The Palouse Conservation Field Station (PCFS) originated in 1930 as one of 10 original erosion experiment stations established across the United States by Congressional funding to USDA. The research programs of the stations were designed to investigate the causes of erosion and to determine the most effective and practical methods of checking and controlling soil and water losses from agricultural lands. In 1935 the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) was established and the PCFS became a part of SCS research. When the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) was established in 1953, all SCS research, including the PCFS, was transferred to ARS.

Historically, the PCFS has played a leading role in the development of science-based solutions to agricultural and environmental problems of the Pacific Northwest. Research on conservation tillage, soil quality, integrated pest management and soil erosion prediction and control have promoted the economic and environmental vitality of the region’s agriculture by providing state-of-the-art technologies and management strategies. Scientists and engineers from the ARS and Washington State University currently utilize the PCFS to conduct research projects ranging from soil erosion by wind and water to field-scale cropping and tillage practices on the steep slopes common on the Palouse. Both federal and state researchers, graduate students, and technicians conduct part or all of their research at the PCFS.

The PCFS infrastructure currently consists of several buildings including offices, soils laboratory, plant-drying facility, rain tower with tilting flume, greenhouse, machine shop, and equipment buildings, as well as the 202-acre research farm.

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