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RECOGNIZING THE CONTINUING 

CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE 1890S LAND-GRANT 

UNIVERSITIES ON THE 125TH ANNIVERSARY 

OF THE PASSAGE OF THE SECOND MORRILL 

ACT 

HEARING 

BEFORE THE

COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

ONE HUNDRED FOURTEENTH CONGRESS 

FIRST SESSION 

JULY 15, 2015 

Serial No. 114–22 

( 

Printed for the use of the Committee on Agriculture 

agriculture.house.gov 

COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE 

K. MICHAEL CONAWAY, Texas, Chairman 

RANDY NEUGEBAUER, Texas, 

Vice Chairman 

BOB GOODLATTE, Virginia 

FRANK D. LUCAS, Oklahoma 

STEVE KING, Iowa 

MIKE ROGERS, Alabama 

GLENN THOMPSON, Pennsylvania 

BOB GIBBS, Ohio 

AUSTIN SCOTT, Georgia 

ERIC A. ‘‘RICK’’ CRAWFORD, Arkansas 

SCOTT DESJARLAIS, Tennessee 

CHRISTOPHER P. GIBSON, New York 

VICKY HARTZLER, Missouri 

DAN BENISHEK, Michigan 

JEFF DENHAM, California 

DOUG LAMALFA, California 

RODNEY DAVIS, Illinois 

TED S. YOHO, Florida 

JACKIE WALORSKI, Indiana 

RICK W. ALLEN, Georgia 

MIKE BOST, Illinois 

DAVID ROUZER, North Carolina 

RALPH LEE ABRAHAM, Louisiana 

JOHN R. MOOLENAAR, Michigan 

DAN NEWHOUSE, Washington 

TRENT KELLY, Mississippi 

COLLIN C. PETERSON, Minnesota, Ranking 

Minority Member 

DAVID SCOTT, Georgia 

JIM COSTA, California 

TIMOTHY J. WALZ, Minnesota 

MARCIA L. FUDGE, Ohio 

JAMES P. MCGOVERN, Massachusetts 

SUZAN K. DELBENE, Washington 

FILEMON VELA, Texas 

MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM, New Mexico 

ANN M. KUSTER, New Hampshire 

RICHARD M. NOLAN, Minnesota 

CHERI BUSTOS, Illinois 

SEAN PATRICK MALONEY, New York 

ANN KIRKPATRICK, Arizona 

PETE AGUILAR, California 

STACEY E. PLASKETT, Virgin Islands 

ALMA S. ADAMS, North Carolina 

GWEN GRAHAM, Florida 

BRAD ASHFORD, Nebraska 

SCOTT C. GRAVES, Staff Director 

ROBERT L. LAREW, Minority Staff Director 

(II) 

(III) 

C O N T E N T S 

Page 

Conaway, Hon. K. Michael, a Representative in Congress from Texas, opening 

statement .............................................................................................................. 1 

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 3 

Fudge, Hon. Marcia L., a Representative in Congress from Ohio, submitted 

report ..................................................................................................................... 57 

Peterson, Hon. Collin C., a Representative in Congress from Minnesota, opening statement ........................................................................................................ 4 

Scott, Hon. David, a Representative in Congress from Georgia .......................... 5 

Submitted memorandum ................................................................................. 57 

WITNESSES

Wright, Ph.D., George C., President, Prairie View Agriculture and Mechanical 

University, Prairie View, TX ............................................................................... 7 

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 8 

Bailey, Ph.D., Jessica M., Interim President, Fort Valley State University, 

Fort Valley, GA .................................................................................................... 9 

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 10 

Martin, Sr., Ph.D., Harold L., Chancellor, North Carolina Agricultural and 

Technical State University, Greensboro, NC ..................................................... 15 

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 17 

Submitted question .......................................................................................... 86 

Mangum, Ph.D., Elmira, President, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, Tallahassee, FL ...................................................................................... 20 

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 22 

Johnson, Ph.D., Brian L., President, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL ......... 23 

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 25 

Bell, Ph.D., Juliette B., President, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, 

Princess Anne, MD ............................................................................................... 27 

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 29 

Rome, Sr., Ph.D., Kevin D., President, Lincoln University, Jefferson City, 

MO ......................................................................................................................... 33 

Smith, Jr., Ph.D., Kent J., President, Langston University, Langston, OK ....... 51 

Alexander, J.D., Ph.D., Laurence B., Chancellor, University of Arkansas at 

Pine Bluff, Pine Bluff, AR, prepared statement ................................................ 71 

Belton, Dr. Ray L., President and Chancellor, Southern University and A&M 

College System, Baton Rouge, LA, prepared statement ................................... 73 

Burse, Raymond M., President, Kentucky State University, Frankfort, KY, 

prepared statement .............................................................................................. 76 

Hammond, Ph.D., Pamela V., Interim President, Virginia State University, 

Petersburg, VA, prepared statement .................................................................. 78 

Hugine, Jr., Ph.D., Andrew, President, Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical 

University, Huntsville, AL, prepared statement ............................................... 81 

Rankins, Jr., Ph.D., Alfred, President, Alcorn State University, Lorman, MS, 

prepared statement .............................................................................................. 83 

(1) 

RECOGNIZING THE CONTINUING 

CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE 1890S LAND-GRANT 

UNIVERSITIES ON THE 125TH ANNIVERSARY 

OF THE PASSAGE OF THE SECOND MORRILL 

ACT 

WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, 2015 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE, Washington, D.C. 

The Committee met, pursuant to call, at 10:00 a.m., in Room 

1300, Longworth House Office Building, Hon. K. Michael Conaway 

[Chairman of the Committee] presiding. 

Members present: Representatives Conaway, Lucas, Rogers, 

Thompson, Gibbs, Austin Scott of Georgia, Crawford, Gibson, 

Hartzler, LaMalfa, Davis, Yoho, Allen, Rouzer, Abraham, 

Newhouse, Kelly, Peterson, David Scott of Georgia, Walz, Fudge, 

McGovern, DelBene, Vela, Lujan Grisham, Kuster, Nolan, Bustos, 

Aguilar, Plaskett, Adams, Graham, and Ashford. 

Staff present: Carly Reedholm, Haley Graves, Jackie Barber, 

John Goldberg, Mary Nowak, Mollie Wilken, Scott C. Graves, John 

Konya, Keith Jones, Liz Friedlander, and Nicole Scott. 

OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. K. MICHAEL CONAWAY, A 

REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM TEXAS 

The CHAIRMAN. Well, good morning. This is hearing of the Committee on Agriculture to recognize the continuing contributions of 

the 1890s land-grant universities on the 125th anniversary of the 

passage of the Second Morrill Act, will come to order. I have asked 

David Scott to open us with a prayer. David. 

Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. May we 

bow our heads, please. 

Dear Heavenly Father, we come before your throne of grace to 

give thanks. We have so much to be thankful for. We want to 

thank you, dear Heavenly Father, for the leadership of this Agriculture Committee under the leadership of Chairman Mike 

Conaway and Ranking Member Collin Peterson, for their stewardship, for their care, and for the consideration of our 1890s AfricanAmerican colleges and universities. We thank you for that. 

And now, dear Heavenly Father, in our prayer to you this morning, we lift up those magnificent words, the words that were spoken by that famed and wonderful scientist, an agricultural pioneer 

and American legend, George Washington Carver, when he said to 

Booker T. Washington, ‘‘Mr. President of Tuskegee Institute, I 

2 

pledge to you that I will do everything through God and Christ 

that strengthens me to better the condition of our people.’’ 

Dear Heavenly Father, we are here to carry on that mighty work 

that these extraordinary founders of the 1890s established to improve and better the condition of all of the American people. We 

thank you, dear God, for this day, this historic day, to have the 19 

African-American Presidents of 1890s land-grant universities to 

testify before the Congress of the United States. 

Oh, thank God Almighty for this extraordinary blessing you have 

given to us this morning, and all we can say is thank you, God. 

Amen. 

The CHAIRMAN. Amen. Thank you, David. 

Well, I want to welcome our panelists, as well as the other Presidents who are here today. The Committee on Agriculture will shift 

its focus from legislation and oversight to one of a less political nature, but of significant importance nonetheless. 

Land-grant institutions are often characterized as 1860, 1890, 

and 1994 institutions based on the date of legislation that designated most of them with land-grant status. August 30 marks the 

125th anniversary of the enactment of the Morrill Act of 1890, commonly referred to as the Second Morrill Act. This law authorized 

additional direct appropriations for the land-grant colleges of agriculture that had been established under the Morrill Act of 1862. 

The most significant feature of the Second Morrill Act was that 

the 1862 schools could receive the additional funds only if they admitted blacks into their programs or if they provided separate but 

equal agricultural higher education to black students. 

In the period following the Civil War, 16 southern states established separate land-grant colleges of agriculture for black students 

under this Act. Congress designated Tuskegee University an 1890 

institution at a later date. Today in honor of the continuing contribution of these important institutions, we would like to hear directly from their leaders regarding not only the successes of the individual institutions, but likewise, the successes of the 1890’s in 

general. 

This hearing is a result of David Scott’s vision or dream to have 

this happen. When it became apparent that I was going to be the 

Chairman of the Agriculture Committee for this term, David came 

to me and said, ‘‘I have a terrific idea for a hearing, a full Committee hearing, in which we would highlight and show the American people the impact that the 1890 schools are having on production agriculture and all the jobs associated with agriculture, but 

more importantly, the students that go through those schools and 

then become responsible citizens in this country.’’ And so I said all 

right let’s do that. 

I came down the hall a second ago with David and Collin; I have 

never seen a crowd as big as this one of folks trying to get into this 

hearing this morning. And we have folks in the overflow audience. 

So this is a direct result of David’s work. If it goes really well, he 

and I will get the credit. If it goes really bad, he gets the blame. 

But this is a great, great day for the Agriculture Committee, and 

we appreciate everybody being here. 

In the coming months, we will further evaluate the land-grant 

system looking for ways to strengthen their capacity to improve our 

3 

agriculture research extension and educational programs. While six 

of the 1890s Presidents will testify this morning, we are fortunate 

in that the Presidents from 18 of the universities are in attendance 

today, and they also are prepared to answer questions should any 

Member ask them. That is a little unusual. Normally our questions 

are asked of just the folks at the table, but given the significance 

of all the Presidents who are here, Members are advised that they 

may ask any of the university Presidents in the room questions 

during the questioning. 

In addition to our witnesses joining us today, we have Dr. Andrew Hugine from Alabama A&M in Normal, Alabama. We have 

Dr. Alfred Rankins, President, Alcorn State University, Lorman, 

Mississippi. We have Dr. Cynthia Jackson-Hammond, President of 

Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio. We have Dr. Harry 

Williams, President of Delaware State University, Wilmington, 

Delaware. We have Dr. Raymond Burse, President of Kentucky 

State University from Frankfort, Kentucky. We have Dr. Kent 

Smith, President of Langston University from Langston, Oklahoma. We have Dr. Kevin Rome, President of Lincoln University in 

Lincoln City, Missouri. 

We have Dr. W. Franklin Evans who is President of South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, South Carolina. We have Dr. 

Ray Belton, President, Southern University System, Baton Rouge, 

Louisiana. We have Dr. Laurence B. Alexander, Chancellor, University of Arkansas, Pine Bluff, Pine Bluff, Arkansas. We have Dr. 

Pamela Hammond, Interim President, Virginia State University, 

Petersburg, Virginia. And finally we have Dr. Brian Hemphill, 

President of West Virginia State University, Institute, West Virginia. 

If there are others in attendance and I didn’t mention your 

name, please know that the Committee values your contributions, 

and we will get your name if you are not here, and I will recognize 

you later in the program. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Conaway follows:] 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF HON. K. MICHAEL CONAWAY, A REPRESENTATIVE IN

CONGRESS FROM TEXAS

Good morning. 

Today, the Committee on Agriculture will shift its focus from legislation and oversight, to one of a less political nature, but of significant importance nonetheless. 

Land-grant institutions are often categorized as 1862, 1890, and 1994 institutions, 

based on the date of the legislation that designated most of them with land-grant 

status. 

August 30th marks the 125th anniversary of the enactment of the Morrill Act of 

1890, commonly referred to as the Second Morrill Act. This law authorized additional direct appropriations for the land-grant colleges of agriculture that had 

been established under the Morrill Act of 1862. 

The most significant feature of the Second Morrill Act was that the 1862 schools 

could receive the additional funds only if they admitted blacks into their programs 

or if they provided separate but equal agricultural higher education to black students. 

In the period following the Civil War, sixteen southern states established separate 

land-grant colleges of agriculture for black students under this Act; Congress designated Tuskegee University an 1890 institution at a later date. 

Today, in honor of the continuing contribution of these important institutions, we 

would like to hear directly from their leaders regarding not only the successes of 

the individual institutions, but likewise, the successes of the 1890’s generally. 

4 

In the coming months, we will further evaluate the land-grant system looking for 

ways to strengthen their capacity to improve our agricultural research, extension 

and educational programs. 

While six of the 1890’s Presidents will testify this morning, we are fortunate in 

that the Presidents from 18 of the universities are in attendance today and are prepared to answer Members’ questions: 

In addition to our witnesses, we have joining us: 

Dr. Andrew Hugine, Jr., President, Alabama A&M University, Normal, AL. 

Dr. Alfred Rankins Jr., President, Alcorn State University, Lorman, MS. 

Dr. Cynthia Jackson-Hammond, President, Central State University, Wilberforce, 

OH. 

Dr. Harry L. Williams, President, Delaware State University, Wilmington, DE. 

Dr. Raymond M. Burse, President, Kentucky State University, Frankfort, KY. 

Dr. Kent J. Smith, Jr., President, Langston University, Langston, OK. 

Dr. Kevin Rome, President, Lincoln University, Jefferson City, MO. 

Dr. W. Franklin Evans, President, South Carolina State University, Orangeburg, 

SC. 

Dr. Ray Belton, President, Southern University System, Baton Rouge, LA. 

Dr. Laurence B. Alexander, Chancellor, University of Arkansas Pine Bluff, Pine 

Bluff, AR. 

Dr. Pamela V. Hammond, Interim President, Virginia State University, Petersburg, VA. 

And finally, Dr. Brian O. Hemphill, President, West Virginia State University, Institute, WV. 

If there are others in the audience that I didn’t mention by name, please know 

that the Committee values your contributions. 

It is now my pleasure to recognize the Ranking Member for any comments he 

wishes to make. 

