The campus was established in 1909 on of abandoned farmland at the foot of Mount Makiling, purchased by the University of the Philippines (UP) Board of Regents to serve as the campus of the newly created UP College of Agriculture (UPCA). Students helped clear the land, and the first classes were held in tents. Practical instruction was done at plantations on campus, such as those for corn, sugar cane and tobacco. Act 2730 of the Philippine Legislature in February 1918 authorized the appropriation of for the creation of an agricultural experiment station. At the same time, funding of ₱125,000 (US$2,890) was used by the college to acquire for experimental farms and pasture.