[House Hearing, 117 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
1890 LAND-GRANT INSTITUTIONS: INVESTING
FOR AGRICULTURAL RESILIENCY, EQUITY,
AND GLOBAL IMPACT
=======================================================================
HEARING
BEFORE THE
COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
JUNE 16, 2021
__________
Serial No. 117-9
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Printed for the use of the Committee on Agriculture
agriculture.house.gov
__________
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
47-604 PDF WASHINGTON : 2022
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE
DAVID SCOTT, Georgia, Chairman
JIM COSTA, California GLENN THOMPSON, Pennsylvania,
JAMES P. McGOVERN, Massachusetts Ranking Minority Member
FILEMON VELA, Texas AUSTIN SCOTT, Georgia
ALMA S. ADAMS, North Carolina, Vice ERIC A. ``RICK'' CRAWFORD,
Chair Arkansas
ABIGAIL DAVIS SPANBERGER, Virginia SCOTT DesJARLAIS, Tennessee
JAHANA HAYES, Connecticut VICKY HARTZLER, Missouri
ANTONIO DELGADO, New York DOUG LaMALFA, California
BOBBY L. RUSH, Illinois RODNEY DAVIS, Illinois
CHELLIE PINGREE, Maine RICK W. ALLEN, Georgia
GREGORIO KILILI CAMACHO SABLAN, DAVID ROUZER, North Carolina
Northern Mariana Islands TRENT KELLY, Mississippi
ANN M. KUSTER, New Hampshire DON BACON, Nebraska
CHERI BUSTOS, Illinois DUSTY JOHNSON, South Dakota
SEAN PATRICK MALONEY, New York JAMES R. BAIRD, Indiana
STACEY E. PLASKETT, Virgin Islands JIM HAGEDORN, Minnesota
TOM O'HALLERAN, Arizona CHRIS JACOBS, New York
SALUD O. CARBAJAL, California TROY BALDERSON, Ohio
RO KHANNA, California MICHAEL CLOUD, Texas
AL LAWSON, Jr., Florida TRACEY MANN, Kansas
J. LUIS CORREA, California RANDY FEENSTRA, Iowa
ANGIE CRAIG, Minnesota MARY E. MILLER, Illinois
JOSH HARDER, California BARRY MOORE, Alabama
CYNTHIA AXNE, Iowa KAT CAMMACK, Florida
KIM SCHRIER, Washington MICHELLE FISCHBACH, Minnesota
JIMMY PANETTA, California JULIA LETLOW, Louisiana
ANN KIRKPATRICK, Arizona
SANFORD D. BISHOP, Jr., Georgia
______
Anne Simmons, Staff Director
Parish Braden, Minority Staff Director
(ii)
C O N T E N T S
----------
Page
Adams, Hon. Alma S., a Representative in Congress from North
Carolina, submitted letters on behalf of:
Martin, Sr., Harold L., Chancellor, North Carolina
Agricultural and Technical State University................ 65
Adobe Inc., et al............................................ 66
Scott, Hon. David, a Representative in Congress from Georgia,
opening statement.............................................. 1
Prepared statement........................................... 2
Submitted letters on behalf of:
Alexander, J.D., Ph.D., Laurence B., Chancellor,
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff................... 61
Brown II, Ph.D., M. Christopher, President, Kentucky
State University....................................... 64
Thompson, Hon. Glenn, a Representative in Congress from
Pennsylvania, opening statement................................ 3
Witnesses
Abdullah, Ph.D., Makola M., President, Virginia State University;
Chair, Council of 1890 Universities, Association of Public and
Land-grant Universities, Petersburg, VA........................ 7
Prepared statement........................................... 9
Submitted questions.......................................... 67
Jones, Ph.D., Paul A., President, Fort Valley State University;
Vice Chair, Council of 1890 Universities, Association of Public
and Land-grant Universities, Fort Valley, GA................... 13
Prepared statement........................................... 15
Anderson, Ph.D., Heidi M., President, University of Maryland
Eastern Shore; Member At-Large, Council of 1890 Universities,
Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, Princess
Anne, MD....................................................... 16
Prepared statement........................................... 17
Submitted questions.......................................... 68
Allen, Ph.D., Tony, President, Delaware State University, Dover,
DE............................................................. 22
Prepared statement........................................... 23
McMeans, Ph.D., Orlando F., Chancellor, Agricultural Research and
Extension Center, Southern University; Dean, College of
Agricultural, Family and Consumer Sciences, SU, Baton Rouge, LA 24
Prepared statement........................................... 26
Submitted questions.......................................... 72
1890 LAND-GRANT INSTITUTIONS: INVESTING FOR AGRICULTURAL RESILIENCY,
EQUITY,.
AND GLOBAL IMPACT
----------
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 2021
House of Representatives,
Committee on Agriculture,
Washington, D.C.
The Committee met, pursuant to other business, at 10:00
a.m., via Zoom, Hon. David Scott of Georgia [Chairman of the
Subcommittee] presiding.
Members present: Representatives David Scott of Georgia,
McGovern, Adams, Spanberger, Hayes, Delgado, Rush, Sablan,
Kuster, Plaskett, O'Halleran, Lawson, Craig, Harder, Axne,
Schrier, Panetta, Bishop, Thompson, Austin Scott of Georgia,
DesJarlais, LaMalfa, Davis, Allen, Rouzer, Kelly, Johnson,
Baird, Jacobs, Cloud, Mann, Feenstra, Moore, Cammack,
Fischbach, and Letlow.
Staff present: Lyron Blum-Evitts, Malikha Daniels, Chu-Yuan
Hwang, Ashley Smith, Caleb Crosswhite, Josh Maxwell, Ricki
Schroeder, Jennifer Tiller, Erin Wilson, John Konya, and Dana
Sandman.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. DAVID SCOTT, A REPRESENTATIVE IN
CONGRESS FROM GEORGIA
The Chairman. The hearing will come to order. Thank you,
and welcome everyone, for joining us at today's hearing, and it
is indeed an historic hearing. 1890s Land-Grant Institutions:
Investing for Agricultural Resiliency, Equity, and Global
Impact. After brief opening statements, Members will receive
testimony from our witnesses today, and then the hearing will
be open for questions. Members will be recognized in order of
seniority, alternating between Majority and Minority Members,
and in order of arrival for those Members who have joined us
after the hearing was called to order. And when you are
recognized, you will be asked to unmute your microphones, and
will have 5 minutes to ask questions or make comments. And if
you are not speaking, I ask that you remain muted in order to
minimize any background noise. In order to get to as many
questions as possible, the timer will stay consistently visible
on your screen. We have so much to do, and this God-blessed
opportunity that we have today, and we want to get everybody's
participation in on this very important hearing.
And so I just want to welcome everyone, and as Chairman of
this House Agriculture Committee, I am so proud, and I am so
thankful, for God blessing me with this opportunity to make
history as the first African American Congressmember to chair
this extraordinary Committee. And I am so grateful for having a
wonderful Committee operating in a very strong bipartisan way,
and nothing, nothing, illustrates the bipartisanship of this
Committee like why we are here today. The 1890s African
American colleges and universities were first brought up by a
Republican Senator, Morrill, who did it as we were ending
slavery. The key to the South's survival were 1860 colleges
that came in, in each of the 19 border states, as well as
states--it was the key that resurrected the South.
And then, in 1890, with the passage of Plessy v. Ferguson,
the Separate But Equal Doctrine, in every state, in every
border state, where they had put the White institutions, they
put an African American--which served the same purpose of
resurrecting the economy, the education, the quality of life of
African Americans. And so, it is with great honor that we
welcome back to Congress the African American college
presidents who came before us 7 years ago to start us on this
journey of being able to get scholarships for the 1890s African
American colleges and universities. And I am so thankful for
that, for I am a graduate of one of those 1890s, Florida A&M
University, my beloved FAMU, home of the Rattlers.
But let me tell you, there are so many of our Members in
Congress who are also graduates, and they join me in saying
without these 1890 land-grant colleges and universities, it is
very doubtful that we, as African American Members of Congress,
would be here. We owe so much to them. So that is why this is
so important. My wife, Alfredia, is a graduate. My two
daughters, Dayna and Marcye, are graduates of Florida A&M as
well, so this is like homecoming to all of us.
So, again, it is with great pleasure that we do this. And I
just want to close my opening statement by saying we are not
stopping here. The fundamental purpose of this hearing is to
hear from our African American college presidents on the work
that we are doing in Congress, how it is helping to sustain and
grow our African American land-grant colleges and universities.
And it is with this hearing that we will lay the foundation for
making the scholarship program permanent, and we are working as
a Committee right now on the legislation to do just that.
[The prepared statement of Mr. David Scott follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. David Scott, a Representative in Congress
from Georgia
Good morning, and welcome to our Members, witnesses, and all of the
people watching along at home.
Today's hearing is one that is personal for me. As I sit here
before you--the first African American Chairman of this esteemed
Committee--I say with great pride that I am the product of an 1890
Land-Grant institution. Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, Florida
was seminal in the story of how I went from growing up on a farm in
Aynor, South Carolina to now being your Chairman.
But the story of the 1890 Land-Grant institutions is not just mine
to share. So many other Members of this Committee, the Congressional
Black Caucus, and leaders across our great nation share this experience
of taking part in the excellence that is developed at these vital
institutions. Today, we will hear parts of that story, along with work
that still needs to be done to level the playing field for our 1890s
institutions.
As many of you know, I--along with many other great leaders on this
Committee--worked very hard to get $80 million in funding for
scholarships so that students pursuing careers related to food science
and agriculture can attend our wonderful 1890 institutions.
This funding is already helping but there is more work to be done.
I fully intend, and am working on a bill right now, to make these
scholarships permanent. This is a much needed investment in the future
of our food production. Furthermore, investing in the 1890 Centers of
Excellence is essential as they mold talented young minds for our food
and agricultural sector, to ensure the success and prosperity of our
smaller farmers and ranchers, and fighting hunger across the globe.
The American Rescue Plan included many provisions that will help
make our world of agriculture more equitable, but one provision that I
want to make everyone aware of is that a portion of the funds are to be
used at 1890 Institutions to support agricultural research, education,
and Extension. These Extension services at 1890 institutions serve a
variety of agricultural needs in rural and socially disadvantaged
communities.
The American Rescue Plan funding is also for scholarships and
programs that provide internships and pathways to Federal employment.
I have been very clear that I want USDA to better represent Black
farmers and farmers of color, and these pathways to Federal employment
will be crucial to making lasting positive impacts on our entire
agricultural sector.
Today, we have gathered an expert panel of 1890 Land-Grant
institution Presidents and one Chancellor-Dean, who I am sure will
provide detailed testimony on where the House Agriculture Committee and
our partners at USDA can make improvements, and where we have had
shortfalls in the past. I welcome that. As I have said time and again,
we must find the full scope of a problem before we work to solve it.
It is my hope that through the work we do here today and throughout
this Congress, we can bring the resources to our 1890 Land-Grant
institutions that they deserve and greatly need.
With that, I'd now like to welcome the distinguished Ranking
Member, the gentleman from Pennsylvania, Mr. Thompson, for any opening
remarks he would like to give.
The Chairman. So God bless all of you for coming, thank
you, and with that, I will recognize my distinguished, good
friend, the Ranking Member, Ranking Member Thompson, for your
opening remarks.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. GLENN THOMPSON, A REPRESENTATIVE IN
CONGRESS FROM PENNSYLVANIA
Mr. Thompson. Well, good morning. Thank you, Chairman
Scott, for holding this hearing today. And before I begin, just
a point of personal privilege, if I may. I am very much looking
forward and appreciate today's hearing, and the topic that we
will be working on and exploring. But, again, I want to make
clear that I hope that this Committee will then soon turn its
attention to the needs of production agriculture, including
hearing the testimony from our USDA Secretary Vilsack. The next
farm bill will be here before we know it, and it is imperative
that we address the 2018 Farm Bill oversight, each of those
titles, as well as the challenges and successes associated with
both the Congressional and the Departmental response to COVID-
19.
Now, I want to thank you for your indulgence, Chairman
Scott. Now on to the hearing at hand. First, my thanks to our
witnesses for their time and their attention today. I hope we
can soon be gathering in person. I have to tell you, it feels
good to be sitting next to my good friend, colleague, and
Chairman, Chairman Scott here.
The Chairman. Yes.
Mr. Thompson. First time in a while.
The Chairman. In a while.
Mr. Thompson. So at the end of last year the Subcommittee
on Biotechnology, Horticulture, and Research met to celebrate
an important milestone, the 130th anniversary of the second
Morrill Act, and this Act, which was signed into law on August
30, 1890, led to the creation of these great 1890 land-grant
universities, a part of that Land-Grant University System. Now,
that hearing included a distinguished panel of witnesses,
including two of them joining us here today, and as many of you
recall, we discussed the current state of the 1890 land-grant
universities, how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted their
operations, and the status of various 2018 Farm Bill
provisions, particularly those intended to enable the entire
Land-Grant University System to focus on socially disadvantaged
individuals. The programs have focused the entire system,
1862s, 1890s, 1994s, on the issues affecting socially
disadvantaged individuals, allow us to implement a national
response, and I look forward to continuing our discussion
today. Land-grant universities conduct critical agricultural
research, they teach our next generation of agriculturalists,
and they provide outreach to their communities through the
Cooperative Extension Service. Since their creation, 1890
institutions have gone above and beyond to achieve these
objectives, and I am eager to hear more about each of these
today.
Congress has long supported and taken action since the
passage of the second Morrill Act to ensure 1890 institutions
have access to the resources they need. I would be especially
remiss if I did not mention the work that we did together in
the 2018 Farm Bill. First and foremost, I would like to
highlight the grant program to award scholarships to students
at 1890 universities who are pursuing a career in agriculture.
This provision was a priority for several Members of the
Committee, and we worked hard to include it in both the House-
passed version and the final conference report. Now, I expect
COVID-19 may have impacted the implementation of these
scholarships, but I invite our guests to discuss how best to
move forward. Two other provisions in the 2018 Farm Bill
address the disparity in the treatment of carryover funds for
1890 extension, and the establishment of three new Centers of
Excellence. As we approach the next farm bill, I look forward
to not only hearing more about the implementation of these
provisions, but also where we may need additional support for
these great institutions.
Today, especially as we look towards a post-pandemic
economy, any conversation about education must also include the
issue of connectivity. Now, this is an issue I am working on
extensively to move the needle and close this gap, especially
for our rural communities, and I know Chairman Scott, and all
of our Members, share this priority. Many of you educate our
next generation of agricultural experts in very rural areas.
Your students are more likely to end up on the wrong side of
the digital divide, and I am sure you have seen the frustration
and the toll that this lack of reliable internet access has on
your faculty and students. Lack of broadband also negatively
affects the Land-Grant University System itself, given the
Cooperative Extension System's need to disseminate the latest
research, and provide other services. Now, I am a strong
believer in common sense legislation that will bridge this gap,
revitalize rural economies and production agriculture, and make
sure our students are not left behind. I know infrastructure
needs are top of mind for the entire Land-Grant University
System, including all of you, and I look forward to hearing
more about your needs, and how we can best go about addressing
them. We need the system. We need your institutions. We need
all students to thrive.
Mr. Chairman, I think today is an opportunity for us. We
have before us the very administrators that are molding the
minds of the next generation of farmers, and ranchers, and
policymakers. Their expertise, recommendations, and engagement
will serve as a necessary guide to make our institutions the
most innovative and the most attractive to future generations
of students. Now, I thank the outstanding panel of witnesses
for taking time to be here with us today, and I am confident
that this will be a very productive discussion, and with that I
yield back.
The Chairman. Yes. Thank you very much, Ranking Member. And
now it is my deep honor to yield to the gentlewoman from North
Carolina, the distinguished Vice Chair of the Agriculture
Committee, and she is the co-Chair of the Congressional
Bipartisan Historically Black College and Universities, HBCU,
Caucus, Representative Alma Adams, who is also a graduate of an
1890 institution, North Carolina A&T, and she will provide an
opening statement, as well as introduce a video from the
leaders of the 1890s land-grant institutions.
Ms. Adams. Thank you, Chairman Scott, and Ranking Member
Thompson, for hosting today's hearing, and thank you to our
witnesses for their testimony, and let me just greet you all
with some good old Aggie pride. As you know, 1890 land-grant
universities are some of our largest and most impactful
historically Black colleges and universities, and this hearing
makes that clear. For more than 125 years, 1890s have provided
essential research, education, public outreach, and economic
development opportunities across our country, and yet these
institutions still face major issues regarding state matching
funds and insufficient infrastructure on campus to conduct
cutting edge agricultural research. As Vice Chair of this
Committee, it is a priority of mine to make sure that these
institutions continue to have the resources to unlock the
potential of millions of students across the country. And
moreover, as founder and co-Chair of the HBCU Caucus, I
recently introduced the IGNITE HBCU Excellence Act (H.R. 3294).
This bill would invest in our HBCU facilities to give them
state of the art learning environments, and enable HBCUs to
continue to be a critical source of diversity in the workforce
for another century and beyond.
I look forward to hearing the testimony from our esteemed
panel of witnesses on these issues and others, and I thank them
in advance for taking the time to be with us this morning, and
for all that they are doing for students. And so I hope that we
get to hear your thoughts on the effectiveness of the
implementation of the 2018 Farm Bill provisions, the additional
areas for collaboration between Congress and the 1890 System,
and how your institutions have been impacted by the COVID-19
pandemic. And before I close, Mr. Chairman, I would like to
just take a moment to introduce a short video of our 1890 land-
grant university presidents, who would like to say a few words,
and introduce their universities.* Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and
I yield back at this time.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Editor's note: the video is retained in Committee file and is
also available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baoMCrg0Uxo.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Chairman. Thank you.
[Video shown.]
The Chairman. Thank you all for those wonderful statements
and testimonies. The Chair would--excuse me. The Chair would
request that other Members submit their opening statements for
the record so witnesses may begin their testimony, and to
ensure that there is ample time for questions. And, if there is
no objection, I would like to enter the letters from the
President of Kentucky State University, and the Chancellor from
the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff into the record.
[The letters referred to are located on p. 61.]
The Chairman. And now I am pleased to welcome back to the
Committee our very first witness, Dr. Makola Abdullah, who is
the 14th President of Virginia State University. Dr. Abdullah
has served in this role since February 2016, and he is an
alumnus of Howard University and Northwestern University. And I
am also pleased to also welcome back to the Committee our
second witness, Dr. Paul Jones, who is currently serving as the
10th President of Fort Valley State University. Dr. Jones has
served in this position since December 2015, and he is a
graduate of Utah State University and Colorado State
University. Our third witness today is Dr. Heidi Anderson, and
she is the President of the University of Maryland Eastern
Shore. Dr. Anderson has served in this role since 2018. She has
received her doctorate, Master's, and undergraduate degrees all
from Purdue University. Our next witness is Dr. Tony Allen, the
President of Delaware State University. Dr. Allen has served in
this role since January of 2020, and he is an alumnus of Baruch
College and University in Delaware.
To introduce our fifth and final witness, I am pleased to
yield to our colleague on the Agriculture Committee, the
distinguished gentlewoman from Louisiana, Ms. Letlow.
Ms. Letlow. Good morning, Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member
Thompson, and my fellow Members of the House Agriculture
Committee. It is an honor and privilege to introduce to you our
next witness, from my home State of Louisiana, Dr. Orlando
McMeans. Dr. McMeans is both Chancellor of the Southern
University Agricultural Research and Extension Center, and the
Dean of the College of Agricultural Family and Consumer
Sciences at Southern University's main campus in Baton Rouge,
Louisiana. The Southern University System plays an important
role in furthering the land-grant mission in Louisiana. The Ag
Center is critical in conducting important research, along with
their outreach and leadership benefitting farmers and ranchers
in 34 parishes. Southern University's College of Agricultural,
Family, and Consumer Sciences produces outstanding graduates in
fields such as ag economics, plant and animal sciences, and
urban forestry.
Prior to joining Southern University, Dr. McMeans served in
a number of key roles, including Vice President for Research
and Public Service at West Virginia State University. His
expertise and leadership in agricultural education and outreach
has been recognized by his colleagues across the country, and
he provides input to so many institutions outside of Louisiana
through his work with the Association of Public and Land-grant
Universities. A graduate of an 1890 institution, Dr. McMeans
earned his Bachelor of Science in Horticulture from Alabama A&M
University. Additionally, he received both his Master's Degree
and Ph.D. in Horticulture from the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champagne. After graduation, Dr. McMeans went on to do
post-doctoral studies in the area of genetic engineering at
Virginia Tech. We are delighted to have him with us today to
share his perspective with the Committee. Dr. McMeans, thank
you for joining us. I yield back.
The Chairman. I thank the gentlewoman. And I am indeed so
pleased to have such a distinguished panel of witnesses before
us today. Each of you will have 5 minutes in order to make your
points. The timer should be visible to you on your screen, and
will count down to zero, at which point your time will have
expired. So let us begin. Dr. Abdullah, you are recognized for
5 minutes. Please begin when you are ready.
STATEMENT OF MAKOLA M. ABDULLAH, Ph.D., PRESIDENT, VIRGINIA
STATE UNIVERSITY; CHAIR, COUNCIL OF 1890
UNIVERSITIES, ASSOCIATION OF PUBLIC AND LAND-GRANT
UNIVERSITIES, PETERSBURG, VA
Dr. Abdullah. Good morning. Thank you, Chairman David
Scott, thank you Vice Chair Alma Adams, and Ranking Member
Glenn Thompson for convening today's hearing for the 1890
universities. I also want to thank all the staff on both sides
who helped put this together, and also my fellow presidents for
the wonderful videos that they showed earlier. I am Dr. Makola
Abdullah, President of Virginia State University, and Chair of
the APLU Council of 1890 University Presidents. On behalf of
the faculty, the students, the alums, and the communities of
the universities that we serve, I want to thank all of you for
the investments to the 1890s in the 2018 Farm Bill and in the
American Recovery Act (Pub. L. 117-2). They have been critical
in allowing us to grow our academic programs, conduct important
agricultural research, and extend our university-based
knowledge beyond our campus walls so that our communities can
prosper and grow. I am going to try to share my screen now, see
how that works. And maybe it doesn't, so I am going to keep
going.
In particular, I would like to recognize and applaud the
support of Congress, and especially you, Representative Scott,
for your vision and leadership for the new 1890s scholarship
program. This program has allowed us to recruit and retain the
next generation of agricultural leaders, who will continue to
keep our food supply chain safe, affordable, and a positive
contributor to our country's GDP growth. The scholarship
program has allowed students like Sherod Archie to complete his
freshman year at Virginia State University this year as an Ag
Business and Econ major. Sherod is a first-generation college
student from a single parent family, where his mother worked
three jobs to provide for her four sons, her aging parents, and
a handicapped brother. According to Sherod, the 1890s
scholarship program, and I am quoting him, ``Is a chance to
pursue my passions and improve my way of life in ways that I
never thought possible.''
Of course, launching this program during a pandemic was not
easy. Sherod was one of 17 students last year to receive a full
scholarship at Virginia State University through the program,
and we hope to significantly increase that number in future
years, when students can enjoy coming back to campus. We also
hope that the next farm bill will include language to continue
this scholarship opportunity for students like Sherod. I also
want to thank and applaud Vice Chair Alma Adams for her efforts
to invest in our HBCU facilities and capital infrastructure
through the introduction of the IGNITE HBCU Excellence Act.
These investments will allow our institutions to provide
students with state-of-the-art learning environments, and
enable HBCUs to be a critical source of diversity for the
workforce. And I would be remiss if I didn't applaud the
Congresswoman, other Members of the Education and Labor
Committee, and really all Members of Congress, for the work
that you did on the loan forgiveness for the Capital Financing
Program last session. Thank you very much.
1890 land-grant universities like my own, Virginia State
University, serve as our state's leader in supporting socially
disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. Earlier this month we were
honored to host Congresswoman Spanberger, and our very own
former College of Agriculture Dean, Jewel Bronaugh, in her new
role as USDA Deputy Secretary. She addressed the details of the
$4 billion program for redressing the decades of USDA loan
discrimination against Black and other socially disadvantaged
farmers. This listening session and town hall represents the
partnerships that the 1890s have with the USDA, and is just one
of the many ways we work together to assist Black and socially
disadvantaged farmers and ranchers, and we are at a critical
moment to do more, with your help.
I encourage Congress to support robust funding increases
for the 1890 Land-Grant Program so that we can make even more
positive impacts for our country's citizens through our
academic, research, and cooperative extension programs. For
example, by increasing the number of 1890s Centers of
Excellence from our current six, we will better be able to
increase rural prosperity for underserved farming communities,
address critical needs for enhanced international training and
development, and increase the diversity of students in STEM
fields. Additionally, we encourage your support to address the
healthcare infrastructure that COVID-19 has demonstrated that
we don't have in place for our students on our campus, as well
as the digital infrastructure we need to deliver systems to
individuals, families, and communities during and after the
pandemic.