The CHAIRMAN. So with that, I would like to recognize the Ranking Member, Collin Peterson, for any comments he may wish to 

make. 

OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. COLLIN C. PETERSON, A 

REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM MINNESOTA 

Mr. PETERSON. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Good morning everybody. I am glad to be here today to celebrate the anniversary of the 

enactment of the Second Morrill Act. And I am pleased that our 

1890 land-grant university Presidents could join us today, including the President of the newest land-grant university, Dr. Cynthia 

Jackson-Hammond, from Central State University in Ohio. Thank 

you all for the good work that you do. 

As the Chairman said, the land-grant universities play an important role in agricultural research, extension, and educational programs. Research, as we know, is vital to agriculture. USDA’s research, education extension programs help increase productivity, 

prevent plant and animal disease, improve human nutrition and 

health, and discover and utilize new technologies. 

So I look forward to hearing from all of you today and look forward to future hearings on agriculture research. Again, welcome to 

today’s witnesses and all the other folks that are here. I look forward to the testimony and yield back. 

The CHAIRMAN. I thank the gentleman. 

The CHAIRMAN. It is now my pleasure to recognize the gentleman 

from Georgia, David Scott, and the instigator of all this madness 

today. So, David, any comments you would like to make. 

5 

OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. DAVID SCOTT, A 

REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM GEORGIA 

Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia. Yes I would Mr. Chairman. The 

first comment I would like to make is just a tremendous thank you 

for your help on this. It may have been a germination of a seed 

coming from me, but its growth, its development, and to make sure 

this happened, comes from you. 

And it is very important for everybody to know that this extraordinary, historic hearing today would not have happened if it were 

not for the hard work and the help, tremendous help, and the leadership of Mike Conaway, our distinguished Chairman. I wish you 

would join me in giving him a round of applause. 

And, of course, it would not be possible if we did not have an extraordinary Chairman on the Democratic side, who for many years 

has toiled in the vineyards and have helped us on this Committee 

and throughout this nation in putting the interests of AfricanAmerican 1890s land-grant colleges at the forefront, and I am 

speaking of who is now our Ranking Member, Collin Peterson, who 

is a former Chairman and provided so much leadership; and as he 

just mentioned to me, everything I did, David, I just did what the 

colleges wanted me to do, and that is Collin Peterson. Why don’t 

you give him a hand. 

It is so important for us to recognize, ladies and gentlemen, that 

this is a bipartisan effort. You see before you Democrats and Republicans who care about our 1890s. That has been the history of 

it. It was through bipartisanship, Republicans and Democrats, if 

you all remember the Senator, I believe, Morrill, who started this 

first. And then he came back during the time when there was the 

Separate But Equal Doctrine and made sure that it was written 

into the law. As a United States Senator, he did that to say that 

the funds going into the 1890s would not be separate nor discriminate against and to make sure that there is funding for these 1890 

institutions. 

And so we stand here, Democrats and Republicans, looking out 

at this wonderful audience, and as the Chairman has said, I have 

never seen such a crowd. And that is important for they understand how important the education of all of America’s people is. 

And so, Mr. Chairman, I am delighted to be here, and I want to 

thank your staff, who did an extraordinary amount of work. And 

I want to thank my staff and Arthur Tripp. Arthur, are you here? 

Fantastic. Why don’t we give our staffs a hand. Thank you. 

And so I close with this reminder. I want everyone to know that 

there are hundreds of thousands of African-American successful 

contributors to this nation and the world who would not have 

achieved that success if they did not have that way out towards 

education, that the 1890s provided for us African-Americans. And 

so we thank you for carrying on this extraordinary pilgrimage and 

honor and distinction of carrying forth and making sure that deep 

in our hearts those words that I mentioned in my prayer is echoing 

through this room. 

The words of George Washington Carver rang true when he 

spoke to Booker T. Washington; and let us remember them today 

when he told Booker T. Washington that, ‘‘Mr. President, I pledge 

to you that I will do everything I can through the strength of 

6 

Christ who strengthens me to better the condition of our people.’’ 

We are here to carry that charge. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, David. I appreciate those comments. 

I also, too, want to thank our staffs. You and I make decisions; 

Collin and I make decisions, but our staffs are the ones who do all 

the work and put this together. The chair requests that other 

Members submit their opening statements for the record so that 

our witnesses may begin their testimony and to ensure there is 

ample time for questions. 

Now, turning to the witnesses at the table. I did not leave you 

all off the list of Presidents who were here. We just had a different 

time to introduce you. 

First off is Dr. George C. Wright, President, Prairie View Agriculture and Mechanical University, Prairie View, Texas. Dr. Jessica Bailey, Interim President, Fort Valley State University, at 

Fort Valley, Georgia. I have asked Ms. Alma Adams to introduce 

our next witness. 

Ms. ADAMS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. As the Chancellor of 

America’s largest historically black university, and my alma mater, 

North Carolina A&T State University, Dr. Harold Martin, Sr., has 

dedicated his career to helping students succeed in higher education. 

He is a native of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He received his 

Bachelor’s and Master’s of Science in electrical engineering from 

North Carolina A&T, and Ph.D. from Virginia Polytech Institute 

and State University. He has held numerous positions in university 

administration at North Carolina A&T, at Winston-Salem State 

University, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 

President Obama named Chancellor Martin to the Board of 

International Food and Agricultural Development, a board that advises the United States Agency for International Development on 

agriculture and higher education. Dr. Martin leads this premier 

1890 land-grant university with passion and purpose promoting 

global and cultural competency and social awareness. 

Today A&T is growing both in terms of student enrollment and 

in investment. And since 1999, A&T has expanded its investments 

in facilities and infrastructure, transforming the campus into one 

of Greensboro’s main economic engines. 

Today we recognize the importance of 1890 land-grants and all 

that it has done to create and sustain historically black colleges 

and universities. In April, North Carolina A&T celebrated the 

125th anniversary of the Second Morrill Act of 1890, established 

the funding mechanism and framework for providing access to education. 

As a two-time alumnus of North Carolina A&T, and as Mr. Scott 

has said, I did my later work, my terminal degree, at the Ohio 

State University because of the North Carolina A&T. So I welcome 

my distinguished fellow Aggie to the Committee today to share 

more about this amazing institution and his experiences with us 

this morning. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back. 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you to the gentlelady. I ask the gentlelady 

from Florida, Ms. Graham, to introduce our next witness. 

Ms. GRAHAM. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am so honored to have 

here today my dear friend, Dr. Elmira Mangum, President of FlorVerDate Mar 15 2010 10:57 Aug 20, 2015 Jkt 041481 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 P:\DOCS\114-22\95605.TXT BRIAN
7 

ida A&M University, located in my district. Go Rattlers. Under Dr. 

Mangum’s leadership, FAMU and other 1890 institutions are leading the way in innovative research that will keep American farming practices at the forefront of the industry. 

FAMU has a history of excellence in agriculture, research, and 

development; and today the university boasts programs that span 

a wide range of issues that impact farmers and farm practices in 

the U.S. and worldwide. And I have been very honored to have an 

opportunity to be with Dr. Mangum on multiple occasions to hear 

about all of those. 

FAMU hopes to secure a land transfer agreement with USDA 

that would provide 3,800 additional acres for the university to expand its critical work. The land would be a training tool where new 

and beginning farmers will learn the latest in farm practices in biotechnology. 

I am so proud to have you here today, Dr. Mangum, to share 

FAMU’s accomplishments with my colleagues on this Committee. 

We owe it to our farmers to continue supporting the institutions 

that keep American farming practices competitive. Thank you for 

being here, and I look forward to hearing your testimony. I yield 

back. 

The CHAIRMAN. The gentlelady yields back. We also have Dr. 

Brian Johnson, President, Tuskegee University, in Tuskegee, Alabama; and Dr. Juliette Bell, President of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in Princess Anne, Maryland. 

So, thanks to everybody for being here. Dr. Wright, whenever 

you are ready to begin, the microphone is yours. 

STATEMENT OF GEORGE C. WRIGHT, PH.D., PRESIDENT, 

PRAIRIE VIEW AGRICULTURE AND MECHANICAL 

UNIVERSITY, PRAIRIE VIEW, TX 

Dr. WRIGHT. Good morning, Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member, 

and Members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to 

address you today. I am George C. Wright, President of Prairie 

View A&M University. 

Prairie View A&M University is the second oldest public institution of higher learning in Texas. On August 14, 1876, the Texas 

Legislature established the Agriculture and Mechanical College of 

Texas for Colored Youths and placed responsibility for its management with the Board of Directors of the Agriculture and Mechanical College of Bryan, present day Texas A&M University, linking 

the 1862 and 1890 universities together. 

Prairie View A&M will have some 9,000 students this fall. During its 139 year history, some 60,000 academic degrees have been 

awarded. Prairie View A&M University’s agricultural program prepares students to enter careers in the human sciences, animal, 

crop, and environmental sciences, and agriculture and resource economics. Students work with PVAMU faculty who are actively engaged in research that includes but is not limited to: increasing the 

shelf life of dairy products, protecting fruits against sun rays, advancing knowledge in the use of medicinal plants to improve 

health, securing water resources, and developing strategies to enhance watershed functions in a sustainable way. 

8 

Because of the large population of Texas, and with the state having the largest number of farms, Prairie View receives the largest 

funding portion of any of the 1890 institutions for its various programs. For an example, in the past year, Prairie View received 

some $11 million from USDA. Over the past 10 years, Prairie View 

received $42 million for agriculture research, $35 million for agricultural extension, and $14 million to construct new facilities. Federal funding has enabled Prairie View to be involved in a number 

of programs that benefit young people not just in rural Texas, but 

in urban Texas as well. For instance, our program for 4–H Youth 

Development works with some 200,000 students throughout the 

State of Texas in a wide range of areas. 

I will conclude by saying that I am honored to have this opportunity to testify before you today, and on behalf of the faculty, staff 

and above all, students of Prairie View, thank you for this wonderful opportunity; and we appreciate all the support we have received 

from you over the years. Thank you. 

[The prepared statement of Dr. Wright follows:] 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF GEORGE C. WRIGHT, PH.D., PRESIDENT, PRAIRIE VIEW

AGRICULTURE AND MECHANICAL UNIVERSITY, PRAIRIE VIEW, TX 

The History of Prairie View A&M University as a Land-Grant University 

Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member, and Members of the Committee, thank you for 

the opportunity to address you today. I am George C. Wright, President of Prairie 

View A&M University. For those not familiar with Prairie View, please allow me 

to share a brief bit of our history. 

Prairie View A&M University is the second oldest public institution of higher education in Texas. On August 14, 1876, the Texas Legislature established the ‘‘Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas for Colored Youths’’ and placed responsibility 

for its management with the Board of Directors of the Agricultural and Mechanical 

College at Bryan (present day Texas A&M University, linking the 1862 and 1890 

land-grant universities). 

The University’s original curriculum was designated by the Texas Legislature to 

be that of a ‘‘Normal School’’ for the preparation and training of teachers. This curriculum was expanded to include the arts and sciences, home economics, agriculture, 

mechanical arts and nursing after the University was established as a branch of the 

Agricultural Experiment Station (Hatch Act, 1887) and as a land-grant college (Morrill Act, 1890). Thus began the tradition of agricultural research and community 

service, which continues today. 

The University’s enrollment now exceeds 8,000 including more than 1,500 graduate students. Students come from regions throughout the United States as well as 

many foreign countries. During the University’s 139 year history, some 60,000 academic degrees have been awarded. 

Prairie View A&M University’s Agriculture Program 

Prairie View A&M University’s agricultural program prepares students to enter 

careers in the human sciences, animal, crop and the environmental sciences, and 

agricultural and resource economics. The University has a deep sense of responsibility and is committed to using its talents and resources to apply knowledge that 

will help advance the State of Texas in the global economy. PVAMU faculty are actively engaged in research that includes but not limited to: increasing the shelf life 

of dairy products, protecting fruits against sun rays, advancing knowledge in the 

use of medicinal plants to improve health, removing allergens from peanuts, securing water resources, and developing strategies to enhance watershed functions in a 

sustainable way. For instance, researchers at PVAMU are developing a set of management tools to enable watershed managers, regulators and other stakeholders to 

predict various short- and long-term land management scenarios and the impact of 

extreme weather conditions. Additionally, PVAMU researchers are developing water 

management strategies to optimize crop water use and minimize excess water 

losses. Funds allocated to PVAMU have resulted in nine patents being granted over 

the past 17 years to agricultural researchers in the food and plant sciences. Three 

of the patents deal with infusing fish-oil-based food emulsions into foods (milk and 

9 

milk products, apple sauce, tomato sauce, and salad dressings) to increase oxidative 

stability and consumer acceptability of omega-3 fatty acids that are essential for 

maintaining human health. 

Currently PVAMU extension agents are located in thirty-five counties in Texas 

with plans in place to expand to sixty additional counties. PVAMU agents work primarily with limited-resource Texans. In 2010, USDA established a StrikeForce Initiative for Rural Growth and Opportunity to address specific challenges associated 

with rural poverty. There are 96 counties in Texas considered by USDA as 

StrikeForce counties. PVAMU proposed expansion is directed toward working with 

citizens of those counties. 

Over the last decade, the Community Economic Development Program (CED) has 

reached 25,000 rural residents, helping to create 800 new jobs, which have in turn 

infused over $30 million into Texas’ economy. Last year, the CED worked with thirty-eight Texas families to apply for home ownership or rehabilitation funding 

through USDA and $2.5 million was approved. 

Support from the United States Federal Government 

Because of the large population of Texas and with the state having the largest 

number of farms, Prairie View receives the largest funding portion of any 1890 Institution for its programs. In total, PVAMU receives about $11 million annually 

from USDA. Over the past 10 years, Prairie View received $42.2 million for agricultural research, $34.5 million for agricultural extension and $14.1 million to construct new facilities or renovate existing ones in the College of Agriculture and 

Human Sciences. 

Impact 

With its Federal financial support, the PVAMU 4–H Youth Development Program 

since 2012 has, over the last 5 years, reached more than 181,000 youth in both rural 

and urban counties across the state through educational programs and activities focused on increasing Science, Technology, Engineering, Agriculture, and Mathematics 

(STEAM) awareness, civic participation, and healthy living habits. The PVAMU 

Family and Consumer Sciences Program, along with the 4–H Program, have created 

a core of 622 youth ambassadors who reached more than 35,000 other youth and 

family members. Also, the Agriculture and Natural Resources Program conducted 

workshops and assisted 54 small and limited-resource Texas farmers in submitting 

applications for loans totaling up to $7.8 million, and to date $4.9 million have been 

approved. 

