Funding could reach over $18 million
By Diego Flammini, Farms.com
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