In closing, I ask that you continue to invest in America's
future by investing in 1890 land-grant universities. We have a
131 year track record of providing a strong return on
investment for every Federal dollar that has supported our
programs, and I can assure you that trend will only continue. I
look forward to covering many other areas in our question-and-
answer session today, like our ongoing challenges with state
matching grants, and what Congress can do to help. Thank you
all so much.
[The prepared statement of Dr. Abdullah follows:]
Prepared Statement of Makola M. Abdullah, Ph.D., President, Virginia
State University; Chair, Council of 1890 Universities, Association of
Public and Land-grant Universities, Petersburg, VA
Good morning. Thank you, Chairman David Scott, Vice Chair Alma
Adams, and Ranking Member Glenn Thompson, for convening today's hearing
with the 1890 Universities. I am Dr. Makola M. Abdullah, 14th President
of Virginia State University and current Chair of the APLU Council of
1890 Universities. On behalf of the faculty, students, alumni and
communities our universities serve, I want to thank you for the
investments to the 1890s in the 2018 Farm Bill and in the American
Recovery Plan. They have been critical in allowing us to grow our
academic programs, conduct important agricultural research, and extend
our university-based knowledge beyond our campus walls so communities
can prosper and grow.
In particular, I would like to recognize and applaud the support of
Congress, and especially you, Representative Scott, for your vision and
leadership for the new 1890 Scholarship Program. This program has
allowed us to recruit and retain the next generation of agriculture
leaders, who will continue to keep our food supply chain safe,
affordable and a positive contributor to our country's GDP growth. The
scholarship program has allowed students like Sherod Archie to complete
his Freshman year at Virginia State University this year as an
agriculture business and economics major. Sherod is a first-generation
college student from a single parent family, where his mother worked
three jobs to provide for her four sons, her aging parents and a
handicapped brother. According to Sherod, the 1890 Scholarship
Program--and I'm quoting him here--``. . . is a chance to pursue my
passions and improve my way of life in ways I never thought possible.''
Of course, launching this program during a pandemic was not easy.
Sherod was one of 17 students last year to receive a full scholarship
at VSU through the program. And we hope to significantly increase that
number in future years, when students can enjoy coming back to campus.
We also hope the next Farm Bill will include language to continue this
scholarship opportunity for future students like Sherod.
I would also like to thank and applaud Vice Chair Alma Adams for
her efforts to invest in our HBCU facilities and capital infrastructure
through the introduction of the IGNITE HBCU Excellence Act. These
investments will allow for our institutions to provide students with
state-of-the-art learning environments and enable HBCUs to continue to
be a critical source of diversity in the workforce.
I'd be remiss if I didn't applaud the Congresswoman and Members of
the Education and Labor Committee--and really all Members of Congress--
for the work you did on the loan forgiveness of the Capital Financing
Program last session. Thank you.
1890 land-grant universities, like my own, VSU, serve as our
states' leader in supporting socially disadvantaged farmers and
ranchers. Earlier this month, we were honored to host Congresswoman
Spanberger and our own former College of Agriculture Dean, Jewel
Bronaugh, in her new role as USDA Deputy Secretary, as she addressed
the details of the $4 billion program for redressing the decades of
USDA loan discrimination against Black and other socially disadvantaged
farmers. This listening session and town hall represents the
partnership the 1890s have with the USDA and is just one of the many
ways we work together to assist Black and socially disadvantaged
farmers and ranchers. And, we are at a critical moment to do more, with
your help.
I encourage Congress to support robust funding increases for the
1890 land-grant programs so we can make even more positive impacts for
our country's citizens through our academic, research and Cooperative
Extension programs. For example, by increasing the number of 1890s
Centers of Excellence from our current six, we will be better able to
increase the rural prosperity of underserved farming communities;
address critical needs for enhanced international training and
development; and increase the diversity of students in STEM fields.
Additionally, we encourage your support to address the healthcare
infrastructure COVID-19 has demonstrated we don't have in place to care
for our students on campus, as well as the digital infrastructure we
need to deliver assistance to individuals, families and communities
during and after the pandemic.
In closing, I ask you to invest in America's future *by investing
in the 1890s land-grant universities. We have a 131 year track record
of providing a strong return on investment for every Federal dollar
that has supported our programs, and I can assure you that trend will
only continue. I look forward to covering many other areas in our
question-and-answer session today like our ongoing challenges with
state matching grants and what Congress can do to help. Thank you.
[Attachment]
[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
The Chairman. And thank you, Dr. Abdullah, for your
excellent presentation. Dr. Jones, you are now recognized.
Please begin when you are ready.
STATEMENT OF PAUL A. JONES, Ph.D., PRESIDENT, FORT
VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY; VICE CHAIR, COUNCIL OF 1890
UNIVERSITIES, ASSOCIATION OF PUBLIC AND LAND-GRANT
UNIVERSITIES, FORT VALLEY, GA
Dr. Jones. Thank you, Chairman Scott, Ranking Member
Thompson, and Members of the House Committee on Agriculture. My
name is Paul Jones, and I have the privilege of serving as the
10th President of Fort Valley State University. First, I want
to thank you for your leadership during these unprecedented
times. The support that Congress has provided for higher
education, including 1890 land-grant institutions, minority
serving institutions, and historically Black colleges and
universities, which has been instrumental in undergirding our
students financially, and ensuring our faculty and staff, and
our students, have remained safe.
We all know that COVID-19 has presented many challenges
over these past 15 months, but we also have discovered several
opportunities for investment and innovation that will enhance
the experience of our students, and change our approach to
higher education for what we believe is the better. It is an
honor to be here along with my colleagues to testify in
continued support for funding of the scholarship program for
men and women who aspire to serve our country by pursuing
careers in the agricultural field. Along with USDA, the 1890
Land-Grant System has monumental responsibilities of addressing
global food security through rigorous research, extension, and
educational programs. Technological advances applicable in
agricultural, natural resource utilization, and conservation,
and food production, will enable us to meet this daunting
challenge, provided there is an appropriate workforce.
This new 1890s Scholarship Program created in the 2018 Farm
Bill helps us to develop a highly skilled workforce, and I am
pleased to report that we have seen significant enrollment
increases during this past year. Fort Valley State University
awarded 76 scholarships this past year, which resulted in a 22
percent increase in our undergraduate enrollment in the College
of Agriculture. We firmly believe that had it not been for the
COVID-19 pandemic, and perhaps our students' reluctance to
being on campus, we would have seen even larger enrollment in
these agricultural fields. Given our success, and the report
released by NIFA and Purdue, I believe the future is bright.
I also believe that this scholarship program will continue
to bear fruit by consistently producing 1890 graduates who are
well prepared to tackle some of the pressing challenges in
agriculture and food production facing our world today.
Furthermore, this program will allow students not to be saddled
with student loan debt, which is a major crisis today,
particularly among students of color. I have no doubt that the
number of graduates that 1890 institutions produce in
agricultural related disciplines will tremendously increase
with an increasing number of scholarships awarded.
A major issue of concern to all public institutions
receiving support for food, agriculture, and natural resource
research is aging infrastructure, and the lack of funding for
maintaining facilities. We are so thankful, in the President's
budget, to see the funding for infrastructure, as well as the
IGNITE HBCU Excellence Act, which was introduced by
Congresswoman Alma Adams, Senator Tim Scott, Senator Chris
Coons (S. 1945), and Representative French Hill. This
bipartisan piece of legislation would be transformational in
modernizing our campus and state of the art learning
environments.
I am so grateful for this opportunity to address you today,
and on behalf of all of our faculty, our staff, our students,
our alumni, and throughout our 1890 system, I thank you for
your continuous support for our institution and your advocacy.
Thank you so much.
[The prepared statement of Dr. Jones follows:]
Prepared Statement of Paul A. Jones, Ph.D., President, Fort Valley
State University; Vice Chair, Council of 1890 Universities, Association
of Public and Land-grant Universities, Fort Valley, GA
Summary of testimony to the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture
regarding H.R. 6020, Funding for Student Scholarships for the 1890s
Land-Grant African American Colleges and Universities Act before the
Committee on June 16, 2021.
Chairman Scott, Ranking Member Thompson, and Members of the House
Committee on Agriculture, I am Paul Jones, and I have the privilege of
serving as the tenth President of Fort Valley State University located
in the heart of Middle Georgia.
First, I would like to thank you for your leadership during these
unprecedented times. The support the U.S. Congress has provided for
higher education, including 1890 Land-Grant Institutions, Minority
Serving Institutions, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities,
has been instrumental in undergirding our students financially, keeping
our doors open, and ensuring our faculty, staff, and students remain
safe. Although COVID-19 has presented many challenges over these last
15 months since March 2020, we have also discovered several
opportunities for investment and innovation that will enhance the
experience of our students and change our approach to higher education
for the better. We have seen our enrollment increase despite budget
challenges; we have developed partnerships with Georgia Power/Southern
Company, Central State Hospital Local Redevelopment Authority, and Ford
Motor Company, as well as expanded our use of technology in our
operations, teaching, and outreach.
It is an honor to be here along with my colleagues to testify in
continued support of funding for scholarships for young men and women
who aspire to serve our country by pursuing careers in the food and
agricultural sciences, including agribusiness, food production, and
food distribution. Along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the
land-grant system has a monumental responsibility of addressing global
food security through rigorous research, extension, and educational
programs. Technological advances applicable in agriculture, natural
resource utilization and conservation, and food production will enable
us to meet this daunting challenge, provided there is an appropriate
workforce. The new 1890 scholarship program created in the 2018 Farm
Bill helps us develop a highly skilled workforce, and I am happy to
report we have seen significant success. Fort Valley State University
awarded 76 scholarships last year, resulting in a 22% increase in
undergraduate student enrollment within the College of Agriculture,
Family Sciences, and Technology. All eight majors offered in the
College recorded an increase in student enrollment, with the largest
increase in the Animal Science Program. We believe that had it not been
for the COVID-19 Pandemic and students' reluctance to being on campus,
we would have seen larger enrollments in these agricultural fields.
Given our success and the report released by the National Institute
of Food and Agriculture and Purdue University, I believe the future is
bright. I also believe that this scholarship program will continue to
bear fruit by consistently producing 1890 graduates who are well
prepared to tackle some of the pressing challenges in agriculture and
food production facing the world today. Furthermore, this program will
allow students not to be saddled with student loan debt, which is a
major crisis today, particularly for students of color. I have no doubt
that the number of graduates that 1890 institutions produce in
agriculture-related disciplines will tremendously increase with an
increasing number of scholarships awarded.
A major issue of concern to all public institutions receiving
support for food, agriculture, and natural resource research is aging
infrastructure and the lack of funding for maintaining facilities. A
recent APLU-sponsored Gordian study revealed some alarming data,
indicating a severe backlog of deferred maintenance, and the report
estimated the cost to be more than $11.5 billion. For example, the cost
for updating Fort Valley State University's agriculture facilities,
including classrooms, farm buildings, greenhouses, research
laboratories, and support facilities, is estimated to be $40 million.
While the USDA 1890 Facilities Grant Program helps us address this
issue to some extent, allocating funds for a project over a period of 5
years considerably slows down the progress. A timely and appropriate
level of funding for improving infrastructure suitable for 21st-century
science that addresses emerging issues in agriculture and food
production is absolutely essential.
Emerging technologies warrant institutions to establish suitable
research infrastructure and adjust their outreach and educational
programming to enable them to effectively train the present and future
generation of agriculture workforce and the farming community. There is
an imperative and urgent need for institutions to build the capacity to
handle huge volumes of data and at the speed and frequency with which
they are being collected. This is particularly critical for smaller
land-grant institutions charged with a unique mission of addressing the
needs of underrepresented communities and producers and landowners with
limited access to technology and resources. In this context, rural
broadband access will have to be our top priority to revitalize rural
and economically depressed communities throughout the nation. To this
end, Fort Valley State University recently signed a Memorandum of
Understanding with the Georgia College and State University's Rural
Studies Institute to collaboratively work toward three distinct
objectives: to enhance broadband access to rural agriculture
communities, to enhance economic development in underrepresented
communities, and train future leaders to bring economic transformation
in rural Georgia.
This is why I was thrilled to see the President's budget include
additional funding for HBCUs for infrastructure as well as the
Institutional Grants for New Infrastructure, Technology, and Education
at HBCUs Act (IGNITE HBCU Excellence Act) be introduced by
Congresswoman Alma Adams (D-NC), Senator Tim Scott (R-SC), Senator
Chris Coons (D-DE), and Representative French Hill (R-AR). This
bipartisan piece of legislation would be transformational in
modernizing our campuses with state-of-the-art learning environments.
Furthermore, this will support our unique mission of conducting applied
and basic research and outreach to empower small, limited-resource, and
underrepresented farmers with the knowledge and skills needed to
sustain successful agricultural enterprises.
As you may be aware, FVSU had the honor of hosting Secretary Tom
Vilsack, Members of the Georgia delegation, including Congressman
Sanford Bishop, a Member of this Committee to meet with African
American farmers from across the state of Georgia. The U.S. Department
of Agriculture's new farmer relief program announced by Secretary
Vilsack will make a significant difference in keeping Black-owned farms
operational and eventually fiscally strong. As the USDA, with your
support and leadership, strives to make it a level playing field for
all American farmers by implementing amended lending and subsidy
policies to address food insecurity and rural inequality, 1890
Institutions can be valuable partners to help achieve these goals.
When examining ways to promote economic growth and lessen the
wealth gap in rural and minority communities, access to technology and
workforce development become our top priorities. It is essential that
policymakers provide resources for programs that will directly flow
into our communities. Increased funding will allow 1890 institutions to
deploy resources and programs focused on the needs we see on the ground
in our communities. The new initiatives created in the 2018 Farm Bill
and the subsequent funding that this Congress has given for our new
Centers of Excellence and the 1890 scholarships to increase the number
of graduates in agriculture disciplines and the USDA initiative to
improve the lives of minority farmers are significant steps that our
nation can build upon.
I am grateful for this opportunity to address the House Agriculture
Committee today. On behalf of the dedicated faculty, staff, and
students at FVSU and throughout the 1890 System, I thank you for your
continuous support of our institutions and agriculture.
The Chairman. And thank you, Dr. Jones. And now we will
hear from Dr. Anderson. Please begin when you are ready,
Doctor.
STATEMENT OF HEIDI M. ANDERSON, Ph.D., PRESIDENT,
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE; MEMBER AT-LARGE, COUNCIL
OF 1890 UNIVERSITIES, ASSOCIATION OF PUBLIC AND LAND-GRANT
UNIVERSITIES, PRINCESS ANNE, MD
Dr. Anderson. Thank you. Good morning, Chairman Scott, Vice
Chair Adams, and Ranking Member Thompson. Again, I am Heidi
Anderson, the 16th President of the University of Maryland
Eastern Shore, UMES, and I am proud and honored to bring you
greetings, but also to bring you thanks--many thanks from our
faculty, staff, students, alumni, and individuals at our
university. We want to thank you for your unwavering support
for higher education. We appreciate all of the Federal funding
that we have received throughout the years through the stimulus
plans and the stimulus bills, but also the 2018 Farm Bill, the
1890 scholarships, and the 1890 Centers of Excellence. And, of
course, Representative Alma Adams, we appreciate the IGNITE Act
that you have proposed. This proposed infrastructure
legislative bill is a game changer for all of our HBCUs and for
the students who are coming to our schools in the future.
Our university relentlessly continues to embrace and
advance our land-grant mission as a Carnegie two Doctoral
Research University. In addition to providing programs and
academic programs in science and STEM, we also have extension
education to our community, and it cannot be overemphasized
that the 1890 universities, like UMES, have a pivotal role that
we have to uphold. Chairman Scott, and Members of the
Committee, I extend gratitude for all of the support you gave
us for the 1890 scholarships, and we are also grateful for
the--excuse me, for the 2018 Farm Bill.
In the spring of 2020, like everyone else in the country,
we had to pivot, as you know, because of the pandemic. But our
university, we were fortunate in August of 2020 to bring
students back to the campus early, and we were able to complete
a full academic year very safely, under safe conditions. And at
the same time we adapted our research and our extension
programming to continue serving our clientele, the farmers in
our state and in our region. Our extension team continued to
work, and they also worked with our local community to build
trust in COVID vaccines. As part of our community outreach, we
worked with our Somerset County Public Health Department,
also--excuse me, getting vaccinations to the community. We have
eight health profession programs here on the campus that work
with our School of Agriculture, and our students in those
programs gave vaccines to the community. In many rural
settings, and especially in minority settings, as you know,
there is also health provider--a shortage of healthcare
providers. UMES is currently working hand in hand with our
School of Agriculture, and our students in all of these health
profession programs, to extend the healthcare in these critical
areas.
In closing, UMES, and indeed all of the 1890 universities,
are highly committed to finding more innovative ways to
continue serving the promise of the land-grant mission. And we
also are looking for ways to serve the needs of our
disadvantaged citizens who are in all of our states and all of
our rural areas. I strongly believe that the continued
strategic investment that you have given so far in the 1890s,
and if--and, of course, increasing that, it will ensure that
our universities can make meaningful impacts across the nation.
I urge you to continue giving us the support for our students,
but also for our infrastructure, and I appreciate the
opportunity to provide this testimony to you today, and also to
be here to answer any questions. Thank you again for all of
your support.
[The prepared statement of Dr. Anderson follows:]
Prepared Statement of Heidi M. Anderson, Ph.D., President, University
of Maryland Eastern Shore; Member At-Large, Council of 1890
Universities, Association of Public and Land-grant Universities,
Princess Anne, MD
Introduction
Good morning, Chairman Scott, Vice Chair Adams, and Ranking Member
Thompson. I am Dr. Heidi M. Anderson, and I am honored to bring you
greetings . . . not only as President of the University of Maryland
Eastern Shore but also as an Executive Committee member of the Council
of 1890 Universities of the Association of Public and Land-Grant
Universities (APLU).
About the 1890s
UMES, like the other 1890 land-grant institutions, maintains a
steady focus on teaching agriculture, science, and other disciplines
that are highly relevant to the nation's workforce needs. In addition,
we conduct critical research and provide non-traditional extension
education programs to the community.
Today, more than 130 years since the signing of the second Morrill
Act of 1890, these universities continue to deliver on the important
mission of providing access and opportunities to improve and uplift the
lives of those who otherwise would not have received an education.
These universities are highly innovative and generate new knowledge
through research and provide solutions to everyday problems through
outreach to our communities at a time when the nation is facing serious
societal challenges that are affecting the lives of many--especially
minorities.
About UMES
Let me tell you a little about UMES. It was founded on September
13, 1886, as the Delaware Conference Academy. With a mission focused on
providing educational opportunities for former slaves and freedmen, the
fledgling academy housed two educators and nine students.
It's been 135 years since its founding, and UMES relentlessly
continues to embrace and advance the land-grant mission as a Carnegie
II Doctoral research university offering strong programs in
agriculture, health care, and STEM areas. Some of our undergraduate
majors include: Agriculture, Agribusiness, Environmental Science and
Human Ecology; and graduate programs at the masters and doctorate level
in Food and Agricultural Sciences, Food Science and Technology, Marine
and Estuarine Sciences, and Natural Resource Sciences.
In addition, the COVID pandemic has brought into sharp focus the
critical need to ensure that we tackle the health care disparities and
social inequities that impact rural communities. UMES is primed to
resolve these challenges operating eight health profession programs in
the areas of pharmacy, physician assistant, physical therapy,
kinesiology, rehabilitative counseling, rehabilitative services,
rehabilitative psychology, and dietetics. Graduates from these health
programs have entered the local, state and regional workforce and are
meeting the critical health care needs of citizens. In fact, 62% of our
graduates remain in the Delmarva region, or in the State of Maryland.
It cannot be over emphasized that 1890 universities play a pivotal
role in conducting research and delivering solutions, which are
relevant to many societal problems; and UMES is poised as a leader in
this regard.
Funding Support
Chairman Scott and Members of the Committee . . .
None of what we do would be possible without the Federal and state
funding that we receive. In FY 2021, UMES received just over $4.7
million in Federal capacity funds for research, extension, facilities,
and forestry.
The support is indispensable, and it ensures that the university
can implement effective educational programs in core areas of science
and agriculture. The support also allows UMES to deliver innovative
research and extension programs that address vexing problems in the
agriculture, food, and natural resource areas. Even more, it is
critical to the ability of our faculty and students to innovate and
help solve major issues such as food security and climate change.
About 2018 Farm Bill and Especially Chairman Scott's Advocacy for
Scholarships
Chairman Scott, to date we have received just over $1.7 million to
support scholarships for our students. I cannot emphasize enough our
deep gratitude to you and the Committee for supporting the 1890
Scholarship Program. I am also extremely grateful that UMES is the
coordinating university for the 1890 Center of Excellence for Global
Food Security and Defense, which is one of the Centers of Excellence
established in the 2018 Farm Bill. These initiatives are making a
tremendous difference to our students and to our ability to
exponentially change lives. We implore you to continue supporting these
important initiatives.
Allow me to say, that because we launched this program during the
COVID pandemic, our efforts were not as robust or as smooth as it
otherwise might have been. However, we are undeterred and hopeful for
the incoming class of students.
Examples of UMES Meeting its Mission
Please allow me to give a few examples of how UMES is fulfilling
its mission as an 1890 land-grant university and to highlight how
critical the support provided by Congress is to help us in doing all
that we do.
Workforce Development
The nation's social and economic well-being is heavily dependent on
the availability of a diverse and highly skilled workforce. UMES
strives to educate and train the next generation of educators,
researchers, and scientists within the areas of food, agriculture, and
related sciences.
As you are aware, UMES and the other 1890 institutions play a major
role in providing access and opportunities for many who would otherwise
not be able to take advantage of a college education. I am happy to
report that UMES is one of the most diverse campuses in the University
System of Maryland, as we continue to focus on our core mission, while
ensuring access to all. The Chronicle of Higher Education also
recognized UMES as having the second most diverse faculty (2019) which
allows us to lead by example.
Chairman Scott, the investment of resources to provide scholarships
to students is a game-changer. Not only do the resources allow us to
recruit and retain highly competitive students, but also they ensure
that recipients can graduate with minimal or non-existent loan burden.
Under this program, we accepted our first cohort of 15 freshmen in
the fall 2020 semester and have since accepted an additional ten
sophomore and junior students who will be funded beginning in the fall
semester of 2021. With these groups of students, we have encumbered
$697,805 of the funds allocated in the first year. During the 2021
recruitment season, we increased our outreach efforts and expect to
accept a much larger second cohort of students into the program for
2022.
The students accepted into the program join a special community of
land-grant scholars who receive intrusive advising, support, and
professional development to ensure their success inside the university
and beyond. At the end of the first year, only one student was
dismissed from the program for non-performance.
Recruitment for the first cohort was a little challenging because
it was a new program, and the COVID pandemic was so very disruptive. In
response, UMES developed effective strategies, communications, and
procedures to ensure greater effectiveness and efficiency in our
efforts to reach as many students as feasible. Those efforts included
strengthening existing linkages with high schools and community
colleges.
I know that the 1890 Scholarship Program will have a tremendous
impact on enrollment in relevant majors (Agriculture, Agribusiness
Management, Environmental Science, and Human Ecology). For us, the rate
of recruitment for students in the agriculture major has been on the
rise when with some other programs, that has not been the case.
We thank you for the foresight in establishing the 1890 Scholarship
Program. As you are aware, we attract a lot of students with financial
need; and therefore, the ability to provide this support is helpful in
ensuring we retain, as well as graduate our students, on time and in a
way that they leave college with minimal or no debt.
Given the uniqueness and value of the program, we kindly implore
you to consider making the program permanent when you develop the next
farm bill.
Research and Extension
While UMES' research and extension programs address the needs of
all Marylanders, the university places a special emphasis on serving
diverse and historically underserved populations. To ensure that we
remain focused on our work, we deliver programs around four integrated
strategic themes:
agriculture and food, with a focus on food security;
natural resources and environmental sustainability;
human health and development; and
products to market.
I'd like to provide a summary of our research and extension
emphasis under each of the four strategic areas:
Agriculture and food with a focus on food security: Agriculture
plays an important role in Maryland's economy and will continue to do
so for the foreseeable future. We conduct targeted research and
extension that includes work in the following areas: food safety and
food quality; agribusiness and economic development; alternative
agriculture; small-scale production; family farms and urban
agriculture; specialty crops; honey bees; poultry; small ruminants; and
elements of large-scale agriculture, especially in the area of
precision agriculture.