Major Challenge 

Securing the total state match continues to be a major challenge for PVAMU to 

receive the full USDA allocation. Each biennium PVAMU has to work assiduously 

with the State Legislature to secure the match. Unfortunately over the years the 

University has not been successful in securing the match and has had to request 

a waiver from USDA to receive its full allocation. 

Concluding Statement 

I will conclude by saying that I am honored to have had this opportunity to testify 

before you today and on behalf of faculty, staff and students associated with the agriculture program at PVAMU thank you for your continuous support. 

The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman yields back, and the chair recognizes that he left 2 minutes on the clock. So, Doctor, I thank you 

very much for that. We appreciate that. Those of you that are just 

new to this process, that is a big deal. So thank you, Dr. Wright. 

Dr. Bailey, you are recognized for 5 minutes. 

STATEMENT OF JESSICA M. BAILEY, PH.D., INTERIM 

PRESIDENT, FORT VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY, FORT 

VALLEY, GA 

Dr. BAILEY. Thank you. Chairman Conaway, Ranking Member 

Peterson, and Members of the House Committee on Agriculture. 

My name is Jessica Bailey, and I serve as the interim President of 

Fort Valley State University. I would like to just highlight some of 

the wonderful work that is being done at Fort Valley State University. 

10 

Fort Valley State is supporting USDA Strategic Goal 1 by researching renewable energy and biobased products. In particular 

we are doing research on the Paulownia elongata tree, forestry 

woods, and switchgrass. In addition, biodiesel processing basics 

have been introduced to over 500 4–H and FFA students in Georgia. 

Through Project GREEN, Fort Valley State has been able to save 

Georgians thousands of dollars through energy audits, equipment 

efficiency savings, and weatherization upgrades. We are also involved in the process of recruiting and training a new generation 

of agricultural and food scientists. For example, young people come 

to our institution to receive communications and professional skills 

training. We have programs that reach out to K through 12 levels 

of students and give them hands-on experience in molecular biology 

techniques. 

Also, all of these programs serve as a pipeline to our stellar programs in veterinary technology and agricultural biotechnology. We 

are also diligent in supporting USDA Strategic Goal 2, because we 

collaborate with other entities to support minority forest landowners. We increase the overall knowledge through training and 

money management skills, estate planning, marketing, and other 

necessary skills, and by doing so, we have contributed to the efficient distribution of millions of dollars. 

We support Strategic Goal 4 by promoting healthier diets and reducing the risk of foodborne illnesses. More than 12,000 youths in 

Georgia have been given training in food education. Also, the university conducts world-renowned research on sheep and goat herds, 

as well as the development of healthier livestock products. 

We have done groundbreaking research in peach trees, identifying factors that contribute to tree survival and fruit production. 

We also have programs that do training to educate farmers and 

ranchers about the offerings of the USDA. We have a mobile information technology center that assists the elderly and shut-ins. 

Last year it is estimated that we were able to save Georgians more than $51⁄2 million. We appreciate the support that we have 

received in the past, and we know that increased funding can enable us to become a unique demonstration farm for resource-constrained small farmers and ranchers. 

Producers must become environmental stewards, and so we envision that we can create a dynamic nutrient-cycling system for sustainable, organic, small-scale production. It can save costs. We can 

produce food to be consumed on our campus, and also we can assist 

in helping the United States fortify its position as the world leader 

in food production. 

Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to report on what 

Fort Valley State University has done and can do. Thank you. 

[The prepared statement of Dr. Bailey follows:] 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF JESSICA M. BAILEY, PH.D., INTERIM PRESIDENT, FORT

VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY, FORT VALLEY, GA 

Testimony on the request to the Task Force for $37 Million Each Year for Five 

Years in the Areas of Motivating and Educating Students for Achievement; 

Innovative and Sustainable Small Farmers, Ranchers and Landowners; and 

International Engagement and Development before the U. S. House of Representatives for the Committee on Agriculture July 13, 2015. 

11 

Chairman Conaway, Ranking Member Peterson, and Members of the House Committee on Agriculture. My name is Jessica Bailey and I serve as the Interim President of Fort Valley State University. 

It is indeed an honor to be here along with my fellow colleagues to testify on the 

impact of United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) funding on the 1890 

land-grant universities. Fort Valley State University was established in 1895 and 

was designated a land-grant university pursuant to the Second Morrill Act of 1890. 

The school’s College of Agriculture, Family Sciences and Technology offers undergraduate programs in eight areas and graduate programs in Animal Nutrition, Reproductive Biology, and Animal Products Technology, Plant Biotechnology, Animal 

Biotechnology and Applied Biotechnology. 

Thank you for the opportunity to share our work and offer insights into how 

USDA funding received via Evans-Allen Program, 1890 Institutions Extension, 1890 

Capacity Building Grants, McIntire-Stennis Cooperative Forestry, Cooperative Extension, Teaching Grants, and other research grants has been impactful and how, 

if enhanced, we could be even more effective. 

With regards to USDA Strategic Goal 1, assisting rural communities to create prosperity so they are self-sustaining, re-populating, and economically 

thriving, FVSU has supported development, production and consumption of renewable energy and biobased products. The National Institute of Food and Agriculture 

(NIFA) states the importance of sustainable bioenergy describing it as ‘‘valuable to 

the nation’s ability to create new jobs and promote rural prosperity’’. USDA Federal 

funding has helped FVSU address the challenges in the production of sustainable 

bioenergy. 

Additionally, FVSU researchers have been working on developing a sustainable 

bioenergy system using Paulownia elongata trees as an alternative fuel. Our current 

research indicates that there is immense potential for Paulownia as a bioenergy 

crop for farmers and growers in the southeastern United States. Our preliminary 

studies indicate that Paulownia can be harvested as a short rotation tree crop after 

18–20 months for the production of ethanol or bio-gasoline and for timber in a 7– 

8 year rotation. 

FVSU and Oklahoma State University are also evaluating sweet sorghum as a potential renewable energy crop for ethanol production. This high carbohydrate producer crop can be cultivated on marginal lands, has low input requirements and is 

adapted to nearly all temperate climates. 

Several power generation companies have visited our experimental research farm 

to see the potential application of our bioenergy research in moving toward biomassbased power generation. We have introduced biodiesel processing basics to over 500 

4–H and FFA students in Georgia with one high school student winning a countywide science fair and competing in an international science fair. 

Fort Valley State University has been able to educate over forty low to moderate 

income families on Energy Audits and to distribute energy related publications to 

over 240 Georgians through its Project GREEN, which stands for Georgia Residential Energy Efficiency Network. Through the GREEN Project, residents received 12 

free energy audits providing for an additional savings of $4,800.00, 14 free energy 

kits that provided an energy efficiency saving of $20,007.68, and 484 CFL’s were 

distributed to Georgia residential homes resulting in a $32,525.00 energy efficient 

equipment cost savings. FVSU also partnered with the Middle Georgia Community 

Action Agency to perform weatherization upgrades valued at more than $10,000 for 

eligible senior citizens. 

Additionally, FVSU has initiated an investigation on the use of forestry woods 

and energy crops (switchgrass) as renewable energy sources for power generation 

through combustion for greenhouse heat. In fulfilling Objective 1.1 of enhancing 

rural prosperity, including leveraging capital markets to increase government investment in rural America, FVSU has provided Stronger Economies Together training to Georgia’s designated SET teams. As a result of the SET training both teams 

received approximately 40 hours of technical assistance to aid them in the development of their high quality plans to address an aspect of their region’s community 

and economic development deficiencies. The teams’ coverage area encompassed 24 

counties, of which approximately 96% are designated as StrikeForce counties. 

Another objective of USDA Strategic Goal 1 is to protect the foundation of the Agricultural System. In order for this to happen, the nation must recruit and train a 

new generation of agricultural scientists and also increase the number and diversity 

of students entering the agricultural and food sciences fields. Fort Valley State University is involved in this effort in many ways. 

Through one grant, FVSU has increased awareness of career opportunities in food 

and agriculture among high school students in Georgia and increased the number 

of minorities in the agricultural economics professional workforce by providing unVerDate Mar 15 2010 10:57 Aug 20, 2015 Jkt 041481 PO 00000 Frm 00015 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 P:\DOCS\114-22\95605.TXT BRIAN
12 

dergraduate agricultural economics students the opportunities for professional development which translates into higher retention rates and higher graduation rates. 

Results of this program included one FVSU agricultural economics major being on 

the second place team at the Southern Agricultural Economics Association quiz 

bowl. Additionally two FVSU students won second and third places at the Biennial 

Research Symposium of the Association of 1890 Research Directors student paper 

competition. 

Under another grant, FVSU is enhancing the number and quality of underrepresented populations in agricultural economics to satisfy the demand for highly 

qualified personnel in the workforce and in graduate education. Results during the 

first year included an enhanced appreciation for the scope of agriculture and participation in the MANRRS National Conference to further develop communication and 

professional skills and an enhanced understanding of the scope of agriculture. 

A separate grant had as its objective to enhance the quality of animal science undergraduate and graduate degree programs by incorporating hands-on experience in 

molecular technologies in instruction. An additional goal is to expose K–12 students 

to agricultural biotechnology through mini-projects and workshops. Such students 

with practical experience in molecular technology will be better prepared to (a) 

make career decisions, (b) pursue graduate studies and, (c) seeking employment in 

industry, academia and government agencies. As a result of this program, an 8th 

grader from Fagan Mill Middle School in Houston County conducted a research 

project entitled, ‘‘Plasmid DNA transformation in E. Coli: effect of microwave on 

transformation efficiency’’. The student received first prize for his project in a regional science fair and was selected for the Georgia State Science Fair at the University of Georgia where he also received two prizes. Workshops have been conducted at local high schools to inspire students to major in Ag biotechnology. 

A grant whose goal is to empower youth by assisting them in developing leadership, career and interpersonal skills will include a summer weeklong tour of agribusiness firms, government agencies, and 1862 research institutions. After completion of the 8 month program students will be expected to apply for summer research 

internships with 1862 and 1890 institutions, governmental agencies or industry. 

Another of FVSU’s projects aims to increase recruitment and retention of minorities in veterinary medicine at all levels. FVSU offers the only accredited Bachelor 

of Science degree in veterinary technology in the University System of Georgia, and 

the only accredited Veterinary Technology Program at a Historically Black College 

and University. 

In an additional future grant, FVSU aims to enroll and graduate at least 15 students in agricultural biotechnology at FVSU through systematic and proven outreach to local high schools focusing on underrepresented students. The project will 

advance the institution’s and NIFA’s missions to recruit, retain and graduate higher 

numbers of professionals in plant biotechnology. 

FVSU has submitted and been permitted to develop a proposal for a Food Science 

BS program. While we are awaiting final approval, the establishment of this new 

Food Science program was recommended by the project evaluation committee at the 

beginning of this funded teaching project. 

Our U.S.-Honduras partnership has the goal of strengthening global competence 

of students and faculty in food and agricultural sciences, expanding their global 

awareness in a Central American culture, and introducing them to a new global vision through collaborative partnerships with Honduran institutions. 

As a result of all of these grants FVSU has been ranked No. 11 in producing agricultural undergraduate degrees; No. 28 in producing electronic engineering technology undergraduate degrees; and No. 47 in producing family and consumer science 

undergraduate degrees for persons of African-American descent. FVSU is also 

ranked No. 34 in producing agricultural undergraduate degrees for all minority 

races. In graduate programs, FVSU is ranked No. 25 in producing graduate degrees 

for persons of African-American descent, in the biological and biomedical sciences 

programs, which would include our graduate programs in public health, animal 

science and biotechnology. 

With regards to USDA Strategic Goal 2, to ensure our National Forest and private working lands are conserved, restored, and made more resilient to climate 

change, while enhancing our water resources, one of the objectives that helps accomplish this goal is through the improvement of the health of the nation’s forests, 

grasslands and working lands by managing natural resources. Of Georgia’s 24.7 million acres in forestland, nearly 18 million acres are owned by private non-industrial 

landowners. Timber is the highest valued vegetative crop in Georgia. Georgia’s forest resource creates a $12.7 billion direct economic impact in the state. 

FVSU’s Cooperative Extension Program is collaborating with the University of 

Georgia Cooperative Extension Service, USDA Rural Development, USDA Forest 

13 

Service and other agencies to address the issues of minority forest landowners not 

receiving any technical assistance and/or information that will assist them in their 

operation of maintaining and managing their forestlands to maximize their operation’s income. The impact of this program is an increase in the overall knowledge 

of 350 landowners in the following topic areas: wills and estate planning, timber 

management and marketing, USDA cost-sharing programs, wildlife management, 

and land management including surveying. Additionally, factsheets on the Tree Assistance Program have been developed and distributed throughout the FVSU Extension 30 county area. 

Landowner Initiative for Forestry Education or (LIFE) Program resulted in twenty workshops being conducted for more than 1,300 landowners. FVSU hosted ten estate planning clinics, which resulted in 45 estate plans saving Georgians over a 

quarter of a million dollars and succession plans involving $33 million in homes and 

assets. 

In relation to USDA Strategic Goal 4, which is to ensure that all of America’s 

children have access to safe, nutritious, and balanced meals, FVSU has promoted 

healthy diets, physical activity, and the improvement of access to nutritious food. 

A key priority of NIFA is addressing the causes of obesity and finding effective 

interventions. We believe that if we can address the obesity problem in children, 

then we will have healthier adults. FVSU, as part of the Expanded Food and Nutrition Extension Program (EFNEP), is helping parents feed their children healthier 

meals and snacks, save money on food and reduce the risk of foodborne illnesses. 

Nutrition education is also provided to youth ages 4 through 18. USDA EvansAllen Funding has helped FVSU develop economically viable nutritional strategies 

that result in healthier goat products and sustainability of small goat farms. The 

impact of this work is that dairy goat farmers can replace a large amount of corn 

with smaller amounts of soybean oil in goat diets to produce milk with a healthier 

fatty-acid composition. 

The FVSU 4–H program has engaged 3,000 youth in healthy living activities resulting in improvement of dietary choices, improvement of attitudes toward and understanding of healthful foods, increased willingness to try new nutritional foods, increased understanding of the elements of sound nutrition and daily caloric need 

versus physical exercise, and increased participation by the family in eating together. In 2014, the FVSU 4–H program also engaged 12,543 youths in experiential 

learning opportunities in an effort to increase their knowledge, skills, competencies, 

and experiences. The impact of the Program resulted in raising enough money to 

contribute to rebuilding a fire damaged local library and gaining national recognition. Also, FVSU is in the process of creating a Mobile Food and Nutrition Unit that 

will expand our food safety, nutrition and health education outreach programs. This 

is in addition to our on campus facility that supports teaching, research and extension programs. 

