Mr. Stanley Pullen was the first full-time teacher and chairman of the
Agriculture Department at Murray State Normal School (now Murray State
University). Mr. Pullen and his wife Mabel Pullen both taught in the
field of agriculture at Murray State. Mr. Pullen passed away in 1935, but
Mrs. Pullen continued to maintain her ties with the Agriculture Department.
The original farm purchased by Mr. Pullen consisted of two tracts, the
first of which was purchased in the 1920's. The Pullens ran the farm and
a dairy (College Crest Farm) with the help of students as employees. Mr.
Pullen built the farm which still stands on the property, but he passed away
before the mortgage could be paid off. Mrs. Pullen began teaching in
local schools to pay the mortgage on the farm.
In her later years, Mrs. Pullen depended heavily on the MSU Agriculture
Department for the management and operation of her 44 acre farm. Upon her
passing, Mrs. Pullen bequeathed the farm and most of her estate to the MSU
Foundation for academic purposes and scholarships for the Department of Agriculture.
An initial cleanup took place in 1995, and in 1996 renovations began on
the farm. The Pullen Farm provides the School of Agriculture with
additional space for agronomy testing and research. Students are involved in trials highlighting
weed control methods, pest management practices, soil fertility, and basic crop
science. In addition, the farm features
a corn maze each fall semester and hosts the School of Agriculture’s annual
“Fall on the Farm” event.
The Pullen Farm is also home to the MSU Horticulture program. Horticultural facilities on the farm include
three greenhouses, classroom and office spaces, and numerous flowering beds and
landscape structures. Students are
responsible for working in the greenhouses and also maintaining the bedding
plants surrounding the facility. In 2009
the Hutson School of Agriculture began construction on an arboretum at the Pullen
Farm. The Arboretum features collections
of native plants trees, winding pathways, and a pavilion for hosting special
events.