Natural resources and environmental sustainability: Maryland's
natural resources underpin a range of economic activities such as
forestry-based industries, tourism, fisheries, etc., and provide the
basis for supporting quality living for citizens. UMES' work in this
area focuses on the establishment of a strong and sustainable
foundation to guide the use and protection of these resources.
Specifically, we conduct research and education activities focusing on
water resources and watershed management, with an emphasis on both the
Chesapeake Bay and the Maryland Coastal Bays.
Human health and development: The health, social, and economic
well-being and the resilience of its communities are important concerns
for Maryland. The youth are our future as a nation, and support for the
robust development of young people is essential. With this said, UMES'
youth development efforts are conducted under the banner of 4-H
programming with a special emphasis on the science, technology,
engineering, agriculture/arts, and mathematics (STEAM) disciplines.
At the same time, the nation is facing a growing health challenge
with a large proportion of the population suffering from obesity or a
body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher. Therefore, UMES' extension
programs are focused on developing resilient communities and families
in Maryland through educational efforts in nutrition and health,
especially for diverse families with limited resources. The goal of
these efforts is to empower the communities and families with knowledge
and skills in nutrition, meal planning, physical fitness, and food
buying to ensure adequate nutrition for healthy living.
Products to market: We strongly believe in harnessing the
intellectual property and knowledge of our faculty, students, and
staff; and to this end, we place a strong emphasis on creating linkages
with industry. Thus, we conduct food processing projects in
collaboration with local entrepreneurs and food companies and develop
materials such as polymers and nanomaterials for food and non-food use.
I would now like to speak on several important cross-cutting issues
that we are addressing at the research and extension level that have
direct relevance to agriculture and minority farmers.
COVID Response and Recovery
The challenges we have faced over the past year have been
unprecedented. We were required to adapt quickly to be able to continue
delivering our programs and services seamlessly. In that regard, UMES
has been at the forefront. In the spring of 2020, we had to pivot like
everyone else. In the fall of 2020, however, we brought back our
students earlier than other state schools in Maryland all while
implementing rigorous safety measures. Because of this, we were able to
complete the semester safely. We concluded the spring semester with a
modified face-to-face commencement. Kudos to our students, faculty, and
staff.
At the same time, we adapted our research and extension programming
to continue serving our clientele. Our Extension team is linking with
national partners to advance community health, education, and economic
outcomes. In addition, the team has been active in implementing
specific educational efforts to build trust and confidence in the
COVID-19 vaccination project. UMES Extension is also an active
participant in an 1890-wide project focused on reducing the impact of
SARS-CoV-2 and related disruptions on the local food supply chain in
minority communities as part of the 1890 Land-Grant Regional Network.
Furthermore, we are proud that as part of our community outreach,
our campus serves as a vaccination station for the local Somerset
County Health Department. And our health professions students are
acting as part of the team, giving these vaccinations to the community
at large.
Climate Change
One of the important issues we face as a nation and world are the
challenges brought about by climate change. In response, we are
implementing several initiatives focused on understanding and
mitigating or adapting to the impacts of climate change. We have
specific projects focused on the drought response of soil;
understanding forest resilience, carbon sequestration, and climate
change on Delmarva's upland forests; carbon dioxide sequestration; and
understanding the impact of climate change on microbial dynamics, food
safety and security, and on farming in the Delmarva region.
For instance, in terrestrial environments, we plan to conduct
climate change impact studies to understand critical soil processes and
the effects on carbon sequestration and coastal forests. In aquatic
environments, we plan to conduct impact studies to understand the
effects on food web dynamics, phenology, life history, and predator-
prey relationships, and to model and forecast changes in mean sea
level, soil salinity, and coastal vegetation.
Agriculture Infrastructure
The UMES School of Agricultural and Natural Sciences provides a
pivotal linkage between research, teaching, and extension. We use
research and extension to provide experiential training leading to
highly skilled graduates. We also address some of the most pressing
challenges in the food and agriculture system. Please know that UMES is
a leader in conducting innovative agricultural research and in
educating students for the workforce of the future.
The school, however, has an urgent need for funds to support the
renovation or replacement of its most outdated research facilities
dating back to the 1950s. We are also contemplating the establishment
of the second School of Veterinary Medicine at an 1890 university. We
remain grateful for the appropriations that are specified to support
facilities development at 1890 schools. We support the $11.5 billion
request made by APLU to improve agricultural research infrastructure
across the U.S. We see this as an avenue for us to make
transformational improvements in our research infrastructure to conduct
21st-century science and to produce the highly trained, diverse
workforce that this nation deserves. We also fully support the HBCU
IGNITE efforts led by Representatives Alma Adams and French Hill here
in the House, and Senators Coons and Scott in the Senate.
Serving Farmers
According to the 2017 Agricultural Census, there are a little over
200 Black or African American farmers in Maryland. Southern Maryland
and the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland contain the highest
concentration (about 85%) of minority farmers. The UMES Small Farm
Program has provided outreach and educational programs targeting these
audiences. Over the past 2 years, approximately seventy-five (75)
minority farmers have participated in the UMES Small Farm Program.
The Program is committed to helping minority farmers diversify
their crop offerings to capitalize on regional economic opportunities
such as the increasing demand in the metro region for locally grown
ethnic crops. Consequently, farmers are provided educational support;
on-farm training and demonstrations; ethnic crop production best
practices; and harvesting, and marketing as well as planting materials.
This year, the UMES Small Farm Program is working with 15 minority
farmers who will be working together and diversifying their crop
offerings and increasing their production.
The Program is collaborating with Future Harvest (a nonprofit
organization) to identify farm entrepreneurs and/or agricultural
experts `of color' who are willing to provide consultations to farmers
looking for advice on how to strengthen their farm businesses. Future
Harvest has received limited grant funds to pay for in-depth, one-on-
one consultations for farmers with a consultant of their choosing. The
goal, then, is to attract as many participants as possible.
In a related initiative, the UMES Small Farm Program is
facilitating an exchange of knowledge between farmers by creating safe
spaces where farmers can meet monthly to share their ideas, express
their concerns, and get solutions to their problems. Major topics
include plans for upcoming growing seasons; establishing new markets;
tool and equipment sharing; and crop diversification. So far, 20
minority farmers are participating in this program.
More recently, there has also been a noticeable and increasing
interest by first-time minority farmers. The increase has resulted from
either younger urban audiences or new retirees who desire to use their
land for some form of agricultural production to secure supplementary
income. UMES appeals to both audiences throughout the year.
The UMES Small Farm Program is also spearheading a community
outreach project focused on ``Increasing Awareness and Participation in
USDA's NRCS programs among African American Landowners and Underserved
Farmer Populations.'' Special emphasis is being placed on targeting
inherited property and absentee rural land owned by African Americans
and socially disadvantaged farmers as defined by the USDA. Over the
next year, the program will conduct needs assessments that include
listening sessions within communities of color to identify knowledge
gaps, challenges, and natural resource concerns among target audiences.
The goal is to reach 100+ minority farmers and/or landowners.
Future Outlook
UMES, and indeed all of the 1890 universities, are highly committed
to finding more innovative ways to continue delivering on the promise
of the land-grant mission. At the campus level, we are bringing
interdisciplinary teams together to address pressing issues like food
security, climate change, and health equity. Serving the needs of
socially disadvantaged minority populations remains at the heart of
what we do. I strongly believe that continued and strategic investment
in the 1890s will ensure that these universities can continue making
meaningful impacts across the nation.
I appreciate the opportunity to provide this testimony to you
today. Thank you and I look forward to your questions.
The Chairman. Thank you for your testimony, Dr. Anderson.
And now, Dr. Allen, please begin when you are ready.
STATEMENT OF TONY ALLEN, Ph.D., PRESIDENT, DELAWARE STATE
UNIVERSITY, DOVER, DE
Dr. Allen. Good morning. I am Tony Allen, President of
Delaware State University, and I would like to thank Chairman
Scott, Vice Chair Adams, Ranking Member Thompson, and all of
the Members of the House Agriculture Committee, and the
Committee staff for inviting us here today. There is literally
no doubt that the U.S. Department of Agriculture, especially
the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and the 1890
Land-Grant Program, are the strong foundation upon which our
institutions thrive. It is because of our long running
partnership that we continue to have the impact on our
students, our communities, and our nation. At Delaware State
University, where we aspire to become one of the nation's first
HBCUs to reach R1 research status, we know we can't do it
without you. I further acknowledge the tremendous support, both
past and proposed, from other Federal programs and legislation
upon which so many of you on both sides of the aisle have
worked. The farm bill, the FLIGHT Act,* the CARES Act (Pub. L.
116-136), the American Recovery Plan (Pub. L. 117-2), and
Representative Adams's proposed IGNITE Act are all exceptional
examples of your commitment. Thank you for your continued
support.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Editor's note: H.R. 7157, Fostering Leadership and Inclusion by
Growing HBCU Training Act of 2020 (FLIGHT Act) was introduced June 11,
2020 in the 116th Congress.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Delaware State University and the other 1890 land-grant
institutions have successfully weathered the storm of COVID-19.
In our case, we were able to collaborate with Testing for
America last summer to perform over 75,000 COVID tests,
allowing us to bring our student body back to campus safely
during the last school year, with a positivity rate of less
than \1/2\ percent. Among these students were our first 43
recipients of the 1890s scholarships that you authorized in the
2018 Farm Bill. We were also able to avoid pausing our
aggressive research agenda by applying more thorough safety
protocols. As a result, instead of retrenching, our overall
research portfolio actually grew by 17 percent in Fiscal 2021,
including the construction of the first in-state COVID testing
laboratory in Delaware. I should note our gratitude for
receiving a USDA/AFRI COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant here. My
extended remarks will cover more thoroughly the ways in which
we and the other 1890 land-grant institutions apply and
leverage the resources you have provided, but I want to
emphasize our continuing work of economically sustainable
agriculture in a changing climate.
In Delaware we live with this reality every day, from the
impacts of Atlantic storms, to the increase in soil
acidification, we are deeply involved not only in the research
on crop and livestock diversification, but also in pioneering
new business models and workforce development. Thanks in no
small measure to your support, a biomass research team led by
Delaware State University researchers has submitted a patent
for developing the novel enzyme which releases more than 200
percent more fermentable sugars during pre-treatment of
bioenergy feedstock. Other 1890 institutions are doing
similarly groundbreaking work of preparing our nation's farmers
and food producers to keep meeting America's food requirements
in changing times. I remain constantly aware, as my 1890
colleagues do, that strong bipartisan leadership in
agriculture, and especially on this Committee, is critical to
our continued success in educating new professionals, training
our workforce, conducting the research necessary for long-term
sustainability, and maintaining the primacy of American
agriculture in the marketplace of an increasingly smaller,
interconnected world. We simply could not do it without you,
and we remain grateful for your continued support.
As we often say, our students don't just come here for a
quality educational experience. They are trying to change the
economic trajectory for themselves, their families, and their
communities. That is why we need your support, and are honored
to be with you today. Thank you very much.
[The prepared statement of Dr. Allen follows:]
Prepared Statement of Tony Allen, Ph.D., President, Delaware State
University, Dover, DE
Introductory Remarks
Good morning! I'm Tony Allen, President of Delaware State
University, and I'd like to thank Chairman Scott, Vice Chair Adams,
Ranking Member Thompson and all of the Members of the House Agriculture
Committee, and the Committee staff for inviting us here today.
There is literally no doubt that the U.S. Department of Agriculture
(especially the National Institute of Food and Agriculture--NIFA) and
the 1890 Land-Grant program are the strong foundation upon which our
institutions thrive. It's because of our long-running partnership that
we continue to have an impact on our students, our communities, and our
nation. At Delaware State University, where we aspire to becoming one
of the nation's first HBCUs to reach R1 research status, we know that
we can't do it without you.
I'd further acknowledge the tremendous support--both past and
proposed--from other Federal programs and legislation upon which so
many of you on both sides of the aisle have worked: the farm bill, the
FLIGHT Act, the CARES Act, the American Recovery Plan, and
Representative Adams' proposed IGNITE Act.
Thanks to your continued support, Delaware State University and the
other 1890 Land-Grant institutions have successfully weathered the
storm of COVID-19. In our case, we were able to collaborate with
Testing for America last summer to perform over 75,000 COVID tests,
allowing us to bring our student body back to campus safely during the
last school year, with a virus positive rate consistently less that
0.5%. Among these students were our first 43 recipients of the 1890
Scholarships that you authorized in the 2018 Farm Bill. We were also
able to avoid pausing our aggressive research agenda by applying more
thorough safety protocols. As a result, instead of retrenching, our
overall research portfolio actually grew by 17% in FY 21, including the
construction of the first in-state COVID testing laboratory in
Delaware. I should note our gratitude for receiving a USDA AFRI
[COVID]-19 Rapid Response grant here.
My extended remarks will cover more thoroughly the ways in which we
and the other 1890 Land-Grant institutions apply and leverage the
resources you have provided, but I want to emphasize our continuing
work of economically sustainable agriculture in a changing climate. In
Delaware, we live this reality every day, from the impacts of Atlantic
storms to the increasing soil acidification. We are deeply involved not
only in research on crop and livestock diversification but also in
pioneering new business models, and workforce development.
Thanks in no small measure to your support, a biomass research team
led by Delaware State University researchers has submitted a patent for
developing the novel designer lignin peroxidase, an enzyme which
releases 200% more fermentable sugars during pre-treatment of
bioenergy feedstock. Other 1890 institutions are doing similarly
groundbreaking work at preparing our nation's farmers and food
producers to keep meeting America's food requirements in changing
times.
I remain constantly aware, as do my 1890 colleagues, that strong
bipartisan leadership in agriculture--and especially in this
Committee--is critical to our continued success in educating new
professionals, training our workforce, conducting the research
necessary for long-term sustainability, and maintaining the primacy of
American agriculture in the marketplace of an increasingly smaller,
interconnected world. We could not do it without you, and we remain
forever grateful for your support.
The Chairman. And thank you, Dr. Allen, for your excellent
report. Now, Dr. McMeans, your 5 minutes are to start whenever
you are ready.
STATEMENT OF ORLANDO F. McMEANS, Ph.D., CHANCELLOR,
AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH AND EXTENSION CENTER, SOUTHERN
UNIVERSITY; DEAN, COLLEGE OF
AGRICULTURAL, FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCES, SU, BATON ROUGE, LA
Dr. McMeans. Thank you, Chairman Scott, and good morning to
Chairman Scott, Vice Chair Alma Adams, Ranking Member Thompson,
as well as Biotechnology, Horticulture, and Research
Subcommittee Chair Stacey Plaskett, and Members of the
Committee, as well as the Council of 1890 presidents and
chancellors, and the entire 1890 land-grant community. I would
like to thank you for this opportunity to testify before you,
the House Agriculture Committee, and also share my thoughts on
the topic 1890 Land-Grant Institutions: Investing for
Agricultural Resiliency, Equity, and Global Impact. I am
Orlando McMeans, and I am the Chancellor of the Southern
University Agricultural Research and Extension Center, and Dean
of the College of Agricultural, Family, and Consumer Sciences
here at the Southern University.
The second Morrill Act, I always like to say, was one of
necessity. That is, the establishment, or in some cases,
designation of these historically Black land-grant institutions
was done because Black Americans at that time did not have
access to the majority institutions then of higher education
who focused primarily on food, agriculture, the mechanical arts
and sciences, and military tactics. The Morrill Act of 1890
gave rise to these historically Black land-grant institutions,
and they are collectively and commonly referred to as 1890
institutions, or the 1890s. Let me just say from the first that
I am a proud product of an 1890 land-grant institution, Alabama
A&M University in Normal, Alabama, or as we called it, and I
heard it earlier, the Hill. As a Horticulture major at Alabama
A&M in the College of Agriculture, I gained a solid educational
foundation. That degree catapulted me to obtain my M.S. and
Ph.D. from the University of Illinois, a post-doc at Virginia
Tech, and a 21 year career at West Virginia State University,
also an 1890 land-grant institution. I owe Alabama A&M a debt
of gratitude for providing me with a foundation which yielded
these outstanding experiences.
All the universities that I have been affiliated with have
all been land-grant institutions, so it has given me an unique
perspective on the topic at hand. First, I had a chance to sit
in several seats, from a student to a chancellor, including
Experiment Station Director, Extension Director, and everything
in between. Also a faculty member. I saw all facets of the 1890
academy, but I also saw the challenges of the 1890s. At the
same time, I always observed our resiliency. The 1890s
collectively have been well documented as it relates to our
priority, but in most cases they stem from issues associated
with inequity of funding, and funding disparity relevant to our
1862 counterparts.
One major issue that is been spoken about is the inadequate
facilities and infrastructure due to insufficient funding and
years of not addressing those infrastructural needs. In
particular, many of our research facilities are outdated and in
disrepair. I want to acknowledge Congresswoman Alma Adams for
her leadership in seeking to address some of these
infrastructure issues on the campuses of historic Black
colleges and universities. Also, the Association of Public and
Land-grant Universities, or APLU, is proposing to establish an
Agriculture and Food Infrastructure Grant Program, which was
proposed to be funded by at least $11.5 billion. This number
did not come out of the sky. It was one that was done in a
research study that assessed all of the research infrastructure
and research facilities at all of the land-grant institutions.
And so we are hoping that this gains some ground, hopefully in
some bill coming up. Also, another vehicle to address
infrastructure and facility issues is to target the 2023 Farm
Bill, specifically proposing to increase the authorization
level for USDA's 1890s facilities program. In order to continue
and develop--and implement cutting edge applied research
programs, and deliver impactful cooperative extension programs,
we must continue to prioritize the 1890 extension and Evan-
Allen's research funding line. These capacity funds for the
1890s are core base funding, and thus we continue to seek
increases in these lines, and also reauthorization under the
next farm bill.
HBCUs have historically developed and implemented research,
outreach, and education programs to serve underserved and
disadvantaged communities and citizens. What the pandemic has
elucidated and exacerbated are those issues, and the
disparities as it relates to infrastructure, and access, and
health, actually disproportionately affected those communities
that we serve. What this means is that 1890s are more relevant
than ever. The 1890s have, as a consequence of the pandemic,
developed comprehensive, multi-disciplinary educational
outreach and research programs to address health and
infrastructural disparities in the underserved communities, and
states, and regions that the 1890s serve.
All 1890s, and this was stated earlier, receive Federal
farm bill funds, but accompanying that is the one-to-one match,
or 100 percent match of our Federal funds with state funds.
Unfortunately, many of the 1890s continue to struggle with the
one-to-one match, and have fallen short, while all states are
meeting those one-to-one match requirements where 1862s are
represented. The majority of the 1890s still have that
challenge, and thus we, in many cases, have to seek a waiver. I
would like to pause and thank the Louisiana legislature, just a
week ago, who actually stepped up and actually gave us that
one-to-one match, so I want to applaud them, and thank them,
and the Governor for that fact.
The plight of Black farmers has been well documented, and
many of you have read these articles over and over again. Over
the last century many Black farmers lost their land by tax
sales, eminent domain, and voluntary sales. The number of Black
farmers in America had peaked in 1920, and, as a matter of
fact, it was 950,000 in 1920, and approximately right now it is
45,500. And so we definitely, as 1890s, will work with
President Biden and the American Rescue Plan to definitely try
to address some of those issues. It has been historically our
area to outreach and support--technically support those
disadvantaged farmers. I also want to let you know that climate
change is a priority also for the 1890s, and we will continue
to seek to address those things related to climate change.
The 1890 community--and I want to take time on this, and
I--hopefully I won't go over my time, but I want to thank
Congressman David Scott, whose vision was to establish
scholarships for 1890s for students wanting to pursue
Baccalaureate degrees in Food and Agricultural Sciences. And as
a result of this, and you have heard this earlier, we have
received numerous amounts of scholarships. This new scholarship
rolled out in 2020, and the 1890s are receiving $752,000
apiece. We were awarded almost up to 800 scholarships, totaling
$11.5 million, and we are happy to say that a number of these
were given to Southern students, who will benefit from this.
And the most amazing thing about this, this is a scholarship
that would not have been available if it was not for the 2018
Farm Bill. So we are looking for your support in reauthorizing
this vital and essential educational, academic program.
As I close, I would like to say it is projected that the
world will reach a population of ten billion by 2050, and we
have to feed these people, and I think that an investment in
all of the aforementioned agricultural programs that are being
served or delivered at 1890 institutions via Congress and USDA
will not only be an investment in 1890s, but an investment in
the food security and sustainability of the U.S., as well as
globally. Again, thank you to the House Agriculture Committee,
specifically the Biotechnology, Horticulture, and Research
Subcommittee, for the opportunity to testify here today. We
look forward to working with you as we move forward to the
reauthorization of the 2023 Farm Bill. We urge you to use this
moment, this opportunity, to invest in our 1890 universities,
to invest in the future of our communities, and to invest in
the people we serve. Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Dr. McMeans follows:]
Prepared Statement of Orlando F. McMeans, Ph.D., Chancellor,
Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Southern University; Dean,
College of Agricultural, Family and Consumer Sciences, SU, Baton Rouge,
LA
Good morning, to Chairman Scott, Vice Chair Alma Adams, Research
Subcommittee Chair Stacey Plaskett, Members of the Committee, Council
of 1890 Presidents and Chancellors, and the entire 1890 Land-Grant
Community, I would like to thank you for this opportunity to testify
before you and share my thoughts on the topic 1890 Land-Grant
Institutions: Investing for Agricultural Resiliency, Equity, and Global
Impact. I am the Chancellor of the Southern University Agricultural
Research and Extension Center and Dean of the College of Agricultural,
Family and Consumer Sciences.
To put things in context we have to understand that the Second
Morrill Act was one of necessity. That is, the establishment of these
historically black land-grant institutions was done so because Black
Americans at that time didn't have access to majority institutions of
higher education who focused on food, agriculture, the mechanical arts
and military tactics. The Morrill Act of 1890 gave rise to these HBCU
Land-Grant Universities. They are collectively and commonly referred to
as 1890s, named for the year the Act was passed and signed into law.
Let me just say, I am a proud product of an 1890 Institution,
Alabama A&M University in Normal, Alabama. We commonly refer to it as
The Hill. As a horticulture major at Alabama A&M in the College of
Agriculture, I gained a solid educational foundation. That degree
catapulted me to attain my MS and Ph.D. from the University of
Illinois, and a Post Doc at Virginia Tech. I spent 21 years at West
Virginia State University, an 1890 Land-Grant University and I am now
in my second year as the Chancellor of the Southern University
Agricultural Research and Extension Center and Dean of the Southern
University College of Agricultural, Family and Consumer Sciences. I owe
all those experiences to A&M. By the way, all five universities that I
have been affiliated with are land-grant institutions.
I made the statement about my experiences at the various
institutions. It gives me a unique perspective on the topic at hand.
First, I had a chance to sit in several seats. Seats you say? One of my
favorite books is Where You Stand is Where You Sit, by Robert Smith. It
simply states the position at a specific phase in your life depicts how
you see others and your attitudes towards others in different
capacities or seats. The three 1890s I have been affiliated with I have
been a student, staff member, faculty, Experiment Station Director,
Extension Director, Executive Director, Dean, Vice President, and now a
Chancellor. I saw all facets of the 1890 academy and its community.
Mainly at all levels, I observed the challenges associated with the
1890s. At the same time, I also observed our resiliency.
As aforementioned, I also attended two 1862 Land-Grant
Institutions, the University of Illinois and Virginia Tech. One of the
glaring differences I observed was the amount of financial support for
academic, research and outreach programs, new and modern facilities and
research equipment, technologically advanced classrooms and quality
infrastructure. Many of our 1890s cannot boast of these institutional
conditions. Let me just say, I want these two institutions to continue
to thrive and yield great educational, scientific and public service
outcomes. All I'm saying is that we as 1890s are just requesting equity
as land-grant institutions.
The 1890s collectively have well documented priorities and in most
cases, they stem from issues associated with the inequity of funding
and funding disparity relevant to our 1862 counterparts. One major
issue is that of inadequate facilities due to insufficient funding and
years of not addressing deferred maintenance. Specifically, many of our
research facilities are outdated and in disrepair, and thus these
institutions are in need of new facilities or at the least renovations
to get facilities up to today's technological standards. I want to
acknowledge Congresswoman Alma Adams and her colleagues for seeking to
address some of these facilities issues on the campuses of Historically
Black Colleges and Universities.
Also, the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities is
proposing an agriculture and food infrastructure grant program to be
funded at the level of at least $11.5 Billion. This number came out of
a study on the deferred maintenance of research facilities at land-
grant institutions. We are requesting that these funds be administered
by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National
Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). Another vehicle to address
this infrastructure/facilities issue is to target the 2023 Farm Bill.
