turkeys, pheasants and brook trout.  The farm employed 800 workers at that time and had its own dairy, box factory, ice house, natatorium, greenhouses, and grist mill. There was a 20-bedroom guesthouse and an entertainment center named Harmony Hall, which included an auditorium, complete with a stage that could accommodate 300 persons.  Development of this lovely gentleman’s farm was made possible by the fortune Mr. Miner earned from his mechanical inventions for rail transportation.  The farm continued to thrive during Mr. Miner’s lifetime as he divided his time between the farm and his company, Miner, Inc., based in Chicago, IL.

Mr. Miner’s will provided for the establishment of a school and farm devoted to teaching scientific and environmentally sound agricultural practices to the farmers and youth of northern New York. Miner Institute delivers outstanding education programs designed to train students to return to the dairy and equine industries in decision-making roles. Our continuing education programs disseminate practical animal-crop system information to producers and allied industry to enhance the future sustainability of dairy and equine production systems.

Utilizing both the onsite Holstein dairy farm  and our Morgan horse herd, Miner Institute demonstrates the latest innovations in crop and dairy/equine production so that regional producers and allied industry may understand the on-farm application of new technologies.