The university maintained farm operations for educational purposes as early as the late 1920s. Over time, all operations moved to an 850-acre tract of land south of present-day Whitley Residence Hall. This land formed the original College Farm. President James Gilliam Gee later leased a large portion of land a few miles south of campus in the mid-1950s, which came to be known as "the ranch." The college purchased this land in 1964, and all farm operations were relocated to the new site over the next several years.