Specifically, increase the authorization level for the USDA's 1890
Facilities Program.
The 1890s are unique, in that we have a mission mandate of
research, teaching and Extension. In order to continue to develop and
implement cutting-edge applied research programs and deliver impactful
and intentional cooperative extension programs, we must continue to
prioritize 1890 Extension and Evans-Allen research funding lines. These
capacity funds are the 1890s core and base funding and thus we continue
to seek increases in these lines and also reauthorization under the
next Farm Bill.
HBCUs have historically developed and implemented research,
outreach and educational programs to serve underserved and
disadvantaged communities and citizens. What this pandemic has done is
elucidate and exacerbate the issues around health disparities,
infrastructure, and access plaguing those communities. What that means
is that we are more relevant than ever. The 1890s, via its extension
services and experiment stations, have developed comprehensive,
multidisciplinary educational outreach and research program to address
health and infrastructural disparities in underserved communities in
the states and regions where 1890s are located. Some of these focuses
are in the areas of healthy lifestyles, access to healthy foods,
broadband, home and community horticulture/gardens, and access to
healthcare, to name a few.
The 1890 Land-Grant Institutions who receive Federal formula funds
from the USDA have a congressional mandate requiring a 100 percent or
one-to-one match of state or non-Federal funds. Section 1449 of ARRERA
specifically defines matching funds as follows, ``Matching funds means
cash contributions from non-Federal sources made available by the state
to the eligible institutions.'' Unfortunately, many 1890s continue to
struggle with this Federal match requirement. In fact, less than half
actually receive the one-to-one match.
The one-to-one matching inequity that is being experienced by 1890
land-grant institutions is not in any way caused by the Federal
Government or the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In fact, Congress
established the matching requirement so that all land-grant
institutions would receive one-to-one matching funds from their
respective states. This inequity in funding to 1890s by states has been
well documented since the founding of these institutions, and funding
at these schools was very poor and not equitable compared to white
institutions. While all states are meeting the one-to-one matching
requirement for their 1862 institutions, the majority of states do not
meet this obligation for 1890 land-grant universities requiring these
institutions to apply for a waiver of the one-to-one match requirement
or forfeit their funding.
The plight of Black Farmers has been well documented. Over the last
century, many black farmers lost their land by tax sales, eminent
domain, and voluntary sales. The USDA has admitted to having
discriminated against black farmers. The number of black farmers in
America peaked in 1920, when there were nearly 950,000. Today, of the
country's 3.4 million total farmers, only 1.3%, or 45,508, are black,
according to new data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture released
this month. They own a mere 0.52% of America's farmland. By comparison,
95% of U.S. farmers are white. These farmers and producers live
primarily in southeastern and mid-Atlantic states.
As part of President Biden's American Rescue Plan, about $4 Billion
was set aside for Black, Hispanic and Indigenous farmers to address
years of systemic racism and provide legal assistance to farmers of
color. In preparation of this rollout, on May 24, Cedric Richmond,
Senior advisor to President Biden and Director of the Office of Public
Engagement and USDA representatives met in St. James, Louisiana to
announce the beginning of the debt relief plan associate with the
American Rescue Plan. Farmers and representatives from Southern
University were also in attendance for this event. While implementation
of this debt relief plan has temporarily been halted, the 1890s, as we
have historically, will continue to provide technical support and
outreach to our socially disadvantaged farmers.
Climate change has the potential to adversely impact agricultural
productivity at local and regional scales through alterations in
rainfall patterns, more frequent occurrences of climate extremes
(including high temperatures or drought), altered patterns of pest
pressure, and changes in seasonal and diurnal temperature. Climate
change can disrupt food availability, reduce access to food, and affect
food quality. For example, projected increases in temperatures, changes
in precipitation patterns, changes in extreme weather events, and
reductions in water availability may all result in reduced agricultural
productivity.
Science also makes it clear that to avert the worst impacts of
climate change, we must address the greenhouse gas emissions from the
food and agriculture sectors. This includes capturing and storing
carbon in soils, wasting less food, phasing out agricultural chemicals
like pesticides and fertilizers, and reducing meat consumption from
confined factory farms. With so many crises unfolding on our planet--
pandemics, loss of biodiversity, hunger, and poverty--our food system
must shift toward practices that increase health, sustainability,
equity and resiliency. The 1890s are poised to be players in addressing
these issues associated with climate change. Whether that is producing
new, stress-resistant and tolerant crops to mitigating the land loss
due to erosion and rising waters.
The 1890 community is forever thankful to Congressman David Scott
whose vision was to establish scholarships at 1890s for those students
wanting to pursue a baccalaureate degree in Food and Agricultural
Sciences (FAS) and related fields. Recruiting significant numbers of
quality students for the university's academic programs in FAS is our
top priority. The USDA/NIFA 1890 Scholarship Program has and will
continue to assist us in increasing our undergraduate enrollment,
retention, graduation or near graduation of more baccalaureate degrees,
and enhance employment in the USDA and strategic partners' workforce.
This new scholarship rolled out in the fall of 2022, with each 1890
receiving $752,632. To date, 797 scholarships, totaling $11,485,288,
have been awarded. Which represents 80% of the total dollars awarded.
We are seeking your support in reauthorizing this vital and essential
educational program.
Over 95% of all students enrolled in Southern University and A&M
College, Baton Rouge campus, are supported by some type of financial
assistance. The 1890 Scholarship provides apprenticeship opportunities
for youth enrolled in college FAS scientific experimentation and
extension programming. The project's success will give a long-term
presence of stimulating research and extension interest in students.
The project provides a means to recruit academically talented youth on
a more sustainable basis for research and extension careers in FAS.
Scholars will be well-trained and equipped to become a part of the USDA
and strategic partners' workforce.
As I close, I want to say with confidence the 1890s are an
indispensable resource. In fact, it is projected that the world's
population will continue to grow and will reach nearly ten Billion by
2050. The new 1890 scholarship program, is an investment in human
capital for the food and agriculture industries. Supporting Federal
USDA capacity funding is an investment within an investment in
addressing COVID-19 related issues, climate change and socially
disadvantaged farmers. The 1890s is an investment in not only the food
security and sustainability of the U.S., but globally as well.
Again, I would like to thank the House Agriculture Committee,
specifically the Research Subcommittee, for the opportunity to testify
here today. We look forward to working with you and our colleagues in
the university community as we move toward the reauthorizing of the
Farm Bill. We urge you to use this moment, this opportunity, to invest
in our 1890 universities. To invest in the future of our communities.
And to invest in the people we serve. Thank you.
The Chairman. And thank you for your excellent testimony.
And I want to thank all our witnesses and--for your excellent
testimony, all of our distinguished Presidents of the 1890
land-grant African American colleges and universities. Thank
you very much. Now, at this time Members will be recognized for
questions in order of seniority, alternating between Majority
and Minority Members. You will be recognized for 5 minutes each
in order to allow us to get in everyone that is on our list.
And I show it so everybody will know we have quite a few people
that want to participate, so we want to be cognizant of our 5
minutes. And please keep your microphones muted until you are
recognized in order to minimize background noise. Now let me
start, if I may, with my 5 minutes of questions.
Let me just ask each of you very quickly--it is so
important that you express, each of you, just how impactful and
beneficial the scholarship program is. I want to be able to get
that on the record. We are moving, as I said, to make this
scholarship program permanent, and in order to do that, we want
to make sure we have the evidence to present. We have an
extraordinarily talented Agriculture Committee. All of us are
working on this, but we have to take it to the full House, and
then we have to take it to the Senate. And I can tell you this,
I had a wonderful conversation yesterday with my good friend on
the Republican side, Senator Grassley, who helped us with the
other program, Ranking Member, and so we are looking forward to
that. And, as I mentioned, it is not just me with this
Agriculture Committee, but all of us worked as a team, and we
have some talented people who are anxious to help make this
permanent, so I want to be able to get on the record all of
what this scholarship program means to each of you.
We have on our Committee such distinguished persons--excuse
me for this cold--persons who have worked with us. Our Vice
Chair, Ms. Alma Adams, has been very helpful. We also have
folks like Sanford Bishop, who is so key, my good colleague
from down in Georgia, who is also the Chairman of the
Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture. I call Sanford my
money man. Without him, we can't get the money. So we are all
working, and we are anxious to move ahead. And I have my good
buddy Austin Scott here, who is standing up strong, and he has
asked already, ``Is Fort Valley here?'' I said, ''Yes, they
are.'' He represents part of that area down there where Fort
Valley is.
So let me close my introduction here, where each of you
could just very quickly--I don't want to take up much time. I
may have time to come back at the end, but if each of you can
tell us quickly why this scholarship program is so important to
you, what it means to you, and why we need to make it
permanent, and go on? Let me start with--Dr. McMeans, we will
start backwards, we will work with you first. Very quickly. I
only have 2 or 3 minutes left. But please, just----
Dr. McMeans. All right. Thank you, Chairman Scott. And the
one thing that I always use a statement in saying is that this
scholarship is a game changer, and your vision of looking at
how we recruit individuals to go into a food and ag sciences
career, more people are retiring in that area than we are
graduating, and so we think it is a game changer here at the
Southern University. And in my--and I will just simply close
with this, because I know we don't have much time, to see a
parent receive a scholarship that was not available or availed
to their child a year--well, 2 years ago, and to see this
parent break down in tears and saying, ``My son has received a
scholarship in which, if he keeps his part, and does what he is
supposed to do as it relates to the requirements, he will go to
school for 4 years free.'' That is something I wish was around
when I was a student at Alabama A&M several years ago. And I
just think it is so important--that is why I--my remarks--and
my hat is off to you for being a visionary thinker in
developing such a program, because it is changing not only
these institutions, but it is changing our position globally,
as it relates to sustainability of the food and agricultural
systems. Thank you very much.
The Chairman. All right. Thank you. Dr. Jones, Fort Valley?
Dr. Jones. Thank you, Chairman Scott. Let me just say that,
in Georgia, the number one industry is agriculture, our ability
to invest in this way is having a tremendous impact on our
institution, which will have a tremendous impact on industry.
As evidenced from our increase in enrollment that I mentioned
that was more than 22 percent, the students are there. They
just need opportunities, to help finance their education, and
this scholarship has enabled that to take place, so we are
excited about it. We are looking forward to increasing the
number of partnerships that we have with industry. So as
Chancellor McMeans said, it is a game changer.
The Chairman. Thank you. Thank you. Dr. Anderson, very
quickly, please?
Dr. Anderson. We were able, with the funding, to actually
bring 15 freshmen on the campus in fall of 2020, in the midst
of COVID, and we are looking forward to, outside of COVID,
bringing a lot more students. And we already enrolled ten for
this particular fall. But the thing I want to really say is
these scholarships change the social mobility of these students
for the future, because these students then are able to go
forward and become working citizens in the country and
contribute tremendously, going forward. Thank you again for the
support.
The Chairman. Okay. Thank you. I have gone a little over my
time there, but maybe we will get the responses from Dr. Allen
and Dr. Abdullah as we move on. So, with that, Ranking Member,
I will turn it over to you for your 5 minutes. Thank you.
Mr. Thompson. All right, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, first of
all, to all the members of the panel. Thank you for your
leadership. Thank you so much for making a difference.
Obviously not just broader scale for rural America, for
agriculture, but specifically in the lives of the people that
you touch, the students.
Dr. McMeans, as you mentioned in your testimony, you are a
product of an 1890 institution. You have been affiliated with
five different universities that are all land-grant
universities. Can you tell us more about your experience
attending Alabama A&M University, and how that motivated you to
spend your career serving in a variety of positions to carry
out the land-grant mission?
Dr. McMeans. Thank you very much, Congressman Thompson.
What was interesting was that, prior to attending Alabama A&M,
I was just--as a lot of us are as jocks, we were just
interested in going to college to play football. But I was
introduced to a book by George Washington Carver which gave me
interest in looking at plants. But the wonderful thing about
Alabama A&M, and I know there are 18 other universities on this
call that will say they gave me that attention, that one on one
interaction, which gave me a foundation in which I felt not
only competent and competitive, but able to move on and pursue
a career. And I understood more so the importance of
agriculture. And I give so much thanks to Alabama A&M, because
it did give me the foundation and understanding.
There are certain things--I was just having a conversation
last night with some individuals. I said, ``Well, we can do
without cell phones, you can possibly even do without a car.
You can do without a lot of luxuries in life, but we cannot do
without food and agriculture,'' and that was taught to me at
Alabama A&M. And that sounds so simple, but it is really--as it
relates to sustainability and the future of the global
population, it is so imperative. And it made me competitive,
and also gave me the foundation to go on and be successful.
Thank you very much.
Mr. Thompson. No, thank you. I open this up to all of our
panelists. There has been a lot of talk about the need, and I
heard in most of your oral, and I read in your written
testimony the need for funding to address deferred maintenance
of buildings and facilities at land-grant universities. Can
each of you talk more about how your campuses would utilize any
funding to improve infrastructure at your institutions?
Dr. Allen. Congressman Thompson, I am happy to start. It is
Tony Allen. Thank you for the question, I think it is an
important one. At Delaware State---- *
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Editor's note: there was an audio malfunction during the hearing
broadcast in that Dr. Allen's microphone cut out of the received signal
to the Members of the Committee.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mr. Thompson. Maybe we will start with--there were two
presidents that you were not able to get to, right, with your
question?
The Chairman. Yes. Dr. Abdullah----
Mr. Thompson. Yes, let us start with Dr. Abdullah, please.
Dr. Abdullah. Thank you. Thank you very much, sir. When we
talk about deferred maintenance, that is something that is
really important here at Virginia State University, and how we
would use additional dollars is to really make up for the fact
that for many years our facilities did not receive the kind of
funding for deferred maintenance that other schools got. And so
when you talk about our facilities for teaching, for teaching
of our students, for making sure that our researchers have
access to the kind of research equipment and the research labs
that they need, then it is critical that we maintain the
infrastructure to be able to do the work that we need to do.
One of the real strong keys is that our 1890 land-grant
institutions are an incredible investment, and we found,
especially during this time of COVID, that we are in the
communities where we can make the biggest kind of difference,
and our ability to make that difference is directly related to
our ability to have the equipment, to be able to have the
deferred maintenance on our buildings, to be able to move our
initiatives forward. So thank you so much for asking that
question. And I will--I know Dr. Allen wants to get in, and so
I will make sure he can have some of this time also.
Mr. Thompson. Dr. Allen, I am pleased to recognize you for
a response to that question on infrastructure.
Dr. Allen. Thank you, Congressman Thompson. It is an
important question. The one thing I would say to you is that--
and to the entire Committee is just to remember that only three
percent of all colleges and universities are HBCUs, but we
represent about 27 percent of all Black graduates in the STEM
discipline, so we significantly punch above our weight, and I
think that is important because we do that with resources that
are disproportionate to many of our other sister institutions.
So to invest in us is to give you a significantly greater
return on that investment, particularly as it relates to
educational access for all.
Delaware State University, just for context, and this is
probably similar to my colleagues, we have significant deferred
maintenance issues, upwards of about $240 million. We have been
able to retire some of that debt here recently, but it becomes
very, very important for us to maintain our competitiveness,
and to make sure that our faculty, staff, and students have the
facilities that make this not only a great place to work, but a
great place to do research, and make an impact on the
communities we serve.
It is also important to our research interests. So, you all
know that there are three R&D classifications for research
status, R1, R2, and R3. There are 11 HBCUs that are R2 status,
but none are R1, which is the highest you can have. I know
Congresswoman Adams knows this well, through the IGNITE Act, if
we are able to build up our infrastructure, particularly as it
relates to our classrooms and our labs, it gives us significant
import for one of our institutions, and hopefully more than
one, to elevate to the R1 status. So there are lots of reasons
as it relates to systemic inequities, but also the value of the
return you get by investing in HBCUs and our infrastructure
capacity.
Mr. Thompson. Dr. Allen, thank you so much. My time has
expired, so, Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
The Chairman. Thank you very much, Ranking Member. And now
I recognize the distinguished lady from North Carolina, Ms.
Adams. You are recognized for 5 minutes.
Ms. Adams. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, again, for your
leadership, and to Ranking Member Thompson for hosting the
hearing today, and to our witnesses. Throughout the years I
have visited several 1890s institutions, and noticed the
deterioration of older buildings and classrooms on campus. I
mentioned that I served 40 years on a campus in Greensboro,
North Carolina, at Bennett College, and I think it was the last
10 years of my tenure that I had air conditioning in my
building.
But I know that renovating and securing new buildings and
equipment is necessary in order to meet the challenges and
opportunities for the 21st century, and so this is the reason
that I introduced the bipartisan legislation, the IGNITE HBCU
Excellence Act, to help build and rebuild the infrastructure of
our campuses. This legislation would make the sort of
investments in these institutions to rectify over a century of
systemic neglect. And, Mr. Chairman, before I continue, I ask
unanimous consent to insert two letters into the record, a
letter from a chancellor that could not join us today, my
chancellor at North Carolina A&T, Chancellor Harold L. Martin,
Sr., and then also another letter supporting the IGNITE HBCU
Excellence Act from several prominent companies.
The Chairman. Without objection.
[The letters referred to are located on p. 65.]
Ms. Adams. Thank you. So--thank you very much. So in terms
of the questions that I would like to ask, Congress is in the
midst of debating an economic package, Dr. Jones, to rebuild
our country's infrastructure, and in your testimony you
mentioned the major issues of concern to all public
institutions, receiving support for food, agriculture, and
natural resource research's aging infrastructure, and the lack
of funding for maintaining facilities. So could you tell us
what are the top priorities for infrastructure on your campus,
and what are your deferred maintenance needs?
Dr. Jones. Thank you, Congresswoman Adams. We have
significant challenges related to deferred maintenance,
somewhere upwards--about $40 million that we need to sort of
get caught up in our aging--some of our aging facilities. We
are a historic campus. Much of our campus sits in a historic
quad, and, as you can imagine, those facilities in particular
probably have much greater challenges it--with infrastructure
systems and mechanical systems, et cetera. So we have a
tremendous need in upgrading those systems to preserve these
incredible assets. In addition, we want to begin to update some
of our laboratories and classrooms. When you think about the
significant increase, or significant investment, in the
scholarship program, we want to make sure we have facilities
that match these scholars, and at the same time providing
tremendous facilities for our researchers as well, so they can
do the important work that they come here for.
Ms. Adams. Thank you very much. Dr. Anderson, as you know,
the 2018 Farm Bill authorized the Secretary of Agriculture to
recognize at least three Centers of Excellence led by 1890
universities, and in May USDA announced funding for the centers
at University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Southern University,
Tuskegee, and North Carolina A&T. So would you describe how you
see these centers of excellence benefitting the entire 1890
system, and the communities that you serve?
Dr. Anderson. Congresswoman Adams. Yes, the Centers of
Excellence--and we will be partnering with the other 18 1890
institutions, so all of us will work together in a
collaborative fashion. This will allow us to actually enhance
the research and the educational needs in all of our particular
states, but also continue to--with proper funding there. But I
also want to add to the infrastructure question, because that
is a critical--with your IGNITE Act. At our university we have
88 buildings, which actually come--the average age of all of
them is 44 years, so our deferred maintenance is over $90
million. At UMES we are poised to be able to add a veterinary
science program, a veterinary science school, but we need
funding to make sure we change our buildings for that.
I will give you one real life example. When I came here in
September of 2018, our library was closed because the roof had
leaked so bad, and it was closed for 6 months because of all
the damage that had happened with the rain. Imagine a
university with no library for their students for 6 months.
That is how bad our buildings are, and so I wanted to make sure
I added that, and say thank you very much for the IGNITE Act.
Ms. Adams. Well, thank you, and, Mr. Chairman, it looks
like I am out of time, but I would like to just submit the
questions that I had. I had one for Dr. McMeans and Dr.
Abdullah as well, in terms of the one-to-one match. So I am
going to yield back on that. I know we have a lot of folks that
have questions, but thank you all so much for your testimony
and for your answers today.
The Chairman. Thank you, Ms. Adams. And now I recognize my
distinguished colleague from Georgia, Mr. Austin Scott.
Mr. Austin Scott of Georgia. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I
want to specifically apologize to Dr. Jones, who is from my
area. And I had to slip out a little while ago because of an
Armed Services Committee, and after the questions I will have
to slip out again because of an Armed Services Committee
hearing. But I want to, Dr. Jones, one, say hello, and two,
bring Dr. Anderson into the conversation. Both of you mentioned
that the rate of recruitment for students in agriculture has
been on the rise. While you have not seen the rise in other
majors, Dr. Jones, you specifically mentioned the scholarships,
the 1890 Scholarship Program, that my colleague David Scott,
Chairman Scott, has--and several others worked very hard on,
but you deserve a little extra credit there, if you will--for
the scholarships. But could you both speak to the rise in the
recruitment of people for the agriculture programs?
Dr. Anderson. I will be happy to start. First of all, the
scholarship funding was very instrumental in helping us
increase the student recruitment in that area, but we also had
other strategic initiatives that we did. But we actually work
with our students in a--in MANNRS, and we have summer students
that come on our campus in summer camps. Our agriculture
students are already here. In fact, this past Sunday I was
visiting with them. We have 20 students who have joined us from
various high schools across the state to participate in that
program, so it is one of the ways it helped us really increase
the enrollment, and that is why I know that we are going to
increase it again significantly this particular fall, and
urging you to continue with that funding. I will yield to
President Jones.
Dr. Jones. Great to see you, Representative Scott. I
appreciate all of the support that you provide. In terms of the
scholarship, we did an incredible job of bringing together many
stakeholders at the institution to ensure that we had an
aggressive plan in place. We looked at how we could, in some
ways, rebrand ourselves, in terms of helping students to better
understand the tremendous opportunities available to them in
these incredible agricultural fields. But that message, and our
admissions team, and several of our faculty, were part of this
process, and those efforts--we learned a lot from that process,
and it is my hope that, as we move forward, and understanding
the resources that are ahead of us, that we will be in an
incredible position to continue to strengthen our recruitment
efforts, and we are already seeing that as we look at the fall.
Our challenge is going to be having more students than we have
funding available as we move forward. So exciting effort, and
we are really blessed with the enrollment results.
Mr. Austin Scott of Georgia. I look forward to hearing more
about the deferred maintenance, and other issues that we can
help you with. You have done a pretty good job of creating
partnerships with Georgia Power and Ford Motor Company at Fort
Valley State University. Could you speak to the value of having
the private sector partnerships, and what that means for your
graduates, and their ability to literally walk from their
receiving a diploma straight into a job?
Dr. Jones. That is absolutely--and thank you for the
question. That is essential, and, again, an area that we are
ensuring that we are putting greater efforts in. These
partnerships with industry are so important. These recent
partnerships with Ford, and Chevron, and our Air Force base
here are monumental, and they are yielding great results. And,
without them--you can't bring these scholars to your campus
without providing these kinds of opportunities to them. And so
we are continuing to look at ways to partner--we are beginning
to work with the poultry industry as well to look at ways where
we can enhance these kinds of opportunities. So the efforts
with industry are beginning to pay off tremendously, and those
are essential as we move forward.
Mr. Austin Scott of Georgia. Thank you, Dr. Jones. And my
time has about expired, but those partnerships between industry
and the HBCUs is very valuable in our country, and it is not
just about the education, it is about the opportunity that
comes with the education, so I look forward to seeing those
partnerships continue to expand, and I yield the remainder of
my time, and appreciate all of you taking time to testify
before us.
The Chairman. Thank you, Congressman Scott. And now I
recognize the gentlelady from Virginia, Ms. Spanberger, 5
minutes.
Ms. Spanberger. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, and I am
so pleased to have the chance to join you all today. And I am
especially excited that we have Dr. Abdullah here from Virginia
State University. It is important that we are discussing our
1890 institutions, and the valuable work that they do in
advancing the next generation of agricultural innovation. I
would like to begin my question for you, Dr. Abdullah. You
mentioned in your opening statement the long track record that
VSU and other 1890 institutions have in providing a strong
return on Federal investments to the communities that you and
your fellow Presidents serve. But locally in Virginia, I
represent the district just next door to where Virginia State
is located in Virginia's 4th District--in Virginia, and in
central Virginia, we are well aware of the robust course
catalogue, and strength of VSU, but I think focused on the
actual scope of agricultural innovation is something that I
know central Virginians would love to hear more about. So could
you expand, specific to Virginia, specific to our community, a
little bit more on what Federal investments in VSU and other
1890 institutions mean for our local communities, in particular
Virginia's agriculture sector?