Fort Valley State University works with farmers in order to reduce infection by 

gastrointestinal nematodes that threaten the economic viability of the farmer and 

the health of the sheep or goat. Because of the work of Fort Valley State University 

and a consortium of others, farmers have greatly improved the sustainability of 

their sheep and goat production systems through the use of Sericea lespedeza and 

other condensed tannin-containing plants. This has helped farmers reduce synthetic 

drug usage by up to 90 percent which saves approximately $150–$200 per 100 animals per year and identify and retain parasite-resistant breeding stock. Anemia detection has also been made easier for sheep and goat producers because of work of 

the consortium. 

Fort Valley State University researchers have demonstrated the use of non-thermal technology for the destruction of E. coli on goat carcasses and continue to evaluate cost-effective pathogen reduction strategies and food safety training for small 

and very small meat processors in Georgia. The impact of this project to Georgia’s 

agriculture is the enhanced safety and marketability of meat products through the 

improvement of processing intervention treatments or a combination of treatments 

applicable to small and very small processors and an increased knowledge of food 

safety practices. 

Fort Valley State University is researching the sustainability of the dairy goat industry and limited resource dairy goat farmers through the development of goat 

milk infant formula, reduced fat and reduced cholesterol goat cheeses and yogurts, 

iron fortified and CLA enhanced goat cheeses. Additional Federal funding is allowing the development of nutritionally enhanced small ruminant meat and dairy products with high levels of antioxidants and longer shelf stability. 

FVSU Agricultural Research on winter cover crops based dryland and irrigated 

farming systems for the production of field and vegetable crops has contributed to 

increased use of winter cover crops in the cultivation of important cash crops, such 

14 

as cotton and corn in Georgia. More than 35 years of FVSU research on peach tree 

short life and rootstock has accomplished a wider understanding of biotic and abiotic 

stress factors responsible for reducing tree survival, orchard longevity, and fruit production. FVSU’s biotechnological investigations, involving development of in vitro 

plant regeneration protocols amenable to genetic enhancement, indicates that peach 

is a highly recalcitrant species. 

To provide support to beginning farmers and ranchers in agriculture and to improve outreach and communication to military veterans about farming and ranching 

opportunities, FVSU has conducted three quarterly workshops impacting Georgia’s 

StrikeForce counties that have engaged 245 participants on USDA programs, GAP/ 

GHP certification, organic and sustainable food production, conservation and assistance available from USDA and local farm support agencies. FVSU has several 

agreements with USDA agencies to assist beginning farmers and small and limited 

resource farmers. FVSU also provides technical assistance to under-served farmers 

in the development of farm conservation plans. 

Additionally, the 2014 Farm Bill provides support for conservation practices. 

FVSU research has demonstrated that cover crops improve soil quality by increasing 

soil organic nitrogen and carbon composition, and can also enhance spring soil microbial activity essential for release of nutrients for a subsequent summer cash crop. 

County extension agents serving 34 counties (primarily StrikeForce Counties) assist 

small and limited resource farmers, as well as veterans and ranchers in a variety 

of ways. Family and Consumer Science Agents afford homeowners opportunities relating to safety, food preparation, and nutritional planning. 

FVSU has an 18 acre organic farming system where farmers are exposed to organic tree, shrub and vine fruit growing, organic barrel gardening, organic small 

plot gardening, organic hoop house gardening, and organic animal production. We 

have year-round breeding of goats, genetic manipulation in goats that can lead to 

production of goats with larger muscle mass, year-round marketing of dairy goat 

products and recognition from the American Dairy Science Association. Sheep breed 

evaluation resulted in the establishment of additional flocks of sheep in the Southeast. Meat/goat/buck performance testing by our researchers in studying growth and 

muscle development, internal parasite tolerance, behavior, and reproductive capacity of bucks of different breeds has created an awareness of the importance of using 

scientific data, in addition to physical appearance of animals, in selection programs. 

FVSU work has helped producers understand the extent of genetic differences within a herd and its relationship to performance. 

The Georgia Small Ruminant Research and Extension Center (GSRREC) at Fort 

Valley State University (FVSU) is the largest such facility east of the Mississippi 

River and is recognized as a national leader in goat research. Small ruminant scientists, producers, and individuals interested in goat production visit the facility 

from all over the world. 

Our Mobile Information Technology Center educates communities on record-keeping and accessing USDA information on the web. It is also used to assist in providing services to veterans and others who need to utilize technology to access government services via the web. Additionally, working with the State Health Insurance Assistance Program and the Senior Medicare Patrol, we have saved Georgians 

more than $51⁄2 million. 

Life on the Farm (LOTF) is a live animal mobile exhibition providing firsthand 

knowledge of farm life and how it affects each person on a daily basis. The Life on 

the Farm educational program is presented throughout the state at locations such 

as schools, daycare centers, public libraries, churches, town festivals, fairgrounds 

and other public meeting places. Life on the Farm completed 50 visits to sites in 

18 different cities. Across Georgia, 6474 youth and 1154 adults participated in the 

Life on the Farm experience. 

We appreciate the long-running support that this Committee has shown for agricultural research, extension, and higher education at Fort Valley State University. 

A continuation of funding for Fort Valley State University will allow the university 

to (1) contribute significantly to the United States being a world leader in the production of bioenergy and at the same time provide a source of revenue for small and 

limited resource farmers and ranchers, (2) improve the economic viability of rural 

families through reducing energy consumption and an diversification of agricultural 

products, (3) increase the number of students of color into the agricultural industry 

while also offering these students the global knowledge and skills necessary to operate in today’s global economy, (4) increase the nutrition, diet and health of limitedresources families with an emphasis on reducing obesity, (5) enhance 4–H and youth 

skills in science, technology and math, (6) improve technology proficiency for farmers, senior citizens, youth and other rural Americans, and (7) provide education opVerDate Mar 15 2010 10:57 Aug 20, 2015 Jkt 041481 PO 00000 Frm 00018 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 P:\DOCS\114-22\95605.TXT BRIAN
15 

portunities for landowners in sustaining and/or increasing their land productivity. 

These are things we have done and will continue to do. 

But our service to the State of Georgia and to this nation can expand with your 

increased assistance. It will enable Fort Valley State University to become a unique 

showplace as a demonstration farm for small farmers and ranchers who are resource constrained. Small and limited resource farmers make up a majority of the 

farms in the United States. In the Southeast, many of these farmers are former tobacco producers, interested in growing other high-value crops for better long-term 

economic stability. Many farmers, both organic or conventional, are concerned about 

energy costs, fertilizer costs, soil management, water use and quality, invasive species management, alternative pest control methods, climate change, and the production of crops on their farms. Developing integrated agriculture production systems 

(plant and animal) which address these factors for small-scale producers and entrepreneurs would greatly benefit farmers in rural and economically depressed regions 

of the United States. FVSU’s goal is to develop an integrated plant and animal agriculture production system as a model for small-scale producers and entrepreneurs 

to improve sustainability in these regions. 

With increasing fertilizer costs and environmental consequences of nutrient runoff, developing low cost sustainable nutrient management systems is important for 

limited resource farmers not only for cost savings, but for environmental stewardship. In order to create a dynamic nutrient cycling system for sustainable/organic 

small farm production integrating plant and animal systems, FVSU could establish 

a 50 acre demonstration farm to (1) identify agricultural waste for compost and 

feeding for soil nutrient management and animal production, (2) develop safe and 

sustainable effluent and aquaponic systems with vegetable crops and an aquaculture species, (3) develop a sustainable forage-based small ruminant management 

practice, and (4) assess the economic sustainability of the proposed integrated system of production. By combining plant and animal systems, agro-diversity and profitability will be optimized by creating year-round income for small producers, dynamic food webs, and nutrient systems with high-value crops in economically depressed regions. Additionally, food produced on this model farm will be served at 

our campus dining establishments, which will contribute to developing a campus 

culture that promotes sustainable foods and environmental stewardship. Last, 

FVSU will be making a contribution to helping the U.S. incrementally fortify its status as the world leader in agricultural innovation. 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Dr. Bailey. 

Dr. Martin, your 5 minutes. 

STATEMENT OF HAROLD L. MARTIN, SR., PH.D., CHANCELLOR, 

NORTH CAROLINA AGRICULTURAL AND TECHNICAL STATE 

UNIVERSITY, GREENSBORO, NC 

Dr. MARTIN. Good morning, Chairman Conaway, Ranking Member Peterson, Members of the House Committee on Agriculture. 

With special recognition being given to Congressman David Scott 

for his commitment to 1890 land-grant institutions, Congressman 

David Rouzer of North Carolina, and North Carolina A&T University graduate, Congresswoman Alma Adams, who has served as a 

Representative and advocate for more than 20 years, both in the 

North Carolina General Assembly, and now in the U.S. House of 

Representatives. 

I am Harold Martin, Chancellor of North Carolina A&T State 

University; and, Mr. Chairman, I am absolutely pleased to be here 

to testify before this Committee today. 

Today’s hearing provides 1890 land-grant institutions the opportunity to highlight the innovative research being performed by our 

outstanding faculty, discuss the return on investment we provide 

to our local, state and regional economies through the education, 

research, and outreach we provide, and I will offer recommendations for ways the Federal Government can further support the 

1890 community. 

16 

Established in 1891, shortly after the passage of the Second Morrill Act, North Carolina A&T State University is a university with 

a variety of academic and research programs, serving approximately 10,700 students. Provides throughout its history ladders of 

opportunity to high-achieving students seeking a superior education and ensuring the betterment of under-served communities in 

North Carolina and beyond. 

In an era when family farms and farmland are rapidly disappearing from the American landscape, farm Census data shows 

that African-American farms in North Carolina are on the rise. Despite these successes challenges still loom for the small and minority farm communities. The A&T provides these farmers opportunities to enhance their success through dedicated and knowledgeable 

extension agents, deploying new science and innovative farming 

techniques, developed by faculty and other institutional partners. 

Three examples illustrate the outstanding work that our faculty 

and staff do. First, the Piedmont Triad region where the university 

is located was ranked one in the nation for food insecurity by the 

Food Research and Action Center. USDA has also designated 24 

food deserts in the City of Greensboro. In recognizing that need, 

A&T has partnered with the City of Greensboro to establish the 

city’s first urban farming enterprise to serve residents of longstanding food deserts. 

A&T is now training those residents in best practices for urban 

farming, providing communities with nutritional programming 

aimed at reducing obesity, diabetes, and other chronic diseases. 

The expectation is that this site will become a model for other communities across the state. 

Second, in October 2014, National Geographic published an extensive expose ́ on North Carolina’s persistent hog waste and the 

challenges it created for fisheries and water resources. Heeding the 

call to action, A&T’s swine unit used research, supported by the 

Evans-Allen program, developed new technologies to attack this 

problem. 

As a result, the Bioadhesive Alliance, an A&T spin-off company, 

was established to market technology for hog-waste derived bioasphalt and bioadhesives that performs better and is produced at 

a fraction of the cost of petroleum-derived asphalts and adhesives. 

This product, which has been named PiGrid, has the potential to 

convert North Carolina’s 15.5 million tons of hog waste from a costly environmental issue into a green source of revenue for our state 

and our farmers. 

Such innovative research underscores A&T’s relevance to North 

Carolina’s economy where agriculture is the largest industry, contributing $78 billion to the state’s economy. 

And finally A&T’s USDA federally-funded research has resulted 

in notable success important to allergy sufferers. Food scientists in 

our School of Agriculture have developed a post-harvest process for 

reducing the major allergens in peanuts. This research has produced the University’s newest spin-off company, AlrgnBio, which is 

now marketing hypoallergenic peanut technology to technologies 

for food companies. The same A&T research team hopes to expand 

its research to allergen-reducing processes for soy, wheat, and tree 

17 

nuts for the benefit of millions of Americans who suffer from these 

dangerous food allergies. 

Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member, and Committee, as you can see, 

the investments made to A&T through USDA National Institute of 

Food and Agriculture funding have led to scientific breakthroughs 

and innovations in agriculture that have created a real return on 

investments for our taxpayers. To sustain the level of innovation I 

have described, competitive funding is essential. 

A&T fully supports President Obama’s Fiscal Year 2016 NIFA 

budget request which includes an increase from Fiscal Year 2015 

to support Central State University, the newest 1890 land-grant 

university, and encourages Members of Congress to continue to 

make overall NIFA funding a high priority. 

A&T and its fellow 1890 institutions have always about done 

more with less. However, it has never been by choice. Secretary of 

Agriculture Thomas Vilsack recently cited studies that show that 

every dollar invested in agriculture research returns $20 to the nation’s economy. Unfortunately, each year 1⁄2 or more of the 1890s 

do not get the full match from the states they serve, and most are 

required to complete burdensome waiver documentation to become 

eligible for at least a portion of Federal funds allocated. A&T requests that Congress provide additional oversight to ensure that 

states meet their obligation for providing the one-to-one match, a 

requirement to encourage states to provide eligible formal funding 

to each land-grant university in each state. 

Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member, and Members of the Committee, thank you for this opportunity to testify before the Congress. 

[The prepared statement of Dr. Martin follows:] 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF HAROLD L. MARTIN, SR., PH.D., CHANCELLOR, NORTH

CAROLINA AGRICULTURAL AND TECHNICAL STATE UNIVERSITY, GREENSBORO, NC 

Chairman Conaway, Ranking Member Peterson, and Members of the House Committee on Agriculture; with special recognition being given to Congressman David 

Scott for his commitment to 1890 land-grant institutions and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University graduate—Congresswoman Alma Adams, 

who has served as a representative and advocate for our university for more than 

20 years, both in the North Carolina General Assembly and now in the U.S. House 

of Representatives. 

I am Harold L. Martin Sr., Chancellor of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (N.C. A&T) in Greensboro, North Carolina. Mr. Chairman, I 

am pleased to submit my written testimony for the official hearing record. 

Mr. Chairman, today’s hearing provides 1890 land-grants the opportunity to highlight the innovative research being performed by our outstanding faculty, discuss 

the ‘‘return on investment’’ we provide to our local, state and regional economies 

through the education, research and outreach we provide, and offer recommendations for ways the Federal Government can further support the 1890 community. 

