USDA invests in 1890 land-grant universities

Feb 10, 2015

Funding could reach over $18 million

News out of Prairie View A&M University in Prairie View, Texas, has the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Secretary for Civil Rights Joe Leonard announcing up to $18 million in federal grants to help 19 colleges and universities with research, teaching and extension initiatives. All this in an effort to assist in recruitment and training for students pursuing careers in agriculture.

The colleges and universities set to receive the funding are all historically black land-grant educational institutions, giving them a special and unique set of characteristics.

February is also recognized as Black History Month.

"This support for the 1890 land-grant universities is an example of the Obama Administration and Secretary Vilsack's commitment to the 1890 Institutions," Leonard said in a release. "This funding will continue to positively impact students, professors, and institutions for future generations."

Some schools that could be eligible for grants include Virginia State University, Kentucky State University, Prairie View A&M University and University of the District of Columbia.

The schools seem to excel in research areas such as sustainable agriculture and agriculture economics, biomedical science and animal sciences.

The funding for the schools is coming from the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s (NIFA) 1890 Institution, Research, Extension, and Teaching Capacity Building Grants Program.

The schools were deemed as land-grant universities under the Second Morrill Act in 1890.

Applications and eligibility details must be submitted by Thursday, March 26, 2015.

Grants binder

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.