Dr. Abdullah. Well, thank you so much, Representative
Spanberger, and I wanted you to know that I was trying to do a
PowerPoint presentation earlier, because one of the highlights
was a picture of us here at Virginia State University, so thank
you so much for your support of the issue. We are very proud of
the work that we do in ag research in our cooperative extension
program, supporting the many socially disadvantaged and small
farmers and ranchers here in central Virginia. And you are
absolutely right, there are so many in the Commonwealth of
Virginia who really understand the quality of work that happens
here at VSU, and are recipients of the work that happens in and
around all of our communities.
And, one of the things that makes me so excited is that we
have someone like you, who is on the Committee, who really
understands what we do at VSU. We have Representative David
Scott, and Representative Al Lawson, who I know are both
graduates of Florida A&M University, who understand the 1890
land-grant programs. And then to have Deputy Secretary of USDA
Jewel Bronaugh at USDA now means that we are going to be able
to really get the word out now about the great work that we do.
So I firmly believe that our institutions, our 1890
institutions, provide some of the best bang for the buck for
the Federal dollar in terms of helping--whether it is helping
students here at VSU be able to chase the American dream, to
come from their backgrounds to become productive citizens, and/
or to help socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers to
become an important part of our food ecosystem.
So we believe that our network of institutions, our
infrastructure, is built to be able to do any number of things
that really support agriculture, and to support this country,
and we are really proud to be able to be here to share that
with you. And so thank you so much for your question.
Ms. Spanberger. And, Dr. Abdullah, for the central
Virginians who themselves may not be in the agricultural
sector, which, of course, is a major driver of Virginia's
economy, could you speak just a little bit more about the
extension program that VSU has, and the advantage that gives to
Virginia's farmers in the larger economy?
Dr. Abdullah. Yes.
Ms. Spanberger. A bit of a primer, if you would, in our
time remaining about what those programs do.
Dr. Abdullah. We work very closely with Virginia Tech, and
Virginia's Cooperative Extension Program, on initiatives that
involve 4-H, our Small Farm Outreach Program, again, led by Mr.
Crutchfield, who is doing incredible work here at Virginia
State, and other areas to make sure that we can impact young
people, and young at heart people, who are either interested in
ag, ag business, and the ag economy, or interested in learning
more about agriculture. And so we are very excited about those
programs, and Dr. Ray McKinnie, who is our dean here of our
College of Agriculture, also serves as extension director, and
he does wonderful work. And so I am very proud of all of the
work that all of our faculty and staff do here at VSU.
Ms. Spanberger. Excellent. Well, thank you so much.
Certainly, having visited the campus multiple times, and being
aware of the tremendous work of extension programs, I thank
you, and the fellow Presidents and witnesses on the line, for
the work that you all do, certainly ensuring that when
beginning farmers, socially disadvantaged farmers, somebody who
wants to get back to the land and really begin that small
business of farming, the work that you all do is so tremendous
in helping them have success. So, with that, Mr. Chairman, I
yield back, and I am really grateful for the topic of this
conversation today.
The Chairman. And thank you, Ms. Spanberger. And now I
recognize for 5 minutes the gentleman from Indiana, Mr. Baird.
Mr. Baird. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I thank the Ranking
Member, both of you, for holding this meeting, and I really
want to thank the witnesses for their contribution to the
discussion here today. And, the contribution that the land-
grant universities have done to improve the quality of life for
our communities through education, research, and the
Cooperative Extension Service has just been invaluable, and
this has been particularly true for the agricultural industry.
So I guess I want to start my questions with Dr. McMeans.
Southern University is the home of the 1890 Center of
Excellence for Nutrition, Health and Wellness, and the Quality
of Life. So, Dr. McMeans, can you tell or talk more about the
work that Southern University is doing through the Center to
help address diet-related health diseases, as well as through
nutrition research, teaching, and the Extension Service? Dr.
McMeans?
Dr. McMeans. Thank you, Congressman. Southern University,
and in particular Southern University Agricultural Center, was
fortunate enough to receive one of the Centers of Excellence,
as it relates to USDA. And the focus of it really came out of
the pandemic, pretty much, so--but we already knew, as 1890s,
that the communities we served were disproportionately impacted
by certain health disparities. And so what we did is we are
partnering with North Carolina A&T, as well as Tuskegee, to
look at those issues that are impacting.
And one of the unique things about this program, some of
the presenters talked about the fact that we have a tripartite
[inaudible] mission, and I have been at five different land-
grant universities. Sometimes they are connected, and sometimes
they are disconnected. But in this instance, we have the
research, we have the teaching, and we have the extension and
outreach portion, all working together to address those
disparities that are impacting African American communities as
it relates to health. From the research standpoint we are
looking at metabolomic type of issues, dealing with the
cellular level, and how these individuals and communities are
impacted. Also, from the teaching standpoint, to make sure that
our students are prepared to go out and teach current research-
based information to individuals as it relates to dietetics,
healthy lifestyles, and what have you. And, of course, from the
outreach standpoint, we are collectively looking at best case
practices on how we can address the issues associated with
diabetes, obesity, and all of these other areas that made us a
little bit disproportionately susceptible to some of the issues
associated with this pandemic of COVID-19.
So I am really excited about that. We are just kicking that
off, and we just started having our meetings, and my hope is
that this is not something that is just going to remain between
Louisiana and North Carolina and Alabama, but this would be
something that the entire country would benefit from as we
start to get feedback, information, and data as it relates to
our plan, so thank you very much for that question.
Mr. Baird. Well thank you, and I think that is a very
important aspect, and I like your perspective about the various
aspects of a university, being the education, the research, as
well as the cooperative extension, and having them all work
together to deliver services to constituents and members of the
community.
I guess I would like to move on to the idea of the
importance of the land-grant universities to the state, and so
with that I would like to go to Dr. Anderson. Would you care to
address the importance of the land-grant universities, in your
perspective, to the state?
Dr. Anderson. Very much so, thank you very much for the
question. Having come out of a land-grant university, at Purdue
University, myself, and also having worked at four other land-
grant universities, I can say that the work that we do to help
the local farmers and the community is very critical. And here
at UMES, with our center that we have received funding for, the
Centers of Excellence for Global Food Security and Defense, we
are working with the other 1890 universities, and actually
helping the farmers improve their systems. And we are doing
research in things like pest management to try to help them
understand how to increase their knowledge in this particular
area, but also how to minimize the pests that are impacting the
food that they are eating, and they are growing.
The other thing that we are doing, as far as land-grant
institutions, is looking at climate change, and trying to make
sure we look at what is happening in those particular areas,
and leveraging in emerging technologies in those so that all of
us work together in a unified way to help and impact those
particular issues. Thank you very much for the question.
Mr. Baird. Thank you very much, and I have gone over my
time, so I yield back, Mr. Chairman.
The Chairman. Thank you very much, Congressman Baird. And
now we will hear from the gentlelady from Connecticut, Mrs.
Hayes.
Mrs. Hayes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you so much
to our witnesses for being here today. While Connecticut is not
home to any 1890s land-grant institutions, our 1862 land-grant
university, the University of Connecticut, works to pursue
connections with graduates to support a diverse group of new
and beginning farmers, agricultural educators, and researchers.
This is extremely important in a state like Connecticut, where
about \1/3\ of our residents are residents of color, yet there
are very few minority farmers.
My question actually could be for anyone on the panel, but
I will ask Dr. Abdullah, how would you describe the role of the
1890s land-grant universities in ensuring equity both in access
to higher education, and for ensuring equitable employment and
business opportunities within the U.S. agricultural sector?
Dr. Abdullah. Thank you very much, Representative Hayes. I
would love to say that, as an 1890 land-grant institution, that
we have more Connecticut residents at Virginia State than any
other institution, but I have a sneaking suspicion that my
colleagues from Delaware and Maryland are going to dispute
that, so I won't say that out loud. Thank you so much for your
question. I really firmly believe that our 1890 institutions
are critical in access. If I can go back to take the question
about the scholarships, one of the important things about the
scholarships, which ties into access, is one of the things that
the scholarship program allows us to do is you have young
people who are motivated, who are intelligent, who have the
ability to do the work who might not have the finances to able
to finance an education. All of our 1890 institutions are
among, or are possibly the most important institutions in our
state, and so we try to keep our tuition down as low--and we
provide a quality level of instruction for our students.
But the other thing that the scholarship program does is it
also starts to attract students who come from urban
environments, who have the wrong understanding of what
agriculture is so they can understand what it means to have a
career in the agricultural sciences and ag business. The
scholarship program allows students to kind of look at ag and
go, ``Wait a minute, I think I can consider agriculture as a
career moving forward.'' It is critically important that all of
our institutions are educating--our Pell eligible rates, all of
them, are above 60 to 70 percent. We are all proud that our
institutions are among the nation's leaders in providing access
to the American Dream for all of our citizens here in the
United States of America.
And, your question also points out the one place that we
can have--partnerships and collaborations are in those states
that don't have an 1890 land-grant institution. For students
who are interested in pursuing careers in agriculture, and
maybe they want to do that in an 1890, but there is not an 1890
in their state, to be able to work closely with the 1862 in
that state so that we can provide quality careers and
opportunities, and students--send young people back--send
citizens to Connecticut to be able to move the economy of
Connecticut. And so thank you so much for your question.
Mrs. Hayes. Well, thank you for that. Here in Connecticut
we have--we also have many farmers who work in urban
agriculture. Currently our UConn extension is looking to bring
on new staff to focus on urban agriculture and work with 4-H
programs to promote food and agricultural literacy in
underserved areas. This is an exciting opportunity for our
state, and I want to work to help support these geographically
diverse communities in Connecticut District 5. Also, on my
other Committee of Education and Labor, where we are talking
about career and technical training, I am really hoping that we
will find funding to promote agricultural programs at the high
school level, and in our trade schools. I guess my--with the
remainder of my time, Dr. Anderson, can you tell us how your
institution partners and collaborates with organizations like
4-H, FFA, Minorities in Agriculture and Natural Resources, and
Related Sciences, or different programs that bridge a
partnership between institutions and communities?
Dr. Anderson. Thank you, Representative, for the question.
Can you hear me all right?
Mrs. Hayes. Yes.
Dr. Anderson. I had a slight broadband problem, so they
came and fixed it. Yes, we have students come into our programs
from MANNRS. We actually have, annually, students enter the
campus to actually be on summer programs, but also work with
them throughout the year. We bring these individuals to our
campus to meet with our faculty. They work hand in hand with
them, with their research projects, right there in the lab. In
addition to that, we have a working farm on the campus, so the
students are able to learn from the farming, and our 4-H
students mixed with them at the same time. So it is really a
nice collaboration because you are bringing middle school, high
school students to the campus to be here with our students who
are freshmen, sophomores, seniors, et cetera, and actually
planning and working together. They actually help them learn
what the food--better food preparation, and also pesticides, as
I mentioned earlier, and how to control that.
Mrs. Hayes. Thank you so much. Mr. Chairman, I apologize
for going over, but that was music to my ears, to bring these
programs to middle and high school students. Thank you so much.
I yield back. I am sorry, did you hear me? I apologize for
going over, Mr. Chair, but that answer was music to my ears,
about bringing this programs to middle and high school
students. I yield back.
The Chairman. Yes. Isn't it great? It is bringing music to
my ears as well, the great contribution that the scholarships
are providing. And now if I may go to the gentleman from
Georgia, Congressman Rick Allen.
Mr. Allen of Georgia. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and again,
thank you for getting us together. Obviously we have a lot of
work to do on the Agriculture Committee----
Mr. Rush. I am ready.
The Staff. We just wanted to let you know you are next.
Mr. Rush. All right. Thank you.
Mr. Allen of Georgia. Okay. So--can you hear me okay? The--
something happened there. Can you all hear me? Mr. Chairman,
can you hear me okay?
The Chairman. Yes, I hear you.
Mr. Allen of Georgia. Okay.
The Chairman. Let me just remind all Members, mute yourself
when you are not there. We don't want to interfere with anyone
speaking. Thank you. Go ahead.
Mr. Allen of Georgia. All right. Well, thank you so much.
Well, again, thank you for getting us together today.
Obviously, education is important. My family was involved in
education, and--of course, I too serve on the Education and
Labor Committee, and I am having dual hearings, which is why I
am virtual. I was trying to get down to the hearing, but then
got caught in the other hearing. But, anyway, these things
happen while you are in Congress.
Obviously, we have a lot of issues we have to solve, and,
Mr. Chairman, one of the biggest issues, and President Zippy
Duvall brought this out in a hearing some time ago, President
of Farm Bureau, it is labor. And, of course, it is very
critical, as far as education is concerned, but certainly what
the American Rescue Plan has done is created--we have ten
million people unemployed, we have 3\1/2\ million people on
enhanced unemployment. And, of course, we addressed this in the
last farm bill, but we have 20-25 million trapped on welfare,
and there are lots of opportunities to educate and retrain
folks, and give them the respect that they deserve in holding a
good job. Of course, in Georgia our governor has rescinded the
Federal unemployment benefits, and I think that ends next week,
so hopefully this will get folks back to work.
But there are also supply chain disruptions with prices, we
have a problem with that, and then, of course, there are other
things about the tax policy that is coming out that could
create a tremendous burden on our farmers as far as inheritance
taxes. And then, of course, the Waters of the U.S. Rule is
coming back up. And, too, we could address today, in this
hearing, the cost of higher education. Many people in this
country now believe that it is unaffordable, and the cost is
outrageous, and we have students going in debt that they should
never encounter. But--because the worst thing--the worst burden
is debt.
But--and I don't know who to direct my questions to, so I
will just ask first, in this current employment picture, what
the Presidents--and, of course, we have Paine College in my
district, and--very proud of Paine College, and we have done a
lot to help Paine get to where it is today. But what
opportunities are you seeing for your students out there today
in this post-COVID economy? Are you seeing a lot of
opportunities for your students? Is it creating a lot of
interest? And who would like to address that question?
Dr. Allen. Congressman Allen, I am happy to----
Dr. McMeans. I can address it, you can go ahead, you can go
ahead. Yes.
Dr. Allen. Congressman Allen, I am happy to answer the
question from our perspective. At Delaware State University, we
have seen significant increases in interests in health and
behavioral sciences. You may know that, as of July 1, we will
acquire a small private liberal college down the road, Wesley
College, and build our new College of Health and Behavioral
Sciences there, which will add significant increases of
healthcare practitioners, nurses, and medical professionals and
the like. That is been a significant boost for us. We also know
that, relative to the job market, there is significant need and
shortages in those fields, and because of the pandemic we have
seen a significant increase there.
Secondarily, I would say on average we have also seen a
significant increase in our graduate profile overall, and
specific to agriculture. So a lot of our students, at the
graduate level, are choosing to continue to pursue their
education in ag and ag-related sciences. We think that bodes
well for research and practitioner training overall,
particularly in our extension programs. And then overall we are
very happy to say that 86 percent of our graduating students
find themselves employment in their discipline or in grad
school, 6 months after they graduate. So I think we are all
headed in the right direction. I think that is why 1890 land-
grant institutions are so important, because----
Mr. Allen of Georgia. Good. That is what I wanted to hear.
That is fine.
Well, I tell our educators, it is your responsibility is to
get our folks employed. The other thing I want to do, and I
will leave you with this, and I am out of time, but we have to
address the cost of higher education, and I want to know what
this Congress can do. Is it a regulatory issue, or what is it
causing all of this increased cost? And hopefully that can be
addressed at this hearing. With that, Mr. Chairman, I will
yield back.
The Chairman. Thank you very much, Congressman Allen. And
now we will turn to the gentleman from Illinois, my good friend
Bobby Rush.
Mr. Rush. Well, thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, it
is very heartening to hear today about the research happening
at the 1890 land-grant institutions. Today it strengthened my
belief that when it comes to agricultural innovation in our
workforce, America is not only competitive in the global
economy, but it is indeed the best in the world. Earlier this
month, Mr. Chairman, I saw firsthand what our students are
accomplishing when I toured the Chicago High School for
Agricultural Sciences, which is located in my district. These
high school students are competing annually at the national
level at the Annual Agriscience Fair, and their talents truly
blew me away.
Dr. Allen, are there ways that we can provide opportunities
for our students at the 1890 land-grant institutions, or even
earlier, at the high school level, to compete and collaborate
globally, given how this world that we live in is so
interconnected and interrelated?
Dr. Allen. Congressman Rush, thank you for the question. It
is an important one. I should say at Delaware State we actually
operate a high school. We call it the Early College High
School. There are about 425 students in that school from ninth
to 12th grade, and while they are in that high school, they are
able to accumulate upwards of 60 college credits before they
are ever admitted into any university. So think of those
students coming out of that institution into a university as
either a second semester sophomore or a first semester junior.
And we are really proud of that, and built that program because
we wanted to build a pipeline even earlier than when they
started college.
I could also say that many of those students have gone into
our College of Agriculture, Science, and Technology, and have
been intrigued not just by what they would think of as the
typical agricultural discipline, but also by ag business, and
the opportunities that lie ahead there. We also have very good
relations in about 23 different countries, where we are able to
expose our students with student and faculty exchanges that
give them a sense of the global community and global
experiences.
Mr. Rush. Thank you. Now, I am running out of time, so I
want to move on, if I might be able to, all right? I recently
introduced the Farm Subsidy Transparency Act (H.R. 3794/S.
1980), along with Senator Booker, which will require USDA to
track and publicly disclose the race and gender of all
individuals who receive or who are denied farm assistance. This
bill is in response to the decades of discriminatory lending
practices which, intentionally or otherwise, put Black farmers
at a serious disadvantage compared to their White counterparts.
Dr. Abdullah and Dr. McMeans, will increased transparency help
you better assist minority farmers in receiving financial aid,
and how can this Committee be of assistance to you and to
others?
Dr. Abdullah. Thank you very much, sir, Makola Abdullah. It
definitely would. Understanding and knowing what is happening
in the world so that we can begin to make a difference--and so
without capturing the right data--the whole reason that we know
that there have been discriminatory practices in lending is
because we have that data in lending, and so that is important.
Dr. McMeans. This is Orlando McMeans. And, this is
something that is close to me. Recently, President Biden
actually sent a representative down to actually talk to us
about the importance of this very issue, and Congressman Cedric
Richmond, by the way. And we had an opportunity to have
dialogue, and talk with farmers, and that is--was one of the
questions that they were asking. And I think that our
relationship with USDA--it is imperative that we have open and
frank conversations, that we demand on behalf of our socially
disadvantaged farmers, that there be transparency.
And, like President Abdullah said, it is obvious what was
going on for the last 100 years or so, and we have to get down
to what is causing these issues, where we are getting our loans
at a lower rate than counterparts. It is my hope that the 1890s
will be working closer not only with USDA in D.C., but our
local USDA and state agencies to work to make sure that there
is transparency, and we are an asset and an advocate to them
being more successful, and their success rate, as it relates to
loans and other support for farms. And so we will be looking at
that heavily, and also pursuing other endeavors, as it relates
to the 2023 Farm Bill.
Mr. Rush. Well, I thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back.
The Chairman. Thank you, Mr. Rush, for those comments. Now
we will recognize the gentleman from California----
Mr. LaMalfa. Is that me, Mr. Chairman?
The Chairman. I am sorry, Mr. Moore from Alabama. My
mistake.
Mr. Moore. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thanks to the
panelists for speaking today before the Committee, and for
describing the good work that each of you guys are doing for
your students, and for the larger agriculture community. I am
proud to represent a state that has two of the 1890 land-grant
universities, obviously Alabama A&M, and Tuskegee University.
And in my hometown we have a monument to the boll weevil, and
that is because of the work that George Washington Carver did
at Tuskegee University to help us figure out all the uses for
peanuts, we were glad to get away from cotton and get to
peanuts, so we have a debt of gratitude in our state to,
obviously, Tuskegee University.
And, Dr. McMeans, first, it is great to see an alumni from
Alabama A&M in such position of influence, and testifying
before this Committee on these issues today. I will ask this to
you, Dr. McMeans, and then some of the others may want to chime
in, but how do each of your institutions collaborate with the
other land-grant universities in your state to best meet the
needs of your state and its students, and to avoid the
duplication in efforts on research and extension?
Dr. McMeans. Thank you for that question. I have been very
fortunate, because my LSU counterpart, Dr. Bill Richardson, and
I knew each other while I was at West Virginia State, and one
of the things that you have to understand is that--I tell
people all the time, Alabama is very unique because we have
three land-grants, because most of us at the most have two, and
we have so much work that has to be done, even if we had three
or four land-grant institutions, can we really get all the work
done?
But the thing about it is that--one of the things that we
are doing is we are working on a joint plan of work. We are
working on a joint strategic plan, and we are looking at those
areas where we are strong at, and our strengths are working
with disadvantaged and minority farmers, and LSU advantages are
working with big commodity groups, and big farms, and what have
you. And we look at those niches where we fit, they fit, but
there is a lot of overlap when it comes to youth development.
And there was a question earlier about what are we going to
do about the workforce for agriculture in the future? Well, we
are both working in that area, because we have to do what we
can to recruit and graduate individuals who will be working in
the food and agricultural sciences, and related fields. It is
imperative that we work together, that we support one another.
Some areas we are going to duplicate and overlap because the
need is so grand, but those other ones are niches. And the
other thing is that we go to the legislature together. We
support one another. And we have to do that. And I know once it
becomes--when you start dealing with extension, and things of
that nature, sometimes--yes, territorial--may jump into it or
what have you, but in the best interests of the collective
communities and clientele that we serve, it is in the best
interest that we work collectively and collaboratively in those
areas.
Dr. Anderson. Representative, I would like to answer the
question as well, please? Thank you. Thank you for the
question. Here at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore we
are part of a system of 12 institutions, and the University of
Maryland College Park is our flagship institution, so we have
the luxury of being able to work very collaboratively with one
of our sister institutions, who is also the flagship. We do
that in a number of ways. Because we are located on the Eastern
Shore, 85 percent of the farmers are here in our particular
area, and so our extension groups from both of the institutions
work extremely well, going out, helping educate the socially
disadvantaged farmers. And because we also are surrounded by
the coastal bay areas and the peninsula, we actually help do
work with our local farmers not just with--many people think of
us as poultry, but also with what is happening in the aquatic
area.
And so our two institutions have annual meetings together,
our faculty have collaborative research and teaching that they
do, using some technology like this. We do have broadband
issues here on our part, you probably noticed that from me
today, but those are the kind of things that we merge and work
together on, and continue to try to have those kind of
partnerships. So thank you again for the question.
Mr. Moore. Okay. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. If Mr. Abdullah,
would you like to answer? Yes, please go ahead. Please do. I
have time, so go ahead.
Dr. Abdullah. Thank you, sir. Here in Virginia, Virginia
State University and Virginia Tech, my colleague from Virginia
Tech, Tim Sands, and their agricultural staff, along with ours,
led by Dr. McKinnie, I work very closely together to make sure
that, again, as Dr. McMeans mentioned, that we don't duplicate
programs, and that we use the investments from the state, and
the investments from the Federal dollars, to help farmers and
ranchers here in Virginia, that we use those together in a
collaborative manner. Just in the past couple of months we all
met with the entire extension staff across Virginia to kind of
share with them the kind of collective vision for the
Commonwealth of Virginia, and to learn from them. And so we
work, whether it is at the President level or at the staff
level, there is a lot of collaboration to make sure that things
work well.
Mr. Moore. Thanks to our panelists. Mr. Chairman, with
that, I am out of time, so I will yield back.
The Chairman. Thank you very much, Congressman Moore. Now,
if I may, the lady from New Hampshire, my friend, Ms. Annie
Kuster. You are recognized.
Ms. Kuster. Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate
your leadership in elevating racial justice issues on our
Agriculture Committee this year. And much like our discussion
on the state of Black farmers back in March, this hearing is
timely, and long overdue. Through the American Rescue Plan, and
other measures, we have been working to address systemic
inequity facing farmers of color, and in the face of historic
discrimination, the number of Black farmers in our country, and
the amount of land they own, has shrunken dramatically, and is
continuing to decline. It is incumbent upon Congress and the
USDA to reverse this trend. It is not only a question of
fairness, but also an important investment in the future of our
agricultural economy.
In order to strengthen our food supply for decades to come,
it is imperative that all farmers and producers, regardless of
color, have a truly fair chance to thrive as growers and
producers. A key piece of this issue is the 1890 institutions,
as well as other historically Black colleges and universities,
which help passionate and innovative young people hone their
skills and develop promising careers in farming. With the
average age of farmers and foresters climbing, and countless
acres of ideal farmland needing to be transitioned to a new
generation in the coming years, the role of 1890 institutions
has never been more critical.
On that note, Dr. Abdullah, I would like to ask you about a
point raised in your testimony. You mentioned that 1890
institutions have a 131 year track record of providing a strong
return on investment for every dollar supporting 1890 programs.