Background: N.C. A&T and the Second Morrill Act of 1890 

Yesterday 

In 1890, Congress passed the Second Morrill Act, which included the stipulation 

that African-Americans be included in the U.S. land-grant higher education system 

without discrimination. With southern and border states unwilling to admit AfricanAmerican students to their universities, many of states established second landgrant institutions. The Agricultural and Mechanical College for the Colored Race— 

now N.C. A&T—was established as that second institution in the State of North 

Carolina by an act of the General Assembly, ratified on March 9, 1891. Originally 

operating in Raleigh as an annex to Shaw University, the college made a permanent 

home in Greensboro. In 1915, state legislators changed the college’s name to the AgVerDate Mar 15 2010 10:57 Aug 20, 2015 Jkt 041481 PO 00000 Frm 00021 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 P:\DOCS\114-22\95605.TXT BRIAN
18 

ricultural and Technical College of North Carolina; and in 1967, they elevated it to 

university status. A&T became a constituent university of the University of North 

Carolina in 1972. 

Today 

N.C. A&T is a learner-centered community that develops and preserves intellectual capital through interdisciplinary learning, discovery and engagement, and is 

committed to fulfilling its fundamental purposes through exemplary instruction, 

scholarly and creative research, and effective public service and engagement. A&T 

is dedicated to providing ‘‘ladders of opportunity’’ to high-achieving students seeking 

a superior education and is committed to creating a campus climate that fosters student satisfaction and a sense of community. The university’s academic and outreach 

efforts illustrate how campus and community collaborations enhance the quality of 

life for the citizens of North Carolina, the nation, and the world. Through the years, 

A&T has adapted its curriculum to strengthen science, technology, engineering and 

mathematics (STEM)—its academic core and foundation. Riding the crest of the 

technological revolution, A&T has moved rapidly to blend its academic and research 

programs with the needs of society and industry, forming a symbiotic relationship. 

A&T is ranked by the Carnegie Classification System as a ‘‘doctoral/research university’’ and, for the past 9 years, has ranked third among The University of North 

Carolina system’s member institutions for sponsored research funding. With an enrollment of nearly 11,000 students, A&T is recognized as the largest among the nation’s historically black colleges and universities, and the School of Agriculture and 

Environmental Sciences at A&T is the largest school of its kind among the nation’s 

HBCUs. A&T ranks No. 1 in the nation for the number of baccalaureate degrees 

in engineering awarded to black or African-Americans (American Society for Engineering Education) and is the top producer of African-Americans with undergraduate degrees in STEM disciplines, arts and humanities, and education. Notably, 

the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching selected A&T for its 2015 

Community Engagement Classification. 

Tomorrow 

A&T considers the social, economic and global challenges facing higher education 

as opportunities for a new 21st century renaissance. The goals established for its 

future, recognize the importance of embracing diverse populations of students and 

pursuing research agendas that focus on the solutions to critical world issues such 

as poverty, health care, adequate and secure foods, clean water and other problems 

that challenge global sustainability. Educational delivery methodologies will continue to transcend older limitations imposed by time and space. As laid out in our 

strategic plan, ‘‘A&T Preeminence 2020,’’ A&T is a university committed to embracing the history, traditions and outstanding accomplishments of its rich past and creating a future as a global driver of technology-enhanced scholarship, teaching, learning, and engagement. 

A&T’s Commitment to Under-Served Communities 

In an era where family farms and farmland are rapidly disappearing from the 

American landscape, North Carolina farm Census data shows that African-American owned farms in North Carolina are on the rise, having increased in number 

from 1,491 in 2007, to 1,637 in 2012. Overall acreage under cultivation in these enterprises has increased by nearly 20,000 acres. Despite these successes, challenges 

loom for North Carolina’s small farming community, and particularly, for new farmers. According to North Carolina farm Census data, 86 percent of African-American 

farms had gross sales of less than $50,000 and 51 percent of those farmers’ sole 

source of income is farming. Small farmers of all races are also aging and nearing 

retirement and unfortunately, only three percent are under 34 years old. A&T is 

committed to providing the education and training needed to attract and retain the 

next generation of farmers and has done so through effective community outreach 

and innovative undergraduate and graduate programs. 

A&T is striving to make small farming in North Carolina more profitable and 

more attractive, while continuing its unique mission to serve minorities in rural 

communities. Through new ideas like our Small Farms Collaborative and Local 

Foods and Health Initiative (funded through the 1890 Facilities Program), A&T 

plans to use its 492 acre farm as a strong community education resource for local 

food production. Elements of the farm plan mentioned include a food processing facility to teach entrepreneurs how to add value to North Carolina agricultural products, a pasture-based dairy and creamery producing A&T-branded yogurt, ice cream 

and artisanal cheeses for revenue production, an organic vegetable production research and demonstration site, a student-run farm, and land for community gardens 

that will be available to residents of the surrounding communities. 

19 

A&T’s Commitment to the Piedmont Triad Region 

The Piedmont Triad where A&T is located, was recently ranked No. 1 in food insecurity in the nation by the Washington-based Food Research and Action Center. 

USDA has designated 24 food deserts in the city of Greensboro and many more than 

that exist across the state. In recognizing a need, A&T has partnered with the city 

of Greensboro to establish the city’s first urban farming enterprise to serve residents 

of long-standing food deserts. The city has already provided land and committed additional resources, and A&T has engaged several enthusiastic and well-established 

community groups, which the agriculture school will train in best practices for 

urban farming. The expectation is that this site will become a model for other communities across the state. 

A&T’s School of Agriculture faculty have also been active in getting a new Guilford County Food Council chartered, which is dedicated to strengthening the local 

food system by supporting local farms, growers and other food businesses to create 

access to healthy food to all communities. 

In addition to assisting small farms with newly created agriculture technologies, 

A&T’s Cooperative Extension service is also helping families and communities, particularly in impoverished rural counties, with nutrition programming aimed at: reducing obesity, diabetes and other chronic diseases; parenting classes for troubled 

families; financial literacy training; and youth development through 4–H programs. 

Cooperative Extension specialists at A&T have also partnered with Wal-Mart for research and farmer education on organic strawberries. In addition, the Cooperative 

Extension Program is developing organic vegetable production technologies and conducting research to serve small-scale meat producers with assistance from 1890 extension program funding. 

A&T’s Commitment to North Carolina 

In October 2014, National Geographic published an extensive expose ́ on North 

Carolina’s persistent hog waste problem and the challenges it creates for North 

Carolina’s fisheries and water resources. Heeding the call to action, A&T’s swine 

unit used preliminary research supported by the Evans-Allen program to develop solution oriented technology. As a result of those efforts, The Bioadhesive Alliance— 

an A&T spin-off company—was established to market the technology for hog-waste 

derived bioasphalt and bioadhesives that perform better and can be produced at a 

fraction of the cost of petroleum derived asphalts and adhesives. This product, 

which has been named PiGrid, has the potential to convert North Carolina’s 15.5 

million tons of hog waste from a costly environmental issue into a profitable, green 

source of revenue for our state and our farmers, and will create savings for Departments of Transportation and industries that rely on adhesives. 

A&T’s Commitment to All 

A&T’s USDA federally-funded research has resulted in notable success important 

to allergy sufferers. From the university’s Carver Hall, a building named after agricultural researcher George Washington Carver, who is renowned for his work with 

peanuts, A&T food scientists are continuing his legacy. They recently developed a 

post-harvest process for reducing the major allergens in peanuts by 98 percent or 

more. This research has produced the university’s newest spin-off company, 

AlrgnBio, which is now marketing the hypoallergenic peanut technology to food companies. This same A&T research team hopes to move on to research allergen reducing processes for soy, wheat and tree nuts, for the benefit of millions of people who 

suffer from these dangerous food allergies. Such innovative agricultural research underscores A&T’s relevance to North Carolina, where agriculture is the largest industry, contributing $78 billion to the state’s economy, accounting for more than 17 percent of the state’s income, and employing 16 percent of the workforce. 

FY 2016 Budget Request 

1890 land-grant universities provide much of the research and education that sustain U.S. food production and delivery, while addressing many urgent and important 

local, regional, and national needs. Financial support for this global innovation 

comes from both public and private sources, but the most significant funding source 

is the Federal-state partnership managed by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). 

A&T fully supports President Obama’s FY 2016 NIFA budget proposal request 

(which includes an increase from FY15 to support Central State University—the 

new 1890 land-grant university) and encourages Members of Congress to continue 

to make overall NIFA funding a high priority and specifically requests funding for 

the six core NIFA priorities (Agriculture and Food Research Initiative, Smith-Lever 

3(b)–(c) Hatch Act, Evans-Allen, 1890 Institutions Extension, McIntire-Stennis CoVerDate Mar 15 2010 10:57 Aug 20, 2015 Jkt 041481 PO 00000 Frm 00023 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 P:\DOCS\114-22\95605.TXT BRIAN
20 

operative Forestry, 1994 Institutions Research and Extension) that support research, education, and extension efforts at America’s land-grant universities. 

Evans-Allen One-to-One Match Oversight 

A&T and its fellow 1890s institutions have always done ‘‘more with less.’’ However, it has never been by choice. Since being signed into law in 1977, the EvansAllen Act and the National Agricultural Research Extension and Teaching Policy 

Act (NAREPTA) of 1977 have provided critical base funding for agricultural research and Extension programs at 1890 institutions. The investments made in 1890 

universities by Evans-Allen and NAREPTA funding have led to scientific breakthroughs and innovation in agriculture that has created a real return on investment. Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack recently cited studies that show that 

every dollar invested in agricultural research returns $20 to the economy. 

Unfortunately, each year 1⁄2 or more of the 1890s do not receive the full match 

from the states they serve. This shortage means that each year, 1⁄2 or more of the 

1890 institutions are confronted with a burdensome need to produce waiver documentation in order to become eligible for at least some of the Federal farm bill funds 

allocated over the 50 percent threshold. According to the Association of Public and 

Land-grant Universities’ (APLU) policy briefing entitled Land-Grant but Unequal: 

State One-to-One Matching Funding for 1890 Land-Grant Universities; ‘‘From 2010 

to 2012, 56 percent of the 1890 land-grant institutions did not receive 100 percent 

of the one-to-one matching funds from their respective states for either extension 

or research. The loss of funding to 1890 land-grant universities due to states not 

meeting the one-to-one match requirement for between 2010 and 2012 is nearly $57 

million.’’ 

At this time, A&T requests that Congress provide additional oversight to ensure 

that states meet their obligation for providing the one-to-one match requirement 

and to encourage states to provide equitable formula funding to each land-grant university within each state. 

Conclusion 

In conclusion, Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member, and Members of the Committee, 

thank you for the opportunity to be one of six 1890 university Presidents and 

Chancellors to testify before you today. It is my hope that the opportunities for improvement and recommendations mentioned today are considered as you move forward with budget negotiations. 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Dr. Martin. 

Dr. Mangum, you have 5 minutes. 

STATEMENT OF ELMIRA MANGUM, PH.D., PRESIDENT, 

FLORIDA AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL UNIVERSITY, 

TALLAHASSEE, FL 

Dr. MANGUM. Good morning, Chairman Conaway, Ranking Member Peterson, and distinguished Members of the House Committee 

on Agriculture. Thank you, Representative Graham, for the kind 

introduction and also for your service to Florida and the nation. 

On behalf of our board and 10,000 students, 3,000 faculty and 

staff, and 70,000 alumni, including the Honorable David Scott, 

thank you, Mr. Chairman, for this invitation. 

The strength of Florida’s $120 billion agricultural industry is due 

in part to the strength of the state’s two land-grant institutions, 

Florida A&M University and the University of Florida. With the research of these institutions, we have been able to improve our 

methods of production. Our extension services share the technologies and techniques born in the labs and classrooms with Florida urban and rural communities. One beneficiary of Florida 

A&M’s research is Jasmine Hall, a recent graduate. Federal funding allows FAMU to foster early research experiences to undergraduates like Jasmine. Working with Professor Violeta Tsolova at 

our Center for Viticulture and Small Fruit Research, Ms. Hall has 

earned public recognition as the first young scientist to clone a 

21 

gene from the muscadine grape. Identifying and using grape’s antioxidants as a dietary supplement will help to reduce cancer, obesity 

and improve human health overall. 

FAMU holds nine patents in agriculture, including one for the 

distinct cultivar of the muscadine grape plant, the Majesty Grape. 

The vines of this cultivar are vigorous, productive, and disease resistant. 

Our research programs through our four research centers contribute to the advancement of new knowledge and scientific discoveries that have national and international implications through a 

variety of initiatives, including developing biological strategies to 

control invasive pests and plants like the honeybee mite. These 

invasive species interrupt agricultural production, as you know. 

Our researchers are also working on developing best management practices for efficient use of fertilizers in tomatoes and field 

corn that reduce water contamination and enhance farm profitability. Partnering with agencies such as the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and the USDA Animal Health Inspection Service, FAMU is poised to play a more prominent role in 

helping to promote agriculture in Florida, the nation, and the 

world. 

Our Vet Tech Program and Biological and Agricultural Systems 

Engineering Programs are just two examples of this partnership. 

At FAMU, the NRCS has been the lifeblood of the base program, 

and APHIS has been the lifeblood of the Veterinary Medicine Technology Program. 

BASE is a biologically-based engineering discipline that integrates agricultural, biological, chemical, environmental, life, and 

engineering sciences. It focuses on solving problems and designing 

systems related to the preservation and enhancement of natural resources and the environment, as well as biological and agricultural 

production and processes. 

Approximately 65 percent of all African-American doctorates in 

BASE programs are graduates of two ABET accredited programs, 

North Carolina A&T University and Florida A&M University. The 

Cooperative Extension Program at the College of Agriculture and 

Food Sciences serves as the outreach arm of FAMU. This program 

provides services throughout the entire State of Florida. 

A few examples of these programs include the Farm to School 

Program, FAMU Statewide Small Farm Program, School and Community Gardening, and the Family Resource Management Program. These programs have reached approximately one million 

children in Florida and adjacent states, improved sales, developed 

community gardening and farming skills and assisted approximately 300 individuals with home ownership. 

The transfer of the 3,800 acres in Brooksville, Florida by the 

USDA Agricultural Research Service to Florida A&M will be the 

single largest land transfer to a historically black college in history. 

The transfer will enable FAMU to develop educational training and 

developmental programs for new and beginning farmers and ranchers and to teach them the latest biotechnical innovations. 

With your continued and enhanced support, we will continue to 

use these resources to expand our teaching, research, and extenVerDate Mar 15 2010 10:57 Aug 20, 2015 Jkt 041481 PO 00000 Frm 00025 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 P:\DOCS\114-22\95605.TXT BRIAN
22 

sion programs to serve the increasing needs of our state and our 

nation. 

We have adopted a university wide commitment to advancing agricultural innovations, drawing on the strengths of our many colleges and institutes. To realize this vision, FAMU will leverage its 

research across the State of Florida, including extension programming at satellite locations and research and development at the 

Brooksville property. 

FAMU is well-positioned to help Florida and the nation meet the 

agricultural demands of the 21st century and beyond. And, again, 

on behalf of Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, I 

thank you, Mr. Chairman, and Committee for this opportunity. 

[The prepared statement of Dr. Mangum follows:] 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF ELMIRA MANGUM, PH.D., PRESIDENT, FLORIDA

AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL UNIVERSITY, TALLAHASSEE, FL 

Introduction 

Good morning. Chairman Conaway, Ranking Member Peterson, and distinguished 

Members of the House Committee on Agriculture. Thank you, Representative 

Graham, for your kind introduction and your service to Florida and the nation. 

On behalf of our more than 10,000 students, 3,000 faculty and staff, and 70,000 

Alumni, including the Honorable David Scott, the Honorable Corrine Brown, the 

Honorable Alcee Hastings, and the Honorable Al Green. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, 

for this invitation. 

Founded on October 3, 1887, we are proud of our 127 year legacy of providing access and opportunity for thousands who but for FAMU would never have had the 

opportunity to fulfill their dream of getting a college degree. More than 65 percent 

of our students are Pell Grant recipients and come from households with income 

below $40,000 annually. 

Agriculture, as you know, is a critical component of Florida’s and America’s economy. Data provided by your former colleague Commissioner Adam Putnam of the 

Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services show that Florida has 

47,000 commercial farms, encompassing a total of 9 million acres, and contributes 

more than $120 billion to our state’s economy and supports two million jobs. 

The strength of Florida agriculture is due, in part, to the strength of the state’s 

two land-grant institutions—Florida A&M University and the University of Florida. 

With the research of these institutions, we’ve been able to improve our methods 

of production. Our extension services share the technologies and techniques born in 

the labs and classrooms with Florida urban and rural communities. 

One such beneficiary of FAMU’s research is Jasmine Hall, a recent graduate. Federal funding allows FAMU to foster early research experiences to undergraduates 

like Jasmine. Working with Professor Violeta Tsolova at our Center for Viticulture 

& Small Fruit Research, Ms. Hall has earned public recognition as the first young 

scientist to clone a key gene from muscadine grapes. Identifying and using the 

grape’s antioxidants as a dietary supplement will help to reduce cancer, obesity and 

improve human health overall. Ms. Hall’s breakthrough work will appear in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Biotechnology & Biomaterials. 

FAMU holds the patent for the distinct cultivar of the muscadine grape plant, the 

Majesty Grape. The vines of this cultivar are vigorous, productive and disease resistant. 

Our research programs through our four research centers contribute to the advancement of new knowledge and scientific discoveries that have national and international implications through a variety of initiatives, including developing biological 

strategies to control invasive pests and plants like the Tropical Soda Apple, Japanese Beetle, Asian Longhorn Beetle, Asian Black Carp, Hydrilla and many others 

that interrupt agricultural production, tourism, recreation, and commercial fishing. 

These invasive species also diminish local property values and threaten our $15 billion honeybee industry. 

Our researchers are also working on developing best management practices for efficient use of fertilizers in tomatoes and field corn that reduce groundwater contamination and enhance farm profitability. 

Partnering with agencies such as the USDA Natural Resources Conservation 

Service—the NRCS, and the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, or 

23 

APHIS, FAMU is poised to play an even bigger role in helping to promote agriculture in Florida, the nation, and the world. 

Our Vet Tech Program and Biological and Agricultural Engineering Systems 

(BASE) Program are just two examples of this partnership. At FAMU, the NRCS 

has been the lifeblood of the BASE Program and APHIS has been the lifeblood of 

the Vet Tech Program. I will talk briefly about BASE. 

BASE is a biology-based engineering discipline that integrates the agricultural, biological, chemical, environmental, life, and engineering sciences. It focuses on solving problems and designing systems related to the preservation and enhancement 

of natural resources and the environment, as well as biological and agricultural production and processes. Because of this diverse background, BASE students are 

uniquely qualified to understand the many different facets of a project from an engineering perspective. This diverse background also enables them to function exceptionally well on multidisciplinary teams. 

Approximately 65 percent of all African-American doctorates in BASE programs 

are graduates of two schools—North Carolina A&T University and Florida A&M 

University. Forty-five (45) percent of all BASE graduates have gone on to pursue 

graduate degrees at over 21 different colleges nationwide; most were on undergraduate scholarships provided by the NRCS. 

The Cooperative Extension Program at the College of Agriculture and Food 

Sciences serves as the outreach arm of FAMU. This program serves the entire State 

of Florida. A few examples of these programs include: 

• Farm to School Program. 

• FAMU Statewide Small Farm Program. 

• School and Community Gardening. 

• Family Resource Management Program. 

These programs have reached approximately one million children in Florida and 

six adjacent states, improved sales, developed community gardening and farming 

skills and assisted approximately 300 individuals with home ownership. 

The transfer of 3,800 acres in Brooksville, Florida by the USDA Agricultural Research Service to Florida A&M University will be the single largest transfer of land 

to a historically black college or university in history. The transfer will enable 

FAMU to develop educational training and developmental programs for new and beginning farmers and ranchers and to teach them the latest biotechnological innovations and other key initiatives. 

With your continued and enhanced support, we will continue to use these resources to expand our teaching, research and extension programs to serve the increasing needs of our state and nation. 

We have adopted a university wide commitment to advancing agricultural innovations drawing on the strengths of our Colleges of Agriculture and Food Sciences, 

Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, the Schools of Business and Industry and 

the Environment, and the Institutes of Public Health and Sustainability. 

To realize our vision, FAMU will leverage its reach across the State of Florida, 

including extension programming at satellite locations and research and development at the Brooksville property. 

With additional funding to support our research and outreach initiatives, we can 

help to provide solutions to our food security and safety, energy and water resource 

problems, increase agriculture output through new and improved farming techniques and biological pest control and management, improve local economies by 

training small ranchers and farmers, and address health issues by providing nutritional training and growing healthy food in our community gardens. 

FAMU is well positioned to help Florida and the nation meet the agricultural demands of the 21st century and beyond. 

Again, on behalf of Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University thank you, 

Mr. Chairman, for this opportunity. 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Dr. Mangum. 

Dr. Johnson, 5 minutes. 

STATEMENT OF BRIAN L. JOHNSON, PH.D., PRESIDENT, 

TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY, TUSKEGEE, AL 

Dr. JOHNSON. Chairman Conaway, Ranking Member Peterson, 

Members of the Congressional Committee, on behalf of Tuskegee 

24 

University, I am very pleased to report to you on this day regarding Tuskegee University and its work with 1890s. 

Tuskegee University is pleased to report that funding received 

from the agricultural research and extension have resulted in innovations in science, education, and economic development of importance to the State of Alabama, the southern region and the nation. 

Agricultural programs, as Congressman Scott pointed out, began in 

Tuskegee in 1896 when George Washington Carver joined the 

Tuskegee faculty and pledged to serve alongside of Booker T. 

Washington. Carver contributed significantly to southern agriculture through his research and extension activities. 

Now there are roughly 3,100 students at Tuskegee University; 

2,100 of these students are in STEM or STEM-related fields. Research and extension programs at Tuskegee University focus on 

fruit and vegetables and food animals produced by small farmers 

with emphasis on profitability. This program is important because 

it is a partnership of socially disadvantaged and under-served 

farmers working together in clusters with Wal-Mart, Lipman, Pura 

Vida, W.P. Rawls and other commercial marketers to provide fresh, 

locally grown fruits and vegetables to commercial retailers. 

Importantly, Tuskegee University assisted the farmers in passing 

farm audits for the GAP, Good Agricultural Practices Harmonized 

Food Safety Standards required by commercial markets. This partnership has demonstrated potential for bringing jobs and economic 

development to persistent poor counties in Alabama and other 

states. The results are an excellent illustration of effective use of 

1890 land-grant capacity funds to support farm and agribusiness 

based on economic development in rural communities. 

Tuskegee University scientists continue work on peanuts through 

genome analysis focused on disease resistant gene identification 

and mapping; sweet potatoes through breeding new varieties, enhancing nutrition through plant biotechnology, and developing new 

crop uses for food and fuel. Tuskegee researchers have targeted reduction in parasites in meat animals by using molecular and genetic-based technologies and through a patented system that uses 

a plant bark as an effective natural feed supplement. 

A patented chemical treatment enhances reusability for poultry 

litter for application to land by reducing excess phosphorous levels 

by 90 percent. Another patent Tuskegee researchers have developed detects foodborne pathogens in poultry in hours versus days 

or weeks, thus potentially preventing human illness. 

Agroforestry research is assessing the dual impact of pine stand 

control, caprine parasite control, and related economic viability of 

long leaf and loblolly pine stands. And diet, nutrition, and exercise 

programs are focused on intervention strategies to reduce obesity 

and cancer and improve the overall health of youth and adults. 

One project targets 8 to 15 year old children in multiple counties 

to determine food preferences and influence the food access and 

food quality in rural counties. 

We are pleased that recent data indicates Tuskegee University 

ranks number 1 in the nation in African-American graduates in agriculture, agriculture operations, and related sciences, number two 

in African-American graduates in natural resources and conservation, number 1 in graduating African-Americans in veterinarian 

25 

medicine and is among top producers in African-American engineers. 

Our funding challenges and opportunities: Our work with small 

farmers is important because they represent 90 percent of all farmers, control more than 50 percent of the land, and have the potential to increase jobs and economic development across many rural 

communities, especially if they work together. The models we are 

developing can be duplicated in other states and regions of the 

United States, especially in areas with persistent poverty. This 

would simultaneously assist the commercial markets and consumers because of savings in energy and transportation costs and 

the increased local product quality and freshness can be passed on 

to consumers. 

One final remark, in 1998 and 1999, Congress made provisions 

for an 1890 land-grant university to obtain one-to-one matches 

from states for Capacity Research and Extension Grants. Fifteen 

years later, this is a work still in progress for many states. For Fiscal Year 2015–2016, Tuskegee University will be at a .87-to-1 ratio, 

the highest ratio obtained since the required match inception, and 

we are grateful to all involved. 

Once again, we thank Congress for its support of not only 

Tuskegee University, but its sister 1890 institutions. 

[The prepared statement of Dr. Johnson follows:] 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF BRIAN L. JOHNSON, PH.D., PRESIDENT, TUSKEGEE

UNIVERSITY, TUSKEGEE, AL 

Historical Perspective 

Tuskegee University is pleased to report that funding received for Agricultural 

Research and Extension has been instrumental in developing agricultural research 

programs of importance to the State of Alabama, the ‘‘Southern Region, and the nation.’’ Tuskegee University’s agricultural programs began in 1896 when famed scientist, George Washington Carver joined the Tuskegee University faculty and 

pledged to Booker T. Washington to do ‘‘all I can through Christ who strengthens 

me to better the condition of our people.’’ Carver contributed significantly to southern agriculture, through his research and Extension activities on peanuts, cotton, 

sweet potatoes, southern peas and other commodities. His testimony before Congress in 1921 was well received and helped to protect U.S. farmers. Carver’s Bulletin #43 Nature’s Garden for Victory and Peace published during World War II 

helped provide nutrition information during times of scarcity and his design of the 

first ‘‘Wagon on Wheels’’ led to the Jesup Wagon and selection of the first demonstration agent, Thomas Campbell in 1906, a forerunner of the Cooperative Extension, which was formally established in 1914 by Congress. Carver’s work set the 

tone in the south for using science based information to improve agricultural production by farmers, including African-American farmers who were struggling to survive and make a living during challenging times. 

Carver, the scientist and humanitarian never lost sight of his mission for going 

to Tuskegee . . . ‘‘to help his people,’’ and in so-doing helped the entire south 

through promotion of peanuts and other legumes as rotation crops for cotton and 

(2) introducing sustainable agricultural practices that permitted small (mostly tenant) farmers to survive. It was not until 1967 that the 1890 land-grant universities 

received their first funding for agricultural research from USDA. This amount was 

increased slowly by Congress over many years. During this time Tuskegee University developed areas of research and Extension that focused on counties with persistent poverty, commonly called Black Belt Counties, both because of its dark, Prairie soils and also the relatively high African-American populations. This strategic 

selection of geographic and demographic foci complemented and did not duplicate 

research and Extension activities by other institutions in the state. 

Current Research and Extension Successes 

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26 

ers with emphasis on profitability. This important program has developed into a 

partnership of socially disadvantaged and under-served farmers working together in 

clusters with Wal-Mart, Lipman, Pura Vida, W.P. Rawls and other commercial markets to provide fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetable to commercial retailers. Importantly, Tuskegee University assisted the farmers in passing farm audits for 

‘‘Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) Harmonized Food Safety Standards,’’ required 

by commercial and other markets. This relatively new partnership of small farmer 

clusters and commercial markets has demonstrated great potential for bringing jobs 

and economic development to persistent poor counties in Alabama and other states. 

The current progress is based upon many years of Tuskegee University’s research 

and Extension staff working with small farmers and rural communities because of 

Capacity Research and Extension funds. The results are an excellent illustration of 

effective use of capacity funds to support farm- and agribusiness-based economic development in poor rural communities. 

Today Tuskegee University scientists continue work on: peanuts through genome 

analysis focused on disease resistant gene identification and mapping; plant breeding of sweet potatoes to produce new varieties; enhancing crop nutrition through 

plant biotechnology and developing new uses of crops for food and fuel. Research 

by Tuskegee scientists has targeted reduction in parasites in meat animals such as 

goats and sheep using two approaches: (1) molecular and genetic-based technologies 

are being used to find effective solutions and (2) a system was patented that uses 

plant bark as a natural feed supplement. Another recent patent is a chemical treatment that makes reusable poultry litter better for application to the land by reducing excess phosphorus levels by about 90 percent, while retaining the other essential 

elements needed for plant growth. Still another patent by Tuskegee scientists detects different foodborne pathogens in poultry in hours versus days or weeks. This 

time-saving invention can be used to rapidly find out which pathogens may be 

present in poultry samples and prevent human illness. 

Agroforestry research is uniquely assessing the dual impact of pine stand control 

and caprine parasite control on economic viability and fire suppression on long leaf 

and loblolly pine stands via controlled foraging by food animals. Integrated Research 

and Extension Programs are assessing the impact of diet, nutrition and exercise on 

youth and adult obesity and cancer. One project targets 8 to 15 year old children 

in multiple counties to determine food preferences and influence the food access and 

food quality in rural counties. The goal is to develop effective intervention strategies 

to reduce obesity and improve their overall health. 

Innovations and Successes in Education and Service 

We are pleased that recent data indicates Tuskegee University ranks number one 

in the nation in African-American graduates in ‘‘Agriculture, Agriculture Operations, and Related Sciences’’, number two in African-American graduates in Natural Resources and Conservation; number one in graduating African-Americans in 

Veterinary Medicine and is among top producers of African-American Engineers. 

We are pleased to report that eight USDA agencies joined with Tuskegee University to form the Carver Integrative Sustainability Center at Tuskegee University 

that brings together faculty and staff from all disciplines to work on problems systemically associated with small social disadvantaged and under-served farmers and 

rural communities. We are learning to work together across agency and university 

department lines to better serve the public and protect our natural resources. Students of all levels (K–12, community college, undergraduate and graduate levels) are 

integrally involved and receive invaluable ‘‘hands on’’ experiences and other programs. A benefit of such partnerships is that students are gaining interest in agriculture, including seeking food and agricultural careers such as agronomy, horticulture, animal science, food science, natural resources and agribusiness. There is 

high demand for food and agriculture majors by the food and agriculture industry 

and recent data indicates the need for such majors is increasing. Universities such 

as Tuskegee University and other 1890 land-grant universities provide much needed 

talent and diversity for such industries. 

We take special note of our successful integrative graduate programs and their 

success in producing outstanding scientists, engineers and health professionals. In 

particular our Materials Sciences and Engineering Ph.D. Program and leadership 

were cited by both President George Bush and President Barack Obama for its longterm research and student development that have served our nation and industry 

well. The Integrative Biosciences Ph.D. students address agriculture, and related environmental and health problems from multi-disciplinary approaches; these students 

serve as great role models for undergraduate students and the Integrative Biosciences graduates are serving our nation in key government, academic and private 

sector positions. Newer graduate programs in Interdisciplinary Pathobiology, AgriVerDate Mar 15 2010 10:57 Aug 20, 2015 Jkt 041481 PO 00000 Frm 00030 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 P:\DOCS\114-22\95605.TXT BRIAN
27 

cultural and Environmental Sciences Engineering, and Integrative Public Policy and 

Development will produce well-trained agricultural scientists, engineers and policy 

specialists needed by our nation to address challenges of the future, including preparing for a global world population increase from seven billion to a nine billion population by 2040. Enhanced funding for such innovative programs will strengthen the 

diverse undergraduate and graduate pipeline needed by the private sector, government, academia other sectors as documented in recent reports. 

Funding Challenges and Opportunities 

Our work with small farmers is important because they represent 90% of all farmers, control more than 50% of the land and have the potential to increase jobs and 

economic development across many rural communities, especially if they work together for optimum volume, scale, efficiency, sustainability of operations and marketing. Most socially disadvantaged farmers gross under $10,000 and very small 

farmers make a profit. This is contrasted with the top 15% of farmers classified as 

large farmers who make 90% of the profit. The models we have developed can be 

duplicated in other states and regions of the United States, especially in areas with 

persistent poverty. If funds are enhanced we could reach more small farmers and 

impact more communities in a positive way. This would simultaneously assist the 

commercial markets and consumers because of reduced transportation and storage 

costs associated with distance based supply of perishable goods like fresh fruits and 

vegetables. These savings in energy and transportation costs and the increased 

product quality and freshness can be passed on to consumers. There are many gaps 

along the supply chain that require integrated research and Extension solutions. We 

have the momentum and passion to get the job done and have presented a plan to 

USDA that involves all states with 1890 land-grant universities working together. 

We look forward to your support. 

As a final note, in 1998–99 Congress made provisions for 1890 land-grant universities to obtain 1:1 matches from states for Capacity Research and Extension 

Grants. Fifteen years later this still is a work in progress for many states. For FY 

2015–16 Tuskegee University will be at a 0.87:1 ratio, the highest ratio attained by 

Tuskegee University since the inception of the required match and we are grateful 

to all involved. We look forward to next year going ‘‘over the top’’! 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you Dr. Johnson. 

Dr. Bell, 5 minutes. 

STATEMENT OF JULIETTE B. BELL, PH.D., PRESIDENT, 

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE, PRINCESS 

ANNE, MD 

Dr. BELL. Chairman Conaway, Ranking Member Peterson, and 

Members of the Committee, good morning. My name is Juliette 

Bell. I am the President of the University of Maryland Eastern 

Shore, and I also have the pleasure of serving as the chair of the 

Council of 1890 Universities and the co-chair of the USDA 1890 

Task Force established by the Secretary of Agriculture. 

On behalf of the 1890 universities, thank you for this great opportunity to testify before this Committee as we celebrate our 

125th anniversary of the Second Morrill Act which established the 

1890 universities. Today the 1890 universities continue to focus on 

teaching of practical agriculture, science, and mechanical arts to 

improve and uplift our communities. Collectively the 1890s have 

led the way in innovation, discovery, and outreach and have provided access to educational opportunities for countless thousands of 

students across this country. 

For more than a century, the University of Maryland Eastern 

Shore has embraced and advanced the land-grant mission. The 

funding we received has enhanced the university’s capacity to deliver practical education and training for our students. There are 

three critical areas where the funding has had the greatest impact. 

28 

These are in workforce development, research and innovation, engagement and outreach. 

Today the challenge of developing an educated, diverse, highlyskilled, and innovative workforce remains a top priority. With 67 

percent African-American students, UMES is one of the most diverse campuses of the University System of Maryland, ensuring access to all students. We offer eight baccalaureate degrees, four 

master’s, and three Ph.D. degrees in Critical Science, Technology, 

Engineering, Agriculture, and Mathematics areas. 

Our role in providing access and opportunities for many who otherwise may not have had the opportunity to attend college is critical. UMES and the other 1890 universities face great challenges 

compared to our 1862 counterparts in providing a quality education 

for many students who are first-generation, economically disadvantaged, and often under-prepared for college, and we do this with 

less funding. 

UMES has leveraged its annual Federal research capacity appropriation of about $1.5 million to establish nationally recognized 

programs in key areas such as food security and safety, obesity prevention, forestry, and conservation of coastal and marine living resources. Our unique geographic location between the Atlantic 

Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay on the Delmarva Peninsula has positioned the university to strategically provide critical research and 

serve as an economic engine for our region. For instance, given the 

importance of food and water security, our scientists are exploring 

how unmanned aerial vehicles, UAVs, can be used in precision agriculture to improve the efficiency of water use and the application 

of nutrients to large farm plots. 

Given our location in the heart of Maryland’s billion dollar poultry industry, our faculty and students have been invaluable in generating knowledge on food safety. Our extension faculty are working directly with the seafood industry, another important sector in 

Maryland, to support the safety of seafood products. 

Through our strong extension and outreach programs, we continue to address the challenges related to rural poverty and health 

services of under-served populations in urban areas. For many 

years UMES has conducted a small farms outreach initiative for 

farmers in the region with the goal of improving the economic conditions of small-scale, limited-resource, and socially disadvantaged 

farmers to provide educational programs that improve their farm 

management skills and expedite their participation in USDA farm 

programs. 

Continued strategic investment in the 1890s at the state and the 

Federal level will allow us to carry on our mission. Greater investment will allow us to be more competitive and effective at producing a diverse workforce to engage in the research and outreach 

that addresses the many issues facing our world today and tomorrow. 

As we celebrate this momentous 125th anniversary of the signing 

of the Second Morrill Act of 1890, we look back with pride on our 

accomplishments and forward to the many challenges that our 

1890s universities can and will address with your continued support. Strategic investment in the 1890s is investment in the future. 

29 

Again, I thank you for your continued commitment and support 

of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and all of the 1890s 

universities. Thank you. 

[The prepared statement of Dr. Bell follows:] 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF JULIETTE B. BELL, PH.D., PRESIDENT, UNIVERSITY OF

MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE, PRINCESS ANNE, MD 

Meeting 21st Century Challenges for Innovation in Agriculture, Science, Engineering and Technology 

To each of you, the Members of the United States House of Representatives, good 

morning/afternoon. 

My name is Dr. Juliette B. Bell and I am honored to bring you greetings not only 

as President of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, but also as the Chair of 

the Council of 1890 Universities of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, and as Co-chair of the USDA/1890 Taskforce, established by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. 

Congressman Justin Morrill, one of the founders of the Republican Party, authored the Land-Grant College Act of 1862, ‘‘in order that colleges be established 

for the endowment and support of the education of the ‘‘sons of toil;’ ’’ that they 

should be educated not only in classical studies and military drill, but also in the 

mechanical arts, and agriculture, which Morrill described as ‘‘the foundation of all 

present and future prosperity.’’ 

Enacted in the midst of the Civil War, The Morrill Act, as this legislation would 

become known, did not provide for the education of the African-American citizenry, 

as segregation of races prohibited the admission of African-Americans to these landgrant colleges. 

Following the Civil War, in the years of reconstruction, Senator Morrill continued 

his advocacy for the ‘‘sons of toil’’, this time seeking to include those citizens of color 

who were not provided for under the original Act. 

Thus, in 1890, with the enactment of the Second Morrill Act, funds from the sale 

of public lands were set aside for ‘‘the more complete endowment and maintenance’’ 

of land-grant colleges except that no funds would be distributed to states where 

there was a ‘‘distinction of race or color’’ in admissions. However, the Act did stipulate that ‘‘the establishment and maintenance of such colleges separately for white 

and colored students’’ would be considered compliant with the Act provided the state 

‘‘equitably divided’’ those funds between the institutions. 

And so, in Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Ohio, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, 

Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia, 19 universities, founded primarily 

for the education of African-American ‘‘sons and daughters of toil’’, were designated 

land-grant institutions, with the notion that educational opportunity was not reserved for an elite few, but available to all, regardless of race or class. 

Today, these 19 universities celebrate the 125th anniversary of the Second Morrill 

Act, which made it possible for each of these universities to fulfill Senator Morrill’s 

mission. 

Indeed, the land-grant mission, established more than a century ago, remains as 

relevant today as it was in 1890. Today, the 1890 universities continue to focus on 

the teaching of practical agriculture, science and mechanical arts to improve and uplift our communities in a time when race and class remain obstacles for so many. 

Collectively, the 1890s, as these universities are called, have led the way for innovation, discovery, and outreach and have provided access to education and opportunities for countless thousands of students across the country. 

Founded in 1886 as the Delaware Conference Academy with a mission focused on 

educational opportunity for former slaves and freemen, the University of Maryland 

Eastern Shore was designated as Maryland’s ‘‘1890’’ university. 

For more than a century, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore has embraced 

and advanced the land-grant mission. 

At this time, I would like to take a few moments to introduce you to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, our programs and our accomplishments as a result 

of the funding we receive to advance the land-grant mission. 

Statistical Information 

• Located on more than 1,100 acres on Maryland’s Delmarva Peninsula. 

• Over 4,200 students. 

• 270 full and part-time faculty. 

30 

• 14:1 student to faculty ratio. 

• 78% of our students are Maryland residents, with a significant number from 

others states and some 30 nations. 

• 67% African-American, 33% other race students. 

Our Programs 

• 38 undergraduate majors including: Agriculture and Agribusiness. 

• 22 graduate programs including masters and doctoral degree programs in Food 

and Agricultural Sciences, Food Science and Technology and Marine and Estuarine Sciences, Natural Resource Sciences and Quantitative Fisheries and Resources Economics. 

Funding 

The university’s annual operating budget is approximately $141 million. 

For FY 2015, UMES received $3,861,253 in Federal capacity support for research, 

extension, facilities and forestry while our sister institution received $6,867,792 for 

its capacity programs. 

Impact of Funding 

The funding we receive has enhanced the university’s capacity to deliver practical 

education and training for students, particularly in areas of innovation in science, 

engineering and technology. But, perhaps most critical have been the developments 

in agriculture, food and natural resources sciences. 

In the next few minutes I would like to address three critical areas where the 

funding has had the greatest impact. These areas are: 

• Workforce Development. 

• Research and Innovation. 

• Engagement and Outreach. 

Workforce Development 

Clearly the nation’s emphasis on the development of human capital has been the 

most essential ingredient in ensuring continued growth. Today, the challenge of developing an educated, diverse, highly skilled, and innovative workforce remains a 

top priority. The foresight of Senator Morrill was truly inspired. 

As an 1890 institution, UMES’ role in providing access and opportunities for 

many who would otherwise not have had a college education is critical. Today, 

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. We offer 

eight baccalaureate degrees, four master’s, and three Ph.D. degrees in critical 

Science, Technology, Engineering, Agriculture, and Mathematics (STEAM) areas. 

In many ways institutions such as ours face even more hurdles in comparison to 

our 1862 counterparts in ensuring that we provide quality education to many students who are often under-prepared for college. Such students often require greater 

attention and support—a challenge we have embraced by being innovative in our 

educational approaches. 

Research and Innovation 

UMES has leveraged its annual Federal research capacity appropriation of about 

$1.5 million to establish nationally recognized programs in key areas such as food 

security and safety, water security, obesity prevention, forestry, climate change 

mitigation, and conservation and use of coastal and marine living resources. Using 

our unique geographic location between the Atlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay 

on the Delmarva Peninsula, we have positioned ourselves strategically to provide 

critical research and serve key constituents in our region. 

Our scientists have continued to position themselves at the cutting edge of new 

innovations. For instance, given the importance of food and water security, our scientists are exploring how unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) can be used in precision agriculture to improve the efficiency of water use and application of nutrients 

to large commodities such as corn with very promising results. 

Just over a decade ago we established a state of the art research facility with Federal and state support. This facility and its nationally recognized faculty have become a nucleus for critical research on poultry and seafood safety and quality, Dr. 

Salina Parveen, one of our food safety specialists, serves on the Secretary of Agriculture’s National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods. 

Given our geographic location on the Eastern Shore, in the heart of Maryland’s 

$8.5 billion poultry industry, our faculty and students have been invaluable in generating knowledge on food safety. Our extension faculty are working directly with 

31 

the seafood industry, another important sector in Maryland to support the safety 

of seafood products. More recently and in collaboration with USDA ARS and FDA, 

UMES is at the heart of critical research on fresh produce safety, as well. 

Our research enterprise extends to a number of other important areas, and the 

potential for growth is immense. 

Engagement and Outreach 

It is critical for us as a land-grant university to address the many national challenges and one of these has to do with rural poverty and health. Through strong 

extension programs, we have over the years strengthened our services to small 

farms and rural communities as well as the under-served in urban areas. 

Thus, recognizing the importance of providing a firm foundation for our children, 

our youth development programs provide a supportive setting for all youth to reach 

their fullest potential. Through 4–H and STEAM initiatives, youth learn beneficial 

cognitive and life skills through community-focused, research-based experiential 

educational programs. 

UMES participates in the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program 

(EFNEP), with initiatives targeting both youth and adults and thus achieving the 

primary goal of improving the diets of limited resource families and thus enabling 

them to enjoy better health, an improved quality of life, and increased productivity. 

For many years, UMES has implemented a Small Farm Outreach Initiative for 

farmers in southern Maryland and along the Delmarva Peninsula with the primary 

goal of improving the economic conditions of small-scale, limited-resource, and socially disadvantaged farmers by providing educational programs and training that 

improve their farm management skills and expedite their access to and participation 

in USDA farm programs. 

The Future 

We continue to seek ways to enhance our ability to deliver solutions in key areas. 

Indeed, this year we have initiated a process of consolidating our capacity in key 

areas where we can deliver meaningful outcomes. To this end we have recently 

launched four centers. 

• Chesapeake Water Quality Center, 

• Center for Obesity Prevention, 

• Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development, and 

• International Center for Personal Protective Equipment. 

These centers will allow us to form strong and enduring partnerships to deliver 

solutions for the people of Maryland, the nation and world. 

Continued strategic investment in the 1890s at the state and Federal levels will 

allow us to continue carrying on the mission that was envisioned by Senator Morrill. 

Greater investments will allow us to be even more competitive and effective at producing an educated and diverse workforce to address the many issues that face our 

world today. As we celebrate this momentous 125th anniversary of the signing of 

the Second Morrill Act of 1890, we look back with pride on our accomplishments 

and we [look] forward to the many challenges that our 1890 universities can and 

will address, with your continued support. 

Strategic investment in the 1890s is investment in the future. 

Again, thank you for your continued commitment and support of the University 

of Maryland Eastern Shore and all of 1890 universities. 

The CHAIRMAN. Well thank you, Dr. Bell. 

I want to thank all our witnesses. Great stories across all six institutions. I know if the other 12 Chancellors and Presidents could 

have made an opening statement, they would have similar stories. 

The record of the hearing will be open for 10 days for any of the 

other universities who want to make a statement. We will include 

those in the record as if you had actually testified. 

The chair will remind Members they will recognized for questioning in order of seniority for Members who were here at the 

start of the hearing. After that, Members will be recognized in 

order of arrival. I appreciate the Members’ understanding. 

We do have all 18 Presidents with us today, so if Members would 

like to ask a President who is not seated at the witness table a 

question, they will be welcome to do so. 

32 

I now recognize myself for 5 minutes. Again thank you very 

much, each of you, for being here. 

Dr. Wright, could you talk to us a bit about how Prairie View 

A&M works with the other institutions, the other A&M’s, as well 

the other institutions in Texas, to coordinate and not duplicate and 

not overlap each other? 

Dr. WRIGHT. Okay. Prairie View is a member of the Texas A&M 

system, and as such, we are fortunate in being located no more 

than 40 miles away from Texas A&M University. Therefore, some 

of the facilities they have, world class facilities, our students go 

there and use those facilities in meat processing, dairy activities, 

and the like. 

Also, Tarleton University, West Texas A&M University, other 

system universities, our agriculture deans and faculty meet on a 

regular basis, and so they interact. If you look at the Hispanic-serving institutions of Texas, Prairie View often works with those institutions when it comes to research projects; and so consequently 

there are instances where Prairie View may be the lead, other 

times one of the other institutions, whether it is Texas A&M or one 

of the other Hispanic-dominated schools will as well, so we find it 

very important. 

And I would also add that Langston University in Oklahoma and 

Prairie View were involved in a goat and sheep project in Ethiopia 

for 5 years where we introduced in seven different regions of that 

massive country—which is twice the size of Texas, to give you a 

sense—that we introduced tens of thousands of new goats and 

sheep, which were 1⁄3 larger than the animals there in Ethiopia, 

which made a big difference there. 

I would close on this point by saying, with the fellow HBC institutions, we compete against them in athletics, but when it comes 

to other activities, we work closely with them on various research 

projects. 

The CHAIRMAN. I appreciate that. Dr. Martin, you and I were 

having a brief conversation about the way you link in with small 

farmers and the production, you mentioned a pretty great success 

story on hog waste and the impact—excuse me, Dr. Davis, or Mr. 

Davis—the hog waste issue that you talked—can you flesh out that 

about how you get the ideas, how you link in with what is actually 

needed on the farm to what you are doing at your university? 

Dr. MARTIN. Thank you, Chairman Conaway. One of the things 

that our university does, first, is we brand extension activities collaboratively with our colleagues at NC State, the 1862 in North 

Carolina. 

We also spend an inordinate amount of our time deploying members of our faculty and staff and administration and extension 

agents out into the communities where there is the greatest need 

throughout our state to meet with community leaders, to meet with 

the farmers of those communities on their land. Assessing with 

them what their greatest needs are, whether it be soil-related 

issues, business planning models, or whether it be transitioning 

from one set of crops to a new set of crops, to understand what 

those farmers’ needs are. We invite them to our campus to understand what their greatest needs are as well. 

33 

And through those interactions, we frame strategies for a collective group of the farmers in a particular region and particular singular plans for a particular farmer to meet that farmer’s needs, 

quite frankly. 

And so this is an ongoing, regular conversation with our constituents so that we are better understanding the needs of our farmers; 

and through the research we do in working collaboratively with our 

partners, we deploy best science, best technology. 

The CHAIRMAN. I appreciate that. Dr. Rome, would you mind 

stepping up to a microphone and answering a question real quick? 

RESPONSE OF KEVIN D. ROME, SR., PH.D., PRESIDENT, 

LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, JEFFERSON CITY, MO 

Dr. ROME. Yes. 

The CHAIRMAN. Yes, sir. Could you visit with us about what is 

the top success story at your institution? 

Dr. ROME. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for asking that. We pride 

ourselves in organic farming, and so all of our farms, everything we 

do is organic, and we have a commitment to maintaining that. 

The CHAIRMAN. All right. Thank you. I yield back the balance of 

my time. The gentleman from Minnesota is recognized for 5 minutes. 

Mr. PETERSON. Dr. Johnson, you mentioned in your testimony 

the need for additional funding to reach out to small farmers? 

Dr. JOHNSON. Yes. 

Mr. PETERSON. Are you receiving funds through the Agriculture 

and Food Research Initiative or through the smaller programs like 

the Section 2501 outreach grants and the beginning farmer and 

rancher development programs? 

Dr. JOHNSON. Yes. The last part of your question I could not 

quite—— 

Mr. PETERSON. All right. The Section 2501 outreach grants, 

which is tied to the beginning farmer-rancher development programs, are—— 

Dr. JOHNSON. I am not quite familiar with that particular section, but I will certainly follow-up with both you and your staff immediately following. 

Mr. PETERSON. Are you getting funds through the Agriculture 

and Food Research Initiative programs? 

Dr. JOHNSON. Yes, we are. 

Mr. PETERSON. Okay. The other thing I noticed in your testimony 

is that you are the number one producer of African-American veterinarians in the country. That is something in Minnesota we have 

prided ourselves in and we have a tremendous veterinary school. 

It is, however, a real challenge in getting enough, especially large 

animal veterinarians, to fulfill the need. Your veterinarians, are 

they large animal, small animal practitioners? 

Dr. JOHNSON. Well, I am not exactly sure of the percentage, but 

certainly we have a number of students who have graduated and 

have gone into large animal work. I would be happy to give you the 

exact percentages of who is involved with small animal versus large 

animal. 

Mr. PETERSON. Thank you. Dr. Wright, you mentioned the challenge of getting state matching funds. Can you walk me through 

34 

what parts of this require state matching funds and how that all 

works exactly and what the problem you are having with it? 

Dr. WRIGHT. Okay. Okay. Years ago—I am in my 12th year as 

President of Prairie View—there was no match requirement, but 

eventually it became a 25 percent, so the State of Texas would 

have to put up X amount for us to then get Y amount. So if we 

were getting $10 million, the state would have to match with $2.5 

million. 

Mr. PETERSON. Do you know what year that happened? 

Dr. WRIGHT. It has been over, I would say over a 10 year period. 

It has gone from 25 to 50 to 75, and now it is at 100. Well, what 

USDA has done fortunately is that when we have not made the 

match—we have not made the match the last two times—they have 

given us a waiver whereby they look at our effort to receive the 

match, and then they have the discretion to waive it. 

Mr. PETERSON. So they are up to 100 percent now? 

Dr. WRIGHT. Yes. 

Mr. PETERSON. So in other words, whatever we are going to provide, the state has to come up with 100 percent? 

Dr. WRIGHT. Right. That is my understanding. So our legislature 

has finished, and if my memory is correct, we are something like 

$3 million short. This time we needed $11 million, and we received 

more like $8 million, so we are in the situation now where we will 

contact USDA and ask again for the match. 

Mr. PETERSON. Are these on all the grants, or are these on some 

specific areas? 

Dr. WRIGHT. It is on our research and extension area. 

Mr. PETERSON. Is this required—I should know this, but is this 

required of the other land-grant universities throughout the whole 

system? 

Dr. WRIGHT. Yes, it is. And the Texas A&M for instance, in our 

system, they have a much larger operation, and so they receive 

various pools, and so consequently they are able to make their 

match in that regard, from a number of different things. We just 

don’t have as large a pool. 

As you may know, Texas A&M is one of the largest public universities in the country with some 55,000 students, and they are 

located in every county in Texas. Prairie View is not, but we have 

8,000, almost 9,000, and we are located in only 30 counties. 

Mr. PETERSON. Thank you. Thank you very much. I yield back. 

The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman yields back. Mr. Scott from Georgia, 5 minutes. 

Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia. All right. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I have a memo I would like to insert for the 

record and have passed out just for point of discussion. 

The CHAIRMAN. Without objection. 

[The information referred to is located on p. 57.] 

Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia. Thank you very much. I will pass 

this to the Members and to the college Presidents. 

And it addresses a concern. I have read all of your testimonies, 

and there is such a concern about additional funding, particularly 

as we grapple with the issues of beginning farmers, the average 

age of the farmer. 

35 

And so basically the first part of my 5 minutes I want to spend 

with just going through this. Currently, the 1890 land-grant institutions received the majority of the United States Department of 

Agriculture funding through the farm bill every 5 years, and these 

funds are to be used for three general purposes, research, education, and extension. 

As a result of the current farm bill, on February 9, 2015, the 

United States Department of Agriculture Assistant Secretary for 

Civil Rights, Joe Leonard announced the availability of more than 

$18 million for the 19 historically black land-grant colleges and 

universities in an effort to recruit, educate, and train AfricanAmerican students for careers in agriculture. 

What I am proposing in this memo is just a small language addition. The proposed language addition would be to add one additional use to the current funding structure because in order to encourage, recruit, and train more African-American students for careers in agriculture, farming, and agribusiness, this additional use 

of the funds would be helpful and necessary to help achieve Assistant Secretary Joe Leonard’s and our objective, which is to recruit, 

educate, and train more African-American students for careers in 

this very important critical and growing fields of agriculture, farming, and agribusiness. 

So the proposed new uses of funds, if we are able to add this language, will read as follows. These funds will be used for the following purposes, teaching, research, extension. The new addition 

would be ‘‘student scholarships and student loan forgiveness.’’ 

Now let me give you the rationale for this proposed language addition. Knowing that the average age of agricultural farmers in the 

United States is 60 years of age, ladies and gentlemen, this is a 

national security issue. Agriculture is the food we eat, it is the 

clothes we wear, it is our energy, it is our whole financial growing 

system through commodities exchanges. Lord knows when we have 

a commodities exchange like ICE that has purchased the New York 

Stock Exchange, you know agriculture now is the single most important industry in the world. It is leading part of the economy of 

44 of the states in the United States now. 

So, in addition to knowing that we face this challenge of the 

farmers’ age going up towards 60 and knowing the difficult challenges facing beginning farmers and knowing the critical need to 

increase the number of African-American students seeking careers 

in agriculture and farming, therefore the United States Congress 

recognizes that we, the United States Congress ourselves, must 

play a critical role in reducing the average age of farmers, providing greater assistance for beginning farmers, and provide financial scholarships and loan forgiveness to bring more African-Americans into the flourishing careers of farming and agricultural business. 

In conclusion, thus through this language addition, that funds 

can now also be used for student scholarships and loan forgiveness 

for 1890 students, we are also helping to bring down the average 

age of farmers over time and open the door of opportunity for more 

beginning farmers. 

I submit this memo, and I appreciate your allowing it to be a 

part of the record as a point of discussion for us to move forward 

36 

as something we collectively, as 1890 institutions, and in the bosom 

of this House Agriculture Committee, to discuss and to see how we 

might be able to make this additional language change and provide 

just this fourth area that funds may be used. 

I guess my time is up. 

The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman’s time has expired. 

Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman’s time has expired. 

Mr. Rogers from Alabama, 5 minutes. 

Mr. ROGERS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And I take pride in having Dr. Brian Johnson from Tuskegee University here today. As 

you heard earlier, the Tuskegee University and staff have been 

continuing the creation of Booker T. Washington and George Washington Carver, and we are thrilled not only with the University but 

with our new President and look forward to working with him for 

a long time to come. 

One of the focuses of my energy as a Member of Congress in recent years has been on promoting public-private partnerships. We 

have a lot of economic challenges in this country, and I am convinced that whether it is transportation, our national defense, telecommunication, security, or agriculture, public-private partnerships 

are going to be a creative avenue where we accomplish a lot of the 

goals that we need to focus on as a country. 

Tuskegee University is home to an award winning research program that remains competitive in receiving grants, and given that 

Tuskegee, unlike most of the HBCUs here from 1890 legislation are 

public, Tuskegee is private, so you have some unique challenges in 

funding. 

So my question, Dr. Johnson, is, how do you see the future of research changing with regard to private funding as well as publicprivate partnerships with universities? 

Dr. JOHNSON