Could you elaborate on the incredible value that 1890 programs
provide to the country as a whole?
Dr. Abdullah. Thank you so much. Our programs at our 1890
institutions, whether they are addressing teaching, research,
or extension, what you will find is that all of our programs
are addressing the social needs and the socially disadvantaged
needs of our communities. When we talk about education, again,
I wanted to highlight the Congressperson who was talking about
the high cost of college education, our 1890 institutions are
among the most affordable institutions in the country, and we
do that on purpose because we understand how important it is
that we provide quality access for students. Our research and
extension programs are concentrated on making sure that we
provide critical feedback and critical input for socially
disadvantaged farmers and small farmers. That allows more of
our farmers, more people, to have access to the food ecosystem,
and to be ready for the burgeoning economy.
We want to make sure in every facet of everything that we
do that we are part of making--people can achieve the American
Dream, and that is what we have been doing for so many years.
And we firmly believe that a more--a greater investment would
then beget a greater return, that we have done incredible work
with resources that I believe are commensurate with the level
of expertise that we have on our campuses. We can educate more
students, we can provide more and better research and extension
for our small and disadvantaged farmers. We can do that with
your help. Thank you, ma'am.
Ms. Kuster. Well, thank you so much. Dr. Allen, we talked a
bit about the incredible research coming out of 1890
institutions. In your written testimony you described some of
the impacts the State of Delaware has experienced as result of
climate change, including increased frequency of Atlantic
storms and soil acidification. Can you take a moment to
describe the climate impacts you are witnessing across your
state, and how your university is working to adapt to and
mitigate climate change?
Dr. Allen. Thank you, Congresswoman, and if I could just
add on to President Abdullah's commentary about the value of
1890 land-grants, I will turn your attention to the social
mobility rankings in U.S. News and World Report. That mobility
ranking effectively says can you graduate the lowest resourced
students at the same rate that you can graduate all your other
students? Most HBCUs in the country scored 100 out of 100 on
that particular notion. So, again, the notion of social
mobility for us is paramount to who we are, and clear with our
mission.
With respect to your question about climate change in
specific, since 2001, Delaware has been hit by 31 hurricanes
and tropical storms. You probably know that a lot of our
tourism economy relies on our beaches, and there has been
significant soil degradation as a result. Our College of
Agriculture, Science, and Technology has been studying that
issue fairly frequently, has certainly exposed our opportunity
for research with our two research farms, one for crop dust
diversification, and one for animal livestock. We are also
doing a lot of inland fisheries research. We have an
aquaculture center which really investigates disease along the
waterways as it relates to some of the impacts we are seeing
from climate change, and we are able to do that with about 20
man-made ponds we have on campus that allow us to do that
research as well. So the land-grant mission of all of us really
relates to how we impact the states and communities where we
serve, and it is been particularly important for us to be very
much involved in this work around climate change in Delaware.
Ms. Kuster. Great. Well, thank you so much. I am so
impressed at how you all kept going during COVID-19, and thank
you for the great work you do. And, with that, I yield back.
Dr. Allen. Thank you.
The Chairman. Thank you, Ms. Kuster. And now I recognize
the gentleman from California, Mr. LaMalfa.
Mr. LaMalfa. Thank you again, Mr. Chairman, I appreciate
you. Your calm demeanor in running our Committee is much
appreciated, and so I thank you for that. Also, forgive me for
meeting here at the bounce between another committee as well.
Let me focus on a couple things here with our great panel we
have here today, and the great heritage and history that you
all bring.
Now, I know the 2023 Farm Bill will be just around the
corner here, and it is not an easy thing to get done, because
it requires a lot of collaboration, and I am glad we are having
part of this collaboration right now, leading up to it. I
wanted to talk about, for your universities, and the effect you
have. So much of rural America relies on the need for
technology for better communication, meaning rural broadband.
And it may have been touched on previously. I am sorry, I was
out, if this is redundant, but to the panel here, whoever cares
to comment on that, how is your broadband and your
communication speeds presently at your facilities, and what
more do we need to be doing to better have these ties with each
other, and to broaden that out for your work and research, and
how that comes back out to the general public? How is our
communications in that area? Anybody on the panel that wants to
weigh in.
Dr. Anderson. Representative LaMalfa, I would love to start
first, because my colleagues will tell you yesterday I was
unconnected because of the lack of broadband. But let me tell
you, during COVID, actually, before COVID, was looking at
25,000 interactive minutes per month. After COVID, with our
broadband, and having to shift, two million interactive
activities per month. And basically when all of that activity
happens at the same time in our very rural area, you can
imagine the interconnectivity problems that we had. Not only
from our teachers, our students, and even with our extension
people, going out to our farmers, because many of our local
farmers don't have any connection whatsoever. So it made a big
difference as far as lack of interconnectivity. It is a huge
issue here in our area, and we really hope, and really
encourage, Congress to really try to pay attention and help us
out in this regard.
Mr. LaMalfa. Others?
Dr. McMeans. Yes, this is Orlando. It definitely was an
issue here in Louisiana. Fortunately, one of the assets that we
had is that we had a mobile education technology center, where
we had to actually bring the technology to the individuals,
where we had ten computers that we had to take to individuals.
But one of the things--as it relates to the pandemic, the
governor set up a number of task forces, and there may have
been about 10 or 15, and the number one priority was broadband,
in the State of Louisiana, it was the number one priority. And
I know that is a priority of the state legislature, and I am
hoping that the USDA and Congress can continue to support the
1890s, because most of the individuals we serve are located in
a lot of those rural communities, and we really need to make
sure that we help to build up their capacity, as it relates to
technology and broadband. So that is a priority for us as well.
Mr. LaMalfa. Thank you. Anyone else on the panel, or maybe
general thoughts on other things we should be looking for in
the 2023 Farm Bill as a priority, whether we are talking in
areas of additional research in agriculture, or in
manufacturing, technology? With my remaining time, are there
any thoughts on that?
Dr. Allen. Congressman, it is Tony Allen. Let me just
comment with my colleagues on broadband issues. We actually
have my CIO participating in a hearing today on that issue with
the acting FCC Chairman. In Delaware there are not many
distinctions between our rural and urban settings, but I can
tell you that it has been an issue, and it is largely an issue
because not only is the concern on campus, but in many of the
communities that those students returned home to, particularly
during COVID, it became a significant concern. So we see it as
universal, connecting back to what we are able to accomplish at
the university, and what they are able to accomplish when they
go home.
Relative to some of the other opportunities I think that
are important for you all to continue to consider, as we think
about ag business, and building some interdisciplinary
opportunities for our students, it is very important to them
that they see it as an opportunity to really understand the
business of agriculture, and being able to help farmers of all
different abilities and ethnicities to build their capacity to
grow as well. So the practitioners around the agricultural
community are very important, and you can support the--building
resources for those disciplines is going to be very important
to the overall industry.
Mr. LaMalfa. Okay. Thank you, Dr. Allen. I am a farmer in
my real life, and I know that we need to have a lot broader
understanding of what it is that we are all doing and we are
all facing out there in order to keep our country fed, and
clothed, et cetera, so thank you, panelists. I will yield back,
Mr. Chairman. I appreciate it.
The Chairman. Thank you, Congressman LaMalfa. I really
appreciate that line of questioning. And now I would like to
recognize the gentleman from Florida, my good friend Mr. Al
Lawson, who is also a graduate of an 1890 called Florida A&M.
Mr. Lawson. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, and it is a
real honor to have the distinguished panel here today, and it
is good to see Dr. Abdullah again. I haven't seen him in a
while. And I would like to say that to Maryland Eastern Shore,
my brother-in-law, Dr. Henry M. Brooks, worked there throughout
his career, and his father was also in agriculture at Florida
A&M University, and a professor, so I have been around farming
a great deal, it is just that, when I married his daughter, I
couldn't hardly take care of a farm so--being a basketball
person, but my parents' farm on weekends in the country, and he
worked at the university during the day to help bring in other
resources.
So I can't say enough about how the Chairman worked so hard
on the scholarship program. And I remember one day when I told
him that the scholarship was not in the budget, he almost went
crazy--and Sonny Perdue, who was the Secretary, had a lot to do
with it, Conaway and Collin Peterson, the former Chairmen, in
working on this, so it was a great accomplishment to have the
opportunity to serve on that. And, I have a nephew to benefit--
I was telling Dr. Taylor at FAMU, the benefit from the
scholarship program--that graduated this spring, and will be
working at Washington, D.C. at the Department of Agriculture,
which is incredible, in agribusiness.
My question would be really to the panel: in what way would
you like to see USDA and our community not only support but
advance the ways of 1890 land-grants--enable to conduct
extension service within their communities? What is holding
your institutions back from doing more in your areas? And I say
that to say how do we go forward in the next farm bill?
Scholarships are great, but what do we need to help put you
more and more on a level playing field? And that is to the
whole panel.
Dr. Abdullah. Congressman Lawson, it is so good to see you,
sir. I think the last time I saw you I was Dean at FAMU. It is
really good to see you. I will take the question, if it is
okay? One of the biggest challenges that we have--and we talked
about funding, and so I am going to move to--just opposite of
funding, is making sure that those in Congress, and those at
USDA, really understand the true value of our institutions, and
the true value of the partnership really that already exists.
Our infrastructure, and our 19 schools across 18 states, are an
incredibly valuable resource to tackle any number of problems
in this country. I believe that, had we really understood the
true magnitude of the COVID-19 challenge, that the 1890
institutions, in terms of really addressing health disparities
in our area, addressing some of the broadband issues in our
area, addressing some of the challenges with education--because
now with broadband, education and broadband become a public
need--that we were really at the ready to begin to help, but I
am not sure that everyone--maybe we didn't know, but everyone
didn't know the way that we could all work together.
I think I mentioned this earlier, but to have two Rattlers
on this Committee, to have Dr. Jewel H. Bronaugh, who is the
former Dean of Ag at Virginia State University, be the Deputy
Secretary of Agriculture, making sure that the 1890s and the
1890 system is really at the table to begin to help address the
needs of our country, and the needs of agriculture in our
country, is critically important. So, I really want to applaud
the Committee, because I think that this is really a part of
that work, in making sure that Congress, and that our entire
nation, understands the value of our 1890 land-grant
universities.
Mr. Lawson. Maryland Eastern Shore--have a few seconds.
Dr. Jones. If I may I would just like to----
Dr. Anderson. Well, President Abdullah responded very, very
well, and I agree, the collaborative effort of our 19
universities really can be powerful. And I think that is the
message that I want to get across to this particular panel,
just recognizing that the collaborative work that we could do
could really solve many of the problems that our citizens have
in the country, from food insecurity, all the way to healthcare
disparities, and blending those two. And you can tell that on
this particular panel today, President Allen, Del State, and I,
we work together. President Abdullah and I are talking about
how to work together with healthcare disparities, and that is--
I would agree with the message, making sure that people
recognize the power in the numbers that we have here.
Mr. Lawson. And, Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
The Chairman. Thank you, Congressman Lawson. And now we
will go to Ms. Letlow from Louisiana.
Ms. Letlow. Chairman Scott, Ranking Member Thompson,
Members of the Committee and witnesses, thank you for taking
the time to discuss continuing opportunities in investment in
the success of 1890 land-grant institutions. As discussed here
today, 1890s play a pivotal role in the mission of agriculture,
education, research, and extension services. In the past this
Committee has made great strides to improve capacity and access
to assistance for these institutions of learning. The critical
work engineered by land-grant institutions goes a long way in
ensuring our American farmers remain the safest, most abundant
food supply in the world. In addition, HBCUs in Louisiana have
a vested history in providing educational opportunities, and
contributing to the successful futures of many young men and
women throughout the 5th District, and across the state.
When I first joined this Committee, I shared with the
Ranking Member my sincere concerns with the aging population we
are experiencing in agriculture today. While there are existing
programs targeting young, beginning, and small farmers, I am
eager to get to work with my colleagues in exploring new
avenues to not only get beginning farmers into agriculture, but
to keep them there. Agriculture is the backbone of my district,
accounting for 49 percent of the agriculture output in the
state. Our hardworking farmers, ranchers, and loggers
contribute to the overall rural economies, and it is essential
for our region in Louisiana that agriculture continues on for
generations to come.
My question is for Dr. McMeans. Given that Southern
University's Agriculture Research and Extension Center
encompasses programs and services set aside for this effort,
can you share with the Committee how the center contributes to
and benefits small scale farms with limited resources to help
them maintain viable farming operations? Dr. McMeans?
The Chairman. Mr. McMeans? Dr. McMeans, I think that
question was directed to you. Is his----
Ms. Letlow. I can repeat it.
The Chairman. Yes, if you could repeat it, and perhaps Mr.
McMeans may check his microphone system?
Dr. McMeans. Okay. Yes, am I good?
Ms. Letlow. Yes.
The Chairman. Yes. Go ahead, Doctor.
Dr. McMeans. Okay.
Dr. McMeans. Okay. Yes, we have a really--what I call one
of the--when I came aboard 2 years ago, one of the more
successful land-grant programs--outreach that I see in the
nation, and we have, it is called our Enhancing Capacity of
Louisiana's Small Farms and Businesses Certification Program,
and it offers certification in small business development, food
safety, dealing with small ruminants and sustainable urban
agriculture. And so we have connected with over 400 clientele
and trained them on virtual platforms, even during the
pandemic. And so--normally we actually take this to the
individuals across the entire State of Louisiana.
And I am happy to say one of the things that we are
investing in, thanks to USDA, Congress, and also the State of
Louisiana, we have hired an additional 11 or 12 individuals who
work in the area of agricultural outreach. And this is so
important to me--and we are coordinating this, going back to a
previous question, with LSU Ag Center. So we are working
together, and we understand and value the importance of small
farmers. I mean, we could talk about socially disadvantaged
farmers and minority farmers, but when you look at where--the
potential for us to grow in the State of Louisiana, it is those
small farms, and making sure that we give them the resources
adequate enough for them to become prosperous. Prosperous small
farms, prosperous Louisiana, so we are excited about that.
Ms. Letlow. Thank you so much for sharing all of that, Dr.
McMeans. That is so encouraging to hear, especially Southern
University's efforts to enhance opportunities for not only
small farmers, but for the next generation in agriculture
related professionals. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back
the remainder of my time.
The Chairman. Thank you, Congresslady, I appreciate that.
And now we will recognize the distinguished lady from
Washington, Ms. Kim Schrier.
Ms. Schrier. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you for
convening this hearing on a very important topic. I am going to
focus on an essential issue that a few of our witnesses touched
on, our nation's agriculture research infrastructure. Modern
agricultural research and education facilities serve as the
backbone of our nation's cutting edge agricultural and food
research enterprise. But according to a 2021 report by the
Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, 69 percent
of research facilities at U.S. colleges are at the end of their
useful life. The cost of upgrading deferred maintenance on
these buildings is estimated at $11.5 billion. Advances in
agriculture and food innovation are the foundation of the
U.S.'s rich tradition in food and farm entrepreneurship, and
our research facilities not only generate solutions, but also
aid in recruiting a whole new generation of diverse scientists,
innovators, and agricultural leaders. That is why I support
addressing our deferred research maintenance backlog and
increasing investments in the next generation of ag research.
Now, Dr. Anderson, Dr. Jones, and Dr. McMeans, in your
testimonies you all mentioned the urgent need for funding to
replace or renovate outdated research facilities, and I was
wondering, Dr. Anderson, can you provide a little more detail
on the status of agricultural research facilities at your
university, and the kinds of deferred maintenance projects that
your university needs?
Dr. Anderson. Thank you very much, Representative, for the
question. I would be happy to provide some further insights. At
our university, as I mentioned earlier, we have 88 buildings.
This is accounting for 1.8\2\ million gross. The average age
of all of our buildings is 44 years, and our deferred
maintenance is over $90 million. If you look specifically at
agriculture, one of our key buildings, Trigg Hall, was built in
1954, and it sits on what we call our Academic Oval. It is on
the National Registry. But that particular building has poor
HVAC system, it has outdated electrical system, there is no
wireless in that building. And, because it is a historic
building, you could imagine, just doing something as simple as
changing the windows becomes very, very problematic because of
the historic nature of the building.
Carver Hall is where we have our students first introduced
to biology, and they come to us, a number of STEM students we
have on our campus, and yet that building has poor ventilation
and poor circulation. The building is over 50 years old. So
those are just the type of examples--just to renovate the one
building, Trigg Hall, where our Agriculture Research Extension
Program is at, would be over $25 million. And in addition, we
had an opportunity here to grow our ag experiment station, but
we are also short in the funding on that particular resource.
And, finally, I would like to just say we are working to
help our poultry farmers, as well as the other farmers that I
have mentioned here on the lower Eastern Shore, and we have an
opportunity to look at adding veterinary sciences, but we
cannot do it in the existing infrastructure that we have.
Ms. Schrier. It is just astounding. These are the buildings
where we are doing scientific research, and they are this old,
and this decrepit. We actually have a facility--we don't have
any 1890s in Washington State, but we have a facility with no
indoor plumbing. So I just want to thank you for underscoring
that urgent need, and making really clear what you need, and
the real state of our lack of investment. So a multi-year
investment will reposition the United States for long-term
success, competitiveness, and leadership in global agriculture
and food research. It will keep us competitive.
Now, estimates suggest that strategic Federal investments
in these facilities at land-grant and non-land-grant schools of
agriculture would create 200,000 new jobs nationwide, and each
dollar invested in agricultural research at public land-grant
institutions provides abundant strong returns to the economy.
So in the coming weeks I will be joining with my colleagues in
sending a letter to Congressional leadership urging the
prioritization of a once in a generation investment to
reposition the United States for success in food and
agricultural research. I am hoping others here today will join
me, and I thank you all again for participating today. Thank
you very much. I yield back.
The Chairman. Thank you very much, Ms. Schrier. And I am so
delighted you mentioned that last item, and we all join with
you. That is a very noble endeavor. And now let me recognize
Mrs. Fischbach, the gentlelady from Minnesota.
Mrs. Fischbach. Thank you very much. And I apologize, I had
to pop out for a very quick Rules Committee meeting, but I did
catch, I guess at least part of Congresswoman Schrier's
questions with Dr. Anderson, and maybe this is more for
everybody. When I was in the State Legislature, we did--and it
is an 1890, but a land-grant university, University of
Minnesota, and the state did a lot of the funding for
buildings, and things like that. So just throwing it out there,
I am kind of curious about state support that the schools are
getting, but in addition to that I also was kind of wondering--
I know that funding is a top priority, but also just kind of
wondering if there was something else that the House
Agriculture Committee could do to help the universities achieve
their goals. So kind of those two questions, and I will open it
up to whichever witness has some input on that.
Dr. Jones. Congresswoman, let me at least take a part of
that question, in terms of your comment about state support.
You are absolutely correct that the states--or at least the
State of Georgia plays a very pivotal role in supporting our 26
public institutions, relative to deferring maintenance, but
there is such a backlog. The state appropriates somewhere
between $40 and $60 million for those 20-26 institutions
annually. We might receive anywhere from $\1/2\ to $1 million.
But when you think about it over time, it is almost impossible
for the--with the current funding structure to stay on top of
these challenges that we are facing on our campus, from a
deferred maintenance perspective. So, we need to sort of do a
partnership from the Federal and the state level to help us to
address these deferred maintenance challenges, but you are
absolutely correct, the states are playing a vital role, but we
could use that additional support, and that is why this
infrastructure bill is so critical for the 1890 community, and
beyond.
Mrs. Fischbach. Thank you very much. And if anyone would
love to add anything about what else could, like I said, I know
that funding is priority, but are there other things that we
could do at our level that would be helpful for the
universities?
Dr. Allen. Congresswoman, the only thing I would add is
that--public-private partnerships that really help us thrive
here at Delaware State University. We have a couple in play in
the ag community, most notably FMC, which is an ag sciences
company, that does fellowships, faculty, and employee exchange,
and joint research projects. But if you can continue to
encourage the private-sector to be connected with 1890s as we
build capacity for our students to get real world experience,
really at the start of their educational careers, those things
are really important and vital to how they come into those
professions, and the return that the businesses themselves get
on recruiting those young people. As I said, we have created
some unique partnerships in the ag community with--in the--
within private companies, but certainly not enough. And to have
the voices come from a Committee like this around those
relationships would be very important.
Dr. Abdullah. That is, actually, my favorite question,
Congresswoman Fischbach, and I apologize if it sounds like I am
repeating myself, but I do love that question. I do think that
we have a unique opportunity, as a group of 19 institutions
across 18 states, that have been committed to making sure that
we help socially disadvantaged farmers, ranchers, and students,
that we are an incredible network that Congress and the USDA
can really look at to help solve problems--future problems that
maybe we are not even working on today. And so having us be
here for you to be able to lean on us to help solve the
nation's problems is something that we are very interested in,
and so we really appreciate you asking what else can you do? We
want to be that valuable resource to help the nation move
beyond the challenges that we have.
Dr. Anderson. Only thing that I would like to add,
Congresswoman, is the fact that, looking at infrastructure
broadly, not just our aging buildings that we have, like I said
earlier on the deferred maintenance, abut also this whole issue
of the broadband, and also the human capital that is important
as well. I think the--and the strength of our 19 universities
together. Thank you.
Mrs. Fischbach. Well, and my time is almost up, but I
appreciate the responses, and I appreciate that this is just
the beginning of the conversation. As I ask about what we need
to do, obviously there is a lot more discussion, a lot of
things that we can do into the future, so I appreciate it.
Thank you very much, and I yield back.
The Chairman. Thank you very much, Congresslady Fischbach,
for your very pertinent questions. And now I would like to
recognize the gentleman from California, Mr. Panetta.
Mr. Panetta. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate this
opportunity, and thanks to all the witnesses for your time
today, and of course your service. And also clearly want to
thank you for all you are doing for leading our nation's 1890
institutions. Dr. Abdullah and Dr. Jones, welcome back, and as
you know from our conversation in December, I represent the
Central Coast of California, and I am sure you know well the
farmers and farmworkers in my district are a part of the very
rich agricultural history in the region, including the stories
and leadership of people like Cesar Chavez, who advocated
tirelessly for farmworkers, and whose legacy continues to guide
us as we work to address the systemic inequity in our Federal
farm programs. Now, I know this inequity has posed significant
barriers to success for Black farmers nationwide, and although
no set of circumstances is the same, clearly there are parallel
challenges that exist for farmers and farmworkers of color in
the Salinas Valley. And as we look to developing a once in a
generation infrastructure package, and later, as we look to
writing the next farm bill, we need to make sure that we are
listening to these producers, these farmers, and these
farmworkers.
Now, building off of the last few questions, and addressing
our agriculture infrastructure, I think we understand clearly
as has been expressed by the witnesses, and yes, the
questioners, deferred maintenance backlog is critical if we
want to maintain American leadership in agriculture research
and development. And today the overall share of the R&D
spending as a percentage of the GDP is at its lowest since the
1950s. Shockingly, food and agriculture research in this
country lags even further behind most other Federal areas.
And at the exact same time, other countries, including,
yes, that is right, China, are investing heavily in R&D. That
is why I believe, and I think you will agree, that we in
Congress must work to develop an infrastructure package, and
that is why I am making sure, with the letter that Ms. Schrier
talked about, all of us there on the--most of us on the
Agriculture Committee are working together for--to call for
leadership to make sure that there is strong, robust investment
of at least $40 billion, once again, $40 billion, for
agricultural research, including at least $11.5 billion for ag
research facilities that we talked of earlier. I do believe,
and I think you will agree, that it is that type of level of
funding which is critical if we want to provide socially
disadvantaged and beginning farmers and producers, along with
established producers and farmers, to the tools and knowledge
they need to be successful in the 21st century.
And so what I pose to you, Dr. Jones, Dr. Anderson, and Dr.
McMeans, if that is all right, as we work to develop this huge
infrastructure package, I think we know, do you think that type
of level of funding and that type of level of investment is
necessary?
Dr. McMeans. This is Orlando. I will go first, and anybody
who has read my written testimony, that was probably \1/3\ of
what I wrote about. I think an investment in research is an
investment in the United States, is an investment in economic
development. The other thing is that, as we talk about--first
of all, the answer to your question is yes. I--that was music
to my ears right there, because I am a part of the APLU's
initiative on increasing research capacity via this
infrastructure funding. And so what I say is that--and I hate
to say this, but we are falling behind as it relates to our
competitiveness in the area of R&D as it relates to
agriculture. Agriculture is essential--foundation, fundamental
to the advancement of the United States, and our standing in
the global community.
So I say this to say that this is so important to me that,
when I was ranking priorities, I said infrastructure number
one, agriculture number two, but infrastructure as it relates
to agriculture means a more prosperous America. And so I want
to thank you, first of all, for what you are proposing, and I
hope that--and encourage others to jump on board, because I
just think that is a game changer. That will make us more
prosperous, and also when you are talking about food security,
sustainability, and all of that. So thank you so much for
proposing that, and I don't think anybody is going to say ``No,
that is not enough money'', because you said the word B, the
billion is always good.
Dr. Anderson. And I would jump in as well, Representative.
I agree, none of us can say no to that. The answer is yes, and
it is very simple. The world is growing people. We have more
people in the country, we have to take care of their food
needs, and we have to have research infrastructure to help us
deal with climate needs, going forward. So the answer is yes,
yes, and the more the better. Thank you.
Mr. Panetta. Thank you. And Dr. Jones, thumbs up or thumbs
down? There you go. I yield back, Mr. Chairman. I will take
that. Thanks to Dr. Abdullah and Dr. Allen. Thank you. I yield
back.
The Chairman. And thank you, Congressman Panetta. You
brought up some excellent points, and we have really got to
maintain strength, and our strong position. China, as you
mentioned, along with Russia, there is no way we can let them
get ahead of us, and I thank you for mentioning that as well.
And now I would like to recognize the distinguished Member
from Georgia, my good friend Sanford Bishop. I think I
mentioned before that Sanford is also our Subcommittee Chairman
on Appropriations for Agriculture, and Sanford has played a
critical role in us securing the $80 million for our
scholarship program, which means he is definitely a very vital
part of our efforts here to make our scholarship program. And
so Sanford has played a very important role in that, and we all
appreciate it, and I just wanted to say that in my introduction
of him. Sanford, you are recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. Bishop. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, and thank
you for the tremendous leadership that you have given to this
Committee. Let me welcome all of our Presidents, but let me
give a special shout-out to my President, Dr. Paul Jones, from
the Fort Valley State University. Dr. Jones has done such a
tremendous job, and I have a couple of questions that I want to
raise which touch on finances. Dr. McMeans referenced it in his
testimony, talking about the glaring differences in financial
support for the 1862 institutions versus the 1890 institutions,
and also the one-to-one funding matches, because it seems to be
quite frequent that the one-to-one funding match from the
respective state legislatures that are tasked with funding our
1890s don't match with the 1862s.
And a question for anyone who will--and you can start with
Dr. Jones, how would you describe the working relationship
between your institutions and the 1862 counterparts within your
states, specifically in the context of joint education, joint
research, and joint extension activities? And how can Congress,
in your opinion, facilitate this relationship, and create
opportunities for more collaboration between the 1890s and your
1862 counterparts? What I have done--my 1862 is always beating
down my door for research projects, and, of course, I have
tried, to the extent that I could, to insist that they
collaborate with our 1890s, and that has worked in some
instances, and in other instances it has not. But let me hear
from your thoughts with regard to that.
Dr. Jones. Well, first of all, Congressman Bishop, good
afternoon, and great to see you again, and we appreciate
tremendously what you have done for this institution, and for
this--for the district here. Let me just say that because of
you, we--particularly during my tenure, we have seen a
tremendous growth in our partnership with University of
Georgia, research--joint research opportunities with both the
University of Georgia and our agricultural research stations.
And that has proven to have tremendous impact on our
institution, and on--I believe those institutions, as we are
forging greater partnerships, and looking for other ways in
with we--in which we can strengthen those relationships.
As you know, we are co-located with University of Georgia
and the 35 counties that we represent from an extension
perspective, and that allows those agents to work very closely
together, as they are, I am sure, throughout the 1890s system.
But I would say that Congress, if we can continue to take that
kind of approach in pushing the 1862s more towards
collaboration, you will see tremendous results as we are
seeing. So, again, I can't thank you enough for setting the
stage for growth in this regard.
Mr. Bishop. Anyone else?
Dr. McMeans. Congressman Bishop, first of all, I know you
represent Georgia, but it is always nice to see a fellow
Mobilian, so it is great to see you again.
Mr. Bishop. Georgia claimed me, but Alabama named me.
Dr. McMeans. That is right, that is right. So first of all,
I want to thank you for all the--of the support that you have
given to the 1890s. I have visited with you, and your door is
always open to us, and so I thank you for that. We are in 34 of
the 64 parishes in Louisiana, and for the most part we are co-
located with LSU. We work daily with one another, we have the
same boards that we answer to, or commissions, and so our--it
is working well, especially for extension.
And, as I stated earlier, our strength is in our unity, and
working collaboratively, and I think that the main thing is
that we cannot lose focus that our mission is the same, and
that is for the betterment of the citizens and communities that
we collectively serve. So in everything that we do, we want to
work together. It is always good, and I thank you, and I hope
others will follow, encouraging the 1862s to work with 1890s to
support efforts. I will go on record, and I don't know whether
he is on here, but my counterpart at LSU basically conveyed to
me--he is like, this is some of the things that you guys are
very strong in, and so we will support you in that endeavor.
But we are developing academic programs together, we are
developing research programs together, and so the last couple
of years at Southern University I have really enjoyed working
with my 1862 counterpart, and I see the value, going forward,
as that relates to our similar missions, but the main thing is
Louisianans will benefit more so.
Mr. Bishop. Thank you. I believe my time has expired, but
thank you very much. And if someone else asks another question,
could talk about the inequities between the funding for the
1890s and the 1862s, I would appreciate hearing your thoughts
on that.
The Chairman. All right. Thank you, Congressman Bishop. And
now I would like to recognize the gentlelady from the Virgin
Islands, Ms. Plaskett. You are recognized for 5 minutes. Ms.
Plaskett is also the Subcommittee Chair of the Biotechnology,
Horticulture, and Research Subcommittee. Does a wonderful job,
and is our partner in helping our 1890s. Ms. Plaskett, you are
recognized.
Ms. Plaskett. Thank you so much to Chairman Scott, and to
our Ranking Member, and to the witnesses who are with us today.
Because I am the Subcommittee Chair of Biotech, Horticulture,
and Research, my first question is related to research.
Dr. Jones, I would like to start by touching on the
importance of investing in agricultural research. As you may
know, the United States' share of overall research and
development spending as a percentage of GDP is now at its
lowest point since the 1950s. Food and agriculture lag even
further behind most other Federal research and development
areas. Additionally, agricultural research funding at the USDA
has remained flat over the last 50 years, while funding for
other Federal research agencies has increased 10, 20-fold
during that same period. My question is, in your opinion, how
important is it for the United States to increase our Federal
investment in agricultural research, especially as other
countries around the globe heavily invest in those same
agricultural research and development?
Dr. Jones. Well, thank you for that question. What I would
say, real quickly, is that much of the country oftentimes does
not understand that, when we think of agriculture, agriculture
is everything. It is so critical that we make these
investments--it is an economic development question in our
country, and so--and to invest here will make a significant
impact across the country. I think that you are hearing that
theme throughout the testimonies from the various leaders here
today, is that--the importance of those investments, that
will--an investment here is growing our economy, and so there
needs to be even more focus on what we do in this area of
agriculture, and we support that 100 percent.
Ms. Plaskett. Thank you very much. Dr. McMeans, we talked
about the role that extension services at 1890 institutions
play in addressing historic discrimination, longstanding racial
disparities in the agricultural sector. The information that
you have given in your testimony is profound as to the jarring
statistics. Congress took steps to address these disparities in
the American Rescue Plan by providing $1 billion to provide
technical assistance to socially disadvantaged farmers, with at
least one percent of these funds to be used at 1890
institutions. What additional steps should Congress, and the
Biden Administration, take to support farmers of color and
address these longstanding disparities? Thank you.
Dr. McMeans. Thank you for the question, and thank you for
your support. One of the things that we are so thankful and
appreciative, I know as I am speaking for my other 1890
leadership, and research director, and experiment station
directors, in that the $4 billion goes a long way in supporting
those farmers. However, the fact of the matter is it is
specific for certain USDA loans. My hope is that we will
continue to look at ways that we will support financially our
socially disadvantaged farmers. In particular I am speaking
about the Black farmers. I have had the opportunity to listen
to testimonies firsthand about the discrimination, and some of
it is so deplorable and despicable you can't really talk about
it on this particular Zoom, but I say this to say that there is
still a lot more work to be done to make sure that our minority
and small farmers feel like they are a part of the advancement
of agriculture for the United States, because they make up the
larger amount of farmers in the United States.
I think that one percent that is going to the 1890s, I
would really hope that the Administration would look to
increase those resources so that our extension individuals,
through human capital, will be able to do more outreach to our
farmers that we have historically served, because it is very
imperative that we have those individuals work with these
farmers, whether that is paperwork, whether that is knowing
about loans, whether that is knowing about crops, and things of
that nature. There is so much for us to do, but an investment
in 1890s is an investment in small and minority farmers as
well.
Ms. Plaskett. Thank you very much, and I yield back.
The Chairman. Thank you, Ms. Plaskett. And now, ladies and
gentlemen, as we reach the conclusion of this extraordinarily
impactful hearing, I want to thank all of our witnesses for
giving some of the most riveting and informative testimonies
here on behalf of the importance, and significance, and history
of our great 1890 institutions. And before I give my
adjournment and my closing statement, I want to recognize my
friend here, and partner, our Ranking Member, for any closing
statement he would like to make.
Mr. Thompson. Mr. Chairman, thank you so much. Thank you
for your leadership on this hearing. Incredibly important
topic. Thank you to every member of our panel. I thought their
information they shared is reflective of their outstanding
leadership in those institutions of higher learning that they
help lead.
The Chairman. Yes.
Mr. Thompson. I will just close. Also, I think we would be
remiss if I didn't say thank you to a gentleman that I had the
privilege in serving under, when we were doing the 2018 Farm
Bill, when we made much of these enhancements happen, when I
was serving as Vice Chair of the full Committee, and that is
Chairman Mike Conaway.
The Chairman. Yes.
Mr. Thompson. Whose leadership, just very effectively
played such a key role of achieving these improvements and
enhancements, and no less than six specific sections in the
2018 Farm Bill that was dedicated to our 1890 land-grant
colleges. I think that is a testament to his leadership, and
much appreciate that. And I look forward to continuing our work
together as we support these great agriculture-based
universities, colleges, that just serve all things rural which
is so important.
The Chairman. Yes.
Mr. Thompson. And with that, I will yield back.
The Chairman. And let me just echo what you said, my
friend, about Mike Conaway, because, ladies and gentlemen, you
might now know this, but Mike Conaway was the Chairman, a
Republican Chairman, of this Committee when we were able to get
the $80 million for our scholarship program. Truly bipartisan,
and Mike Conaway played an important role. And, by the way, his
Congressional district represents Prairie View, which is an
1890s land-grant.
And so, ladies and gentlemen, I think you have seen a great
display here of the strong bipartisanship from the intense
interests of both our Democratic Members and our Republican
Members. And, in closing, let me just say this, that
agriculture, as I often say, is without question our single
most important industry. It is the food we eat, the clothes we
wear, our shelter, our water. It is all of these things that we
cannot do without. On top of that, in 44 of our 50 states,
agriculture is the largest, most important part of 44 of our
states' economies out of 50. And so you see how important
agriculture is, and the role that African Americans have played
in establishing agriculture as the premiere agriculture
industry in the world, and the role that our 1890s institutions
play now. And so I think you have seen the intense interest and
support from both sides of the aisle for the continuation of
our work we are doing, and all of the areas in research, in
terms of helping with the infrastructure of our institutions,
it is right here, in Congress. And now we must go forward and
establish this 1890s Land-Grant Colleges and Universities
Scholarship Program permanently so that, for generations to
come, African Americans, and others--our land-grant African
American colleges and universities have college students from
all races, all colors. And that is the way America is. And so,
to say in closing, our agriculture system is for everybody, and
nobody demonstrates that more than our land-grant 1890s
colleges and universities.
So I just want to say thank you, we move forward. Nothing
is easy. We have a challenge to move ahead, and make sure that
our 1890s are totally involved in the movement forward of our
great agriculture system of our great nation, the United States
of America. Thank you, and--I must read the correct--under the
Rules of the Committee, the record of today's hearing will
remain open for 10 calendar days to receive additional material
and supplementary written responses from the witnesses to any
questions posed by Members. And I just want to say I thank God
for this extraordinary hearing, and for this great opportunity
he has given to each of us. This hearing of the Committee on
Agriculture is adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 1:10 p.m., the Committee was adjourned.]
[Material submitted for inclusion in the record follows:]
Submitted Letters by Hon. David Scott, a Representative in Congress
from Georgia
Letter 1
on behalf of laurence b. alexander, j.d., ph.d., chancellor, university
of arkansas at pine bluff
June 15, 2021
Hon. David Scott,
Chairman,
House Agriculture Committee,
Washington, D.C.;
Hon. Glenn Thompson,
Ranking Minority Member,
House Committee on Agriculture,
Washington, D.C.
RE: Hearing on 1890 Land-Grant Institutions: Investing for Agricultural
Resiliency, Equity, and Global Impact
Dear Chairman Scott and Ranking Member Thompson:
On behalf of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB)
community, I would like to express my sincere thanks and gratitude to
you as well as Vice Chair Alma Adams, and Subcommittee Chair Stacey
Plaskett for convening this hearing to increase awareness of the
historical and systemic disparities among 1890 land-grant institutions
and set a course for action to secure permanent funding priorities that
preserve our unique land-grant mission. We are pleased to work with our
Arkansas Congressional delegation including Congressman Rick Crawford,
a Member of the House Agriculture Committee, on all of these important
issues. Thank you for inviting me and my colleagues to this hearing.
Your vision for committing additional funding and long-term investments
to our universities and agriculture programs is historical and
unprecedented. Specifically, current funding and support included:
CARES Act: Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds,
Increased funding for the 1890 Scholarship Program,
Upgrades/Infrastructure Improvements to 1890 land-grant
agricultural/research facilities, and
Creation of Centers of Excellence in Aquaculture and
Fisheries and Agricultural Regulatory Science at UAPB.
In addition, I am equally appreciative for the most recent $1
billion appropriation to USDA for the QLA Program for agriculture
producers and those who have already received WHIP+ payments. Moreover,
I extend my support to Representative Adams' plan to help our
institutions secure full state matching funds, for improvements of our
campus infrastructure, and to foster cutting-edge innovation in
agriculture research. With these new investments are major steps
towards ensuring funding equity for UAPB and other 1890 land-grant
institutions.
Of equal importance are the provisions under the Farm Bill, which
are necessary for the survival of our Socially Disadvantaged Farm
Producers (Black farmers and ranchers) and their farmlands. Again, I am
in full support of seeking permanent funding for this purpose.
Furthermore, I applaud Representative Scott's efforts to eliminate
equity challenges faced by farmers and rancher of color and authorize
deft forgiveness through the American Rescue Plan relief package.
In retrospect, I am also providing a snapshot (see below) of how
the Committee's efforts have impacted UAPB directly and which can be
enhanced through permanent funding and investments from USDA,
highlights of current research and extension initiatives to enhance the
land-grant mission, and critical infrastructure needs for campus
research facilities that align with moving UAPB's agriculture and
research agenda forward.
They are as follows:
1890 Scholarship Program: Through USDA/NIFA funding from the 1890
Scholarship Program, UAPB continues to provide a premier education to
the most underrepresented student population in the agriculture. The
1890 Scholarship Program has been beneficial to limited resource and
first-generation college students admitted in our agricultural sciences
degree programs. UAPB hired a full-time Coordinator position to focus
only on recruiting scholarship applicants, one-on-one mentoring for
scholarship recipients, and ensuring the successful management of the
program. This year, the 1890 scholarship awards have afforded 74
students the opportunity to pursue a college education without the
burden of student loan debt and has brought increased awareness to
agricultural sciences, as well as work experiences at USDA agencies.
The COVID-19 pandemic caused economic strain on many families and
students. However, because of USDA/NIFA funding, UAPB was one of two
universities in Arkansas which experienced an increase in enrollment
overall and in the agriculture programs, in particular. UAPB remains
fully committed to the success of the 1890 scholarship program efforts
to increase enrollment, retention, and graduation rates for students
enrolled in the School of Agriculture, Fisheries and Human Sciences. We
believe that with continued funding from USDA/NIFA, UAPB can triple the
number of minority students pursuing agricultural and food sciences
degrees, double the number of students who graduate because of the
scholarship support, and ultimately produce more minority students
working in the agriculture and food sciences professions, as well as at
USDA agencies.
Facilities Improvement and Management. Through potential
investments from Research Facilities Act administered by USDA/NIFA,
UAPB can enhance its research infrastructure program and receive
support for facility construction, acquisition, and renovation. Our
campus and scientific research have both been severely hampered by
outdated and inadequate agricultural research facilities, green houses,
classroom buildings, research labs, and aging physical and mechanical
infrastructure. Therefore, the lack of up-to-date facilities places the
university at a competitive disadvantage. This research infrastructure
development will enhance agriculture innovation for our small farmers
and farm operators, enhance our capacity as a leader in agricultural
research in Arkansas and regionally, and allows the university to equip
its laboratories with state-of-the-art equipment in research areas such
as aquaculture, biotechnology, nanotechnology and other research
designed to create economic opportunities for farmers and farm
businesses, as well as prepare our agriculture students for 21st
century jobs with in major corporations, national laboratories, and at
USDA. Specifically, our current agricultural research infrastructure
advocacy plan focuses on renovations and upgrades for the following
research facilities at UAPB:
Poultry Science Building (upgrade)--This facility is used
for animal science research. Currently, UAPB (1890 land-grant)
collaborates in a joint 3+1 program with the University of
Arkansas (1862 land-grant).
UAPB Research Greenhouse (replacement)--The research
greenhouse was used for teaching demonstrations, graduate
student research and lab work and to demonstrate plant science
and horticulture research and extension activities for
greenhouse production, to include hydroponics systems. This new
greenhouse will be a commercial structure equipped with
computer-controlled heating, cooling, ventilation, back-up
generator, and lighting that optimizes the conditions for plant
growth. The original greenhouse was destroyed by fire.
UAPB Value-Added Laboratory (upgrade)--Conducts food science
research and service outreach to historically disadvantaged
citizens in the Arkansas Delta region.
Larrison Hall (renovation)--23,000\2\ needed to expand the
availability of laboratory space for agriculture faculty and
students to conduct cutting-edge research. It also houses the
Center for Excellence in Regulatory Science.
Debt Relief Services for Black Farmers. Congress has approved for
USDA to begin paying out debt relief payments to under the American
Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA). UAPB has assisted approximately 2,750
Socially Disadvantaged Producers (Black farmers), including farm and
non-farm businesses with completing applications for USDA loan programs
designed to off-set losses during the pandemic and restructure farm
debt. We plan to increase this assistance to Socially Disadvantaged
Producers (Black farmers) as a result of the American Rescue Plan Act
(ARPA) of 2021 which will provide debt relief to Socially Disadvantaged
Producers (SDPs) who had USDA/Farm Service Agency (FSA) Debts. Many of
the SDPs and other SDPs are still seeking USDA loan funds to continue
their farming or ranching operations. Some of the services that UAPB
will provide to SDPs are:
Assistance to SDPs in developing financial business plans
and assistance in completing and submitting USDA Loan
applications.
Assistance to SDPs in using USDA Conservation Program to
install land improving conservation practices to their land.
Assistance to SDPs in developing crop production and
livestock production plans based on Cooperative Extension
Service recommended production practices.
Assistance in developing marketing plans for their proposed
operations.
Establishment of Biotechnology and Nanosciences Center at UAPB:
UAPB has demonstrated extraordinary accomplishment and promise for
research, teaching, extension, and outreach in the innovative field of
nano and biotechnology. As part of the University's long-term strategic
initiative, we envision constructing a state-of-the-art Biotechnology
and Nanosciences Center to help advance the economic and research
productivity of the state, region that impacts the nation and global
community. With investments from the Research Facilities Act
administered by USDA/NIFA and through other public-private
contributions, the Center can become a reality on the UAPB campus.
Currently, several research initiatives in these areas are implemented
in separate buildings with poor infrastructure and conditions to
support related research. The School of Agriculture, Fisheries, and
Human Sciences currently employs researchers and faculty who are
researching to enhance agriculture sustainability via cutting-edge
advanced nano, molecular, and biotechnology techniques. Some of the
research projects include:
The use of nanomaterials to develop efficient drug delivery
methods, immunostimulant diets to benefit aquaculture farmers;
Removal of organic pollutants in agriculture crop fields;
Removal of antibiotics in Agriculture environmental
wastewater;
Mobility and transformation of nanoscale particles in
agricultural environments to enhance carbon stabilization and
possible sequestration in soil which helps mitigate climate
change;
Use of biotechnology and molecular applications like
transcriptome analysis of plant and animal disease models;
Deployment of CRISPR technology to evaluate disease
resistance in plants and fish; and
Use of transgenic yeast and endolysins to develop safe
alternatives to antibiotics that prevent antibiotic resistance
and gene transfer in aquaculture systems.
Other biotechnology and nanosciences research applications will
lead to discoveries in pharmaceuticals, nutrition, cosmetics, and
agricultural products. The economic impact from the development of nano
and biotech research and extension center in Arkansas at UAPB will
promote regional economic development and job creation through
technology transfer to the Agriculture industry. It will also create
interest in minority students and new researchers in the field and
enhance food production. The center will attract the local minority
students to advance their careers in agriculture. The research,
extension, and outreach services provided through this center will
benefit small, socially disadvantaged, underrepresented farmers and
communities leading to sustained agriculture in the region.
Digital Transformation: It is our desire that the USDA continues to
increase funding for the USDA RECONNECT Program, which aims to provide
broadband resources to rural areas throughout Arkansas. The University
of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, an 1890 Land-Grant Institution, is also
working to ``Build Back Better'' our underserved areas with high-speed
broadband connectivity, impacting our university community, as well as
schools, families, and communities in our rural service areas. The
university served as a hotspot for many residents during the pandemic
and during power outages. However, many rural communities in Arkansas
and farm families, particularly in the Lower Delta region, still lack
access to and use of wireless broadband connectivity--thus, hampering
innovation, food security, and economic development. Specifically, UAPB
wishes to strengthen its utilization of hotspots, wireless
technologies, and distance learning capabilities that require stronger
broadband infrastructure and growing network access for farm families.
With these technologies, Extension personnel and agricultural
researchers are able enhance live-stream presentations and training
sessions on-site at our two rural demonstration farm locations and farm
households. In addition, agricultural researchers are experimenting
with drone technology will strengthen our capacity to help students,
researchers, and farmers to master precision agriculture. With high-
speed broadband access on the farms and drone applications, we can
assist Socially Disadvantaged Producers (Black farmers) directly on how
to monitor and gather data on soil health, crop yields, carbon
sequestration, livestock, fishponds, and pest prevention and
monitoring.
Again, thank you for the opportunity to provide input for the
record. As a result of the efforts of the House Agriculture Committee,
I am extremely proud of the outlook and future for UAPB and our 1890
land-grant institutions, in general. We look forward to the success and
outcomes from this hearing, as well as working with the Committee on
sustainability of our 1890 land-grant institutions.
Sincerely,
Laurence B. Alexander, J.D., Ph.D.,
Chancellor.
Letter 2
on behalf of m. christopher brown ii, ph.d., president, kentucky state
university
June 10, 2021
Hon. David Scott,
Chairman,
House Agriculture Committee,
Washington, D.C.
Dear Chairman Scott:
As President of Kentucky State University, I want to thank you for
convening the hearing entitled ``1890 Land-Grant Institutions:
Investing for Agricultural Resiliency, Equity, and Global Impact.'' We
appreciate the Congress' partnership with our 1890 Universities and
look forward to additional future collaborations. The investments in
the 2018 Farm Bill and the American Recovery Plan have been critical to
our campus and maintaining our academic programs. On behalf of our
faculty, students and alumni, I want to thank you and all of the
Committee Members, for your commitment to Kentucky State and the other
1890 Universities. We especially want to thank you for your support of
the 1890 Scholarships Program, through which 49 students were
recipients of a scholarship that has allowed these students to pursue
their dreams of having careers in agriculture.
There are still additional needs that are important to Kentucky
State, which includes the following areas:
Infrastructure needs: Kentucky State, like many other 1890
Universities/HBCU, has significant infrastructure needs. At Kentucky
State, a new Nursing Program Building is critical to expand programing
and address Kentucky's critical health needs. Through strengthening our
Nursing Program, we will continue to align with food justice issues,
health disparities, and health access programs to create healthy
communities and more educational opportunities.
COVID-19 response and recovery: Continued response is needed to
expand online learning opportunities and create healthy classroom
environments. This response will be critical to prevent negative
impacts from future COVID variants, as well as address the issue of
vaccine hesitancy in African American communities.
Climate change and research and Extension efforts: With greater
weather extremes in temperature and rainfall, and environmental
challenges to field crops and animal health, research and Extension
efforts to address environmental challenges will be critical for
farmers, especially small-scale/minority farmers who have limited
resources to adjust to these weather fluctuations.
Black farmers: Black farmers continue to face many challenges, due
to years of documented discriminatory practices while trying to apply
for farm loans through USDA. As a result, the number of black farmers
has declined creating a need to preserve and ensure a pipeline of new
and beginning black farmers exist in Kentucky and surrounding areas.
Many hardships still trouble the Black farmers as it relates to
knowledge gaps between alternative production practices and new
agritech opportunities. Kentucky State will continue to advocate and
provide avenues for Black Farmers to compete at local markets and
decrease the effects of food insecurity, food dessert, and access
plaguing their communities.
Broadband expansion: Broadband is critical to the continued
development of agritech. Therefore making a priority for digital
literacy education is especially important to small and Black farms
where market access and information access via broadband internet will
be critical to compete with larger farms.
As planning for the 2023 Farm Bill moves forward, we ask that you
please consider these issues and the importance of USDA/1890 University
collaborations in addressing these issues. Again, thank you, Chairman
Scott, for convening the hearing, and thank you to the Committee
Members for their work on these critically important issues that are
being addressed by Kentucky State and other 1890 Universities!
Sincerely,
M. Christopher Brown II, Ph.D.,
Eighteenth President.
______
Submitted Letters by Hon. Alma S. Adams, a Representative in Congress
from North Carolina
Letter 1
on behalf of harold l. martin, sr., chancellor, north carolina
agricultural and technical state university
June 15, 2021
Hon. David Scott,
Chairman,
House Agriculture Committee,
Washington, D.C.;
Hon. Alma S. Adams,
Vice Chair,
House Agriculture Committee,
Washington, D.C.
Dear Chairman Scott and Vice Chair Adams:
Greetings from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State
University. On behalf of our faculty, staff, and students, I want to
thank you, Chairman Scott, Vice Chair Adams, and all Members of the
House Agriculture Committee, for your commitment to our 1890 Land-Grant
Universities. North Carolina A&T is the largest of the 1890 land-grants
and one of the nation's leading land-grant universities, overall.
We thank you for your investment in providing access and
opportunity to underrepresented students to pursue baccalaureate
degrees in the food, agricultural, and environmental sciences. In the
spring of 2020, we received $2,000,000 in grant funding ($500,000 a
year for 4 years) and an additional $252,000 in discretionary funding.
These funds have been used to create the scholarship program, College
of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences 1890 Scholars Program, which
provides support for a total of 40 students with 23 full and 17 partial
scholarships. The first recipients received their awards during the
2020-2021 academic year. The outstanding students receiving these
awards represent a broad array of disciplines including, Agricultural
Education, Agricultural and Environmental Systems, Food and Nutritional
Science, Biological Engineering (Agricultural Engineering), Landscape
Architecture, Animal Science, and Laboratory Animal Science.
For the 2021-2022 academic year, a total of 70 scholarship awards
have been confirmed for new freshmen and transfer students in addition
to the 23 full scholarship recipients in 2020-21. Dr. Antoine J.
Alston, Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Studies, has
implemented an excellent professional development program entitled the
CAES 1890 Scholars--Professional Development Program that supports the
scholars and other students in the college.
Thank you for all you do for 1890 Land-Grant Universities and North
Carolina A&T State University!
Sincerely,
Harold L. Martin, Sr.,
Chancellor.
Letter 2
on behalf of adobe inc., et al.*
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Adobe Inc., Autodesk, Inc., Dell Technologies, Hewlett Packard
Enterprise, HP Inc., IBM Corporation, Information Technology Industry
Council, Mastercard Inc., Nielsen, Oracle Corporation, Siemens USA,
SoftBank Group, Visa Inc.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
June 16, 2021
Hon. Alma S. Adams,
House of Representatives,
Washington, D.C.;
Hon. J. French Hill,
House of Representatives,
Washington, D.C.;
Hon. Christopher A. Coons,
United States Senate
Washington, D.C.;
Hon. Tim Scott,
United States Senate
Washington, D.C.
Dear Representative Adams, Representative Hill, Senator Coons, and
Senator Scott:
We write in strong support of the recently-introduced Institutional
Grants for New Infrastructure, Technology, and Education for HBCU
Excellence Act, also known as the IGNITE HBCU Excellence Act. According
to research from the United Negro College Fund, Historically Black
Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) contribute nearly $15 billion to
their communities on an annual basis, produce 134,000 jobs, and create
$46.8 billion in alumni career earnings that can be directly attributed
to their degrees.
While HBCUs have been incredibly successful, they have also been
significantly underfunded for decades and the IGNITE HBCU Excellence
Act aims to boost investments to renovate, modernize, and construct new
campus facilities, including instructional, research, and residential
spaces. These investments are vital to attracting and retaining
students and sustaining these institutions in the long-term.
We believe that diversity is an essential driver of innovation and
creativity. The valuable partnerships we have had with HBCUs over the
years have contributed to building the innovative workforce we desire,
and our country needs, to compete globally. We look forward to
continuing and expanding on our partnerships with these institutions.
As Congress works to address the infrastructure needs of the
country, we hope that the infrastructure investments provided for in
the IGNITE HBCU Excellence Act will be included in the legislative
efforts.
We appreciate your long-standing work to invest in HBCUs and we
look forward to working with you to advance the IGNITE HBCU Excellence
Act.
Sincerely,
Adobe Inc. Mastercard Inc.
Autodesk, Inc. Nielsen
Dell Technologies Oracle Corporation
Hewlett Packard Enterprise Siemens USA
HP Inc. SoftBank Group
IBM Corporation Visa Inc.
Information Technology Industry
Council
CC:
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
Majority Leader Charles Schumer
Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy
Republican Leader Mitch McConnell
U.S. Senator Patty Murray
U.S. Senator Richard Burr
U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott
U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx
Submitted Questions
Questions Submitted by Hon. Salud O. Carbajal, a Representative in
Congress from California
Response from Makola M. Abdullah, Ph.D., President, Virginia State
University; Chair, Council of 1890 Universities, Association of
Public and Land-grant Universities
Question 1. How are 1890's Institutions partnering with Non-Land-
Grant Agriculture and Renewable Resources Universities (NARRU's),
especially MSI NARRU's?
Question 2. What can we do to strengthen partnership opportunities
between 1890's and NARRU's?
Answer 1-2. Thank you, Congressman Carbajal, and Members of the
House Agriculture Committee, for the opportunity to follow up with you
on the recent 1890 Universities hearing. This is a topic that needs to
be proactively addressed, and I am grateful to share a few thoughts
with you.
As I am sure you know, both 1890 land-grants and NARRUs play a
significant role in providing accessible and affordable education in
agriculture, food and renewable resources, as well as in agricultural
research and educational outreach. The 1890 land-grant institutions and
NARRUs also have many mutual goals, like: conducting more collaborative
research with partner institutions; identifying and focusing on
priority issues in teaching, research and outreach; developing student
leaders; and as your question suggests, developing more multi-
institutional partnerships. Therefore, given that there is usually
strength in numbers, one may reason that there would be many benefits
of 1890 land-grant institutions working together with NARRU partners to
reach these common goals. And I agree.
Unfortunately, though, our institutions face some roadblocks in
doing so. From a geographic standpoint, very few 1890 land-grants have
NARRU institutions in their states. Geography plays an important role
in who the 1890s can partner with, because collaborations and
partnerships usually require financial resources and personnel. Since
most of our 1890 institutions do not have spare financial or human
resources to devote to additional projects--albeit ones that would most
likely be of great value--grants would need to be sought to do so.
However, most grant opportunities available to us restrict our scope of
work and partnerships to only within our state borders. In order to
partner across states, specific Federal resources would need to be
identified to allow us to proceed. Additionally, a solution would need
to be found to address the fact that if those Federal dollars had a
state match requirement attached to them, the 1890 universities do not
enjoy a level of state matching that would support the partnership.
Another unfortunate roadblock is that there are few grant
opportunities for two limited-resource institutions to partner. And
those resources that are made available to us, must also be
sustainable.
So, while there is certainly a willingness among our institutions
to collaborate, without a specific allocation of resources over and
above what is currently appropriated, there is not much of an
opportunity to move forward. Our hands are financially tied either by
limited resources or by our funding sources' in-state mandates.
On the positive side, I am very glad you posed this question,
because I am quite sure that 1890 and NARRU Executive Leadership teams
(Research and Extension), with support from the 1890 and NARRU
Presidents, could and should begin to address how to carve a path
forward to overcome these roadblocks. In fact, as the Chair of the APLU
Council of 1890 Universities, I am committing to you that before the
end of this year, we will begin to convene meetings to develop some
partnership ideas and opportunities. I may recommend that our nation's
food insecurity be a good first topic to explore, in addition to the
effects of climate change on low wealth communities and/or communities
of color. Additionally, I will also recommend that since NIFA
conference grants may be available for this purpose, we will explore
applying for one to bring these groups together to determine a
partnership plan of action.
We welcome any additional thoughts you may have, Congressman
Carbajal, on how to improve our performance in these partnership
endeavors, and I personally invite any of the House Agriculture
Committee Members to reach out to me with more thoughts on how we may
achieve this worthwhile collaboration. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Makola M. Abdullah, Ph.D.,
President.
Response from Heidi M. Anderson, Ph.D., President, University of
Maryland Eastern Shore; Member At-Large, Council of 1890
Universities, Association of Public and Land-grant Universities
Question 1. How are 1890's Institutions partnering with Non-Land-
Grant Agriculture and Renewable Resources Universities (NARRU's),
especially MSI NARRU's?
Question 2. What can we do to strengthen partnership opportunities
between 1890's and NARRU's?
Answer 1-2. Because of the paucity of NARRU institutions in our
immediate region, we have only had limited collaborative linkages with
NARRU members.
An example of initiative was a professional development project
funded by USDA-NIFA for Dr. Madhumi Mitra to link with a faculty at Cal
State at Fresno with a focus on bioenergy (see attached).
To strengthen this type of partnership, we can imagine that if
there was specific program funding focused on enhancing the linkages
(academic, research and extension) between 1890s and NARRU MSI's this
could catalyze development of stronger collaborative partnerships.
Without specific incentives, it would be difficult to grow such
linkages.
Finally, we appreciate the support of all of the Committee Members
and our Federal delegation.
Thank you for your patience as we researched this matter.
Sincerely,
Heidi M. Anderson, Ph.D.,
President,
University of Maryland Eastern Shore.
attachment
United States Department of Agriculture--Progress Report
Report Date: 09/16/2020
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Professional Development: Gracilaria (red macroalga) biorefinery
system: An integrated approach forbioethanol production
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sponsoring Agency: NIFA Project Status: ACTIVE
Funding Source: Non Formula Reporting Frequency: Annual
Accession No.: 1015180 Grants.gov No.:
Award No.: 2018-38821-27742
Project No.: MDX-BE20180401 Proposal No.: 2017-07515
Project Start Date: 04/01/2018 Project End Date: 11/30/2020
Reporting Period Start Date: 04/01/ Reporting Period End Date: 03/31/
2019 2020
Submitted By: Tracie Bishop Date Submitted to NIFA: 06/29/2020
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Program Code: EQ Program Name: Research Project
Project Director:
Madhumi Mitra
410-651-6049
[email protected]
Recipient Organization: Performing Department:
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND (NO DATA ENTERED)
11868 ACADEMIC OVAL
Princess Anne, MD 218531295
DUNS No. 082611302
Co-Project Directors: Departments:
(NO DATA ENTERED) (NO DATA ENTERED)
Non-Technical Summary
The professional development project will provide essential support
for the investigator to conduct sabbatical research on the efficient
methodologies in integrated aquaculture and for the generation of
sustainable bioethanol from a red macroalgal feedstock, Gracilaria, at
a pioneer institute of science, engineering, and technology in the USA.
The overall goal of this professional development project is to address
some of the critical needs of sustainable renewable energy generation
and mitigating the harmful effects of the environment through the
implementation of a seaweed/macroalgal biorefinery with cocultures of
fish-plant species. The specific objectives are: (1) to implement and
maintain an integrated aquaculture system with species of Gracilaria,
and edible white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei for evaluating the
bioremediation potential of the macroalga in a biorefinery setting; (2)
to utilize the macroalga, Gracilaria for the production of sustainable
bioenergy in the form of bioethanol; and (3) to enhance professional
training, networking, and strengthening collaborations between two
minority serving institutions. The professional development will
facilitate the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) to have the
capability for implementing bioenergy research in education (courses
and experiential learning activities), student and faculty training
(workshops), and outreach activities to the community in the areas of
sustainable aquaculture, bioenergy, and bioremediation. In addition,
research collaborations with another minority institution, California
State University at Fresno, CA, will be expanded and strengthened,
establishing a platform for future student exchange and faculty visits.
Accomplishments
Major goals of the project
The overall goal of this professional development project is to
address some of the critical needs of sustainable renewable energy
generation and mitigating the harmful effects of the environment
through the implementation of a seaweed/macroalgal biorefinery with co-
cultures of fish-plant species. The specific objectives are: (1) to
implement and maintain an integrated aquaculture system with species of
Gracilaria, and edible white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei for
evaluating the bioremediation potential of the macroalga in a
biorefinery setting; (2) to utilize the macroalga, Gracilaria for the
production of sustainable bioenergy in the form of bioethanol; and (3)
to enhance professional training, networking, and strengthening
collaborations between two minority serving institutions. The
professional development will facilitate the University of Maryland
Eastern Shore (UMES) to have the capability for implementing bioenergy
research in education (courses and experiential learning activities),
student and faculty training (workshops), and outreach activities to
the community in the areas of sustainable aquaculture, bioenergy, and
bioremediation. In addition, research collaborations with another
minority institution, California State University at Fresno, CA, will
be expanded and strengthened, establishing a platform for future
student exchange and faculty visits.
What was accomplished under these goals?
During the first phases of the project, the construction and
installation of the core components of a prototype Integrated
MultiTrophic Aquaculture system has been completed. The tanks have been
constructed from lumber recycled from shipping crates, then insulated
with construction 1" foam, and finally lined with 6 mm construction
plastic. The necessary pumps and plumbing have also been installed and
the generator has been acquired. More efforts have been focused on
racewaytype growth which has shown much promise for the intensive
culture of shrimp and may benefit from the integrated remediation
abilities of integrated algaculture. A hybridized closed
photobioreactor has been constructed to culture the blue green
microalga, Spirulina, for carbon capture as well as a source of shrimp
nutrition. During the first phase, cultures of Litopenaeus vannamei
post larvae have been obtained from Miami Aquaculture and stocked in
temporary stock tanks with sterilized seawater and constant aeration
have been provided for a period of 2 weeks. The shrimp was fed with
harvested Spirulina and soy bean meal obtained from a screw press
extrudate. A weekly 50% water change was also undertaken during the
acclimation process. Gracilaria tikvahiae was harvested from Assawoman
and Chincoteague bays of the Delmarva Peninsula. The macroalgal samples
were cleaned and maintained in sterilized seawater for 2 weeks prior to
the trials with constant aeration to prevent frond deterioration, and
artificial light. Samples were fertilized weekly with Micro Algae Grow
to maintain the cultures. Water quality parameters including ammonium,
nitrate, nitrite, and phosphate levels were recorded once per week for
the duration of each trial. The following trials/cultures were
maintained and compared: monocultures of Gracilaria; monocultures of
shrimp; and integrated cultures of Gracilaria and shrimp. The principal
performance metric for Gracilaria and shrimp performance for the study
was the specific growth rate. In addition to the growth rate, the mass,
Gracilaria tip elongation, shrimp body length, shrimp mortality, and
nutrient levels (nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, and ammonium) are being
analyzed using an ANOVA and Tukey's separation of means to ascertain
differences between culturing conditions (mono vs. integrated). During
the visit to California State University, Fresno, in summer to fall of
2019, Dr. Mitra received training on the various techniques of algal
culturing and extractions. She was trained on the the Algem HT24, a
high throughput, compact, computer-controlled photobioreactor for
cultivation of various microalgae such as Chlorella vulgaris,
Arthrospira platensis, Haematococcus pluvialis, and Dunaliela salina.
What opportunities for training and professional development has the
project provided?
The project has served as an initiative for faculty professional
development and collaborative research in applied agricultural and
natural sciences at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES).
The research program will enhance the opportunity for sustainable
aquaculture and bioethanol production at the university, facilitating
UMES to have the capability for implementing education, student
training, and outreach activities in the areas of sustainable
bioenergy, bioproducts, and bioremediation. Already some of the
activities have been infused in two courses: Marine and Estuarine
Ecology and Introduction to Bioenergy and Bioproducts. In addition,
research collaborations with another minority institution, California
State University, Fresno, CA, (Hispanic serving institution) is
expanded and strengthened through this professional development project
leading to publishing book chapters and the book on Bioenergy; and also
establishing a platform for future student exchange and faculty visits.
The students and faculty in the Chemistry and Biology departments at
Cal State Fresno learned about the importance of feedstock like
macroalgae and their importance in marine aquaculture along with
generation of bioethanol and bioproducts. Due to the pandemic of COVID-
19, the visit to California State University, Fresno has been postponed
until next year, as the university will continue to operate on the
virtual platform.
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
An invited panel presentation on Bioenergy, Bioproducts, and
Sustainability was led by Dr. Mitra at the American Society of
Engineering Education's annual conferences in Tampa Florida, in June of
2019. The panel reached more than 100 people who attended the
presentations. Dr. Mitra also shared the results with the collaborators
and their students in Chemistry and Biology courses along with
university faculty at California State University, Fresno, during her
visit in summer/spring of 2019.
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish
the goals?
Dr. Mitra will be trained on the approaches to generate bioethanol
from potential seaweeds in the department of Chemistry at the
California State University Fresno, CA. She will be trained on the
various techniques for enzymatic hydrolysis of algal pulp along with
chemical analysis; and ethanol fermentation with microbes at Dr.
Maitra's laboratory. Part of the training was scheduled for summer of
2020, and the remaining training for October through November of 2020.
Due to the pandemic of [COVID]-19 with restricted travel and
universities going online/virtual platforms for teaching, research, and
collaborations, it is anticipated that Dr. Mitra can only travel to
Fresno when the restrictions due to travel and research are eased at
both the universities. So the expected dates will be in Spring or
Summer of 2021 after the request for no-cost extension is granted under
special conditions.
Participants
Actual FTE's for this Reporting Period
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Students with Staffing Roles
Role Non-Students or ------------------------------------------------------ Computed Total
faculty Undergraduate Graduate Post-Doctorate by Role
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scientist 1 0.2 0 0 1.2
Professional 0 0 0 0 0
Technical 0 0 0 0 0
Administrative 0 0 0 0 0
Other 0 0 0 0 0
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Computed Total....... 1 0.2 0 0 1.2
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Student Count by Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) Code
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Undergraduate Graduate Post-Doctorate CIP Code
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2 0 0 01.11 Plant
Sciences.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Target Audience
Target audiences--Undergraduate students in the Marine and
Estuarine Ecology (BIOL 600) at University of Maryland Eastern Shore
course that was offered in Spring of 2020, learned about various marine
feedstock and how they can be used for the generation of biofuels. They
also learned about Gracilaria's efficacy as a biofuel feedstock and how
to turn a nuisance alga into an investment in cleaner energy. They also
learned about culturing marine microalgae and how these could be used
for the generation of biodiesel. Such an approach will provide avenues
for sustainable aquaculture and energy systems via production of
economically valuable and renewable products. The undergraduate and
graduate students from the collaborators' labs at California State
University at Fresno, CA, were also trained in usage of macroalgae for
the purpose of generating biofuels during the investigator's visit in
early fall of 2019. More than 50 percent of these students from the
above-mentioned universities were from the minority and educationally-
disadvantaged populations. Efforts--(1) Increased of content knowledge
in the areas of Integrated MultiTrophic Aquaculture; bioenergy from
feedstock like micro and macroalgae; (2) Hands-on laboratory and field
experiences with respect to utilizing macroalgae for the purpose of
producing biofuels were replaced with virtual experiences, as the
university was shut down due to the current pandemic of [COVID-19].
These activires were included in the Marine and Estuarine Ecology
course, and also a mini online workshop was conducted for the
collaborators and their students at California State University,
Fresno, CA in Fall of 2019.
Products
Type Status Year Published NIFA Support
Acknowledged
Books Published 2020 YES
Citation
Mitra M., and Nagchaudhuri A. 2020. Practices and Perspectives in
Sustainable Bioenergy. A Systems Thinking Approach. Springer
Publishers ISSN 1865-3529............................................
Type Status Year Published NIFA Support
Acknowledged
Book Chapters Published 2020 YES
Citation
Nagchaudhuri A., and Mitra M. 2020. Bioenergy Systems--A Wholistic
Approach. In Mitra M., Nagchaudhuri A. (eds). Practices and
Perspectives in Sustainable Bioenergy. A Systems Thinking Approach.
Springer Publishers ISSN 1865-3529. pgs 1-12.........................
Type Status Year Published NIFA Support
Acknowledged
Book Chapters Published 2020 YES
Citation
Mitra M., Henry X. Nagchaudhuri A., and Maitra K. 2020.
Photobioreactors for Bioenergy Systems and Lipid Extraction Methods
from Microalgae. In Mitra M., Nagchaudhuri A. (eds). Practices and
Perspectives in Sustainable Bioenergy. A Systems Thinking Approach.
Springer Publishers ISSN 1865-3529. pgs 131-157......................
Other Products
Product Type
Data and Research Material
Description
Experiments on the Integrated MultiTrophic Aquaculture and data
collected; Analysis in progress
Product Type
Educational Aids or Curricula
Description
Many of the research-related activities pertaining to the
professional-development grant have been incorporated in the following
courses: Marine and Estuarine Ecology (BIOL 600/BIOL 400); BIOL 112
(Principles of Biology II) and Introduction to Bioenergy, Bioproducts,
and Sustainability (MEES 688X).
Changes/Problems
The major problems encountered by the Principal Investigator (Dr.
Mitra) and her collaborators were connected to the closure of the
universities due to the current pandemic of [COVID-19]. The University
System of Maryland required all universities to teach and conduct
research (as much as possible) on the virtual platform. Professional
travel is also restricted. The University System of California also
adopted similar measures of teaching courses online and restricting
research and travel as well as hosting collaborators/scholars. The last
component of the research for training on the generation of ethanol
from seaweeds could not be continued due to the current situation. It
is anticipated that Dr. Mitra will be requesting an extension of the
project beyond November 2020, to accomplish the final objective of the
project.
Response from Orlando F. McMeans, Ph.D., Chancellor, Agricultural
Research and Extension Center, Southern University; Dean,
College of Agricultural, Family and Consumer Sciences, SU
Question 1. How are 1890s Institutions partnering with Non-Land-
Grant Agriculture and Renewable Resources Universities (NARRU's),
especially MSI NARRU's?
Question 2. What can we do to strengthen partnership opportunities
between 1890s and NARRU's?
Answer 1-2. Non-land-grant Agriculture and Renewable Resources
Universities, or NARRU are those universities with agricultural
academic, research and outreach programs, but do not have congressional
designation as land-grant institutions. These institutions number
around 60 and are located throughout the U.S. Many of them having
strong Ag programs and graduates go on to work in the same fields as
graduate of 1862 and 1890 Institutions.
There are opportunities for NARRU and 1890s to collaborate as
relates to agriculture related academic, research and outreach
programs. Some of these include, but are not limited to:
Research: Faculty and student exchanges, including summer
internships in research areas of common interests. Combined research
programs between faculty at both sides which can in turn result in
combined publications through external grant writing.
Academic Curricula: Help each other in offering specialized courses
(e.g., via online platforms)
Outreach: Community and Economic Development is an area of a common
interest. Youth and Family development may also be explored. Access to
specialized audiences (e.g., Disadvantaged/Black farmers and small
businesses).
Capacity Building Grants for Non-Land-Grant Colleges of Agriculture
Program (NLGCA) is a line with the USDA's National Institute of Food
and Agriculture. I think the current funding level is a little more
than $4 Million. If those funds were significantly increased with the
encouragement (additional points) of working with an 1890 that is
located within the same state, perhaps that would increase
collaborations. For example, in Louisiana we have two non-land-grant
schools, McNeese State and Louisiana Tech. Currently we do not have
joint programming, but this could be a catalyst in us working together.
For example, we have a large population of African American farmers in
the state. We available funding, we can develop joint outreach research
and efforts to support these farmers. Just my 2 .
Hope this helps.
Orlando F. McMeans, Ph.D.,
Chancellor-Dean,
Southern University Research and Extension Center,
College of Agricultural, Family and Consumer Sciences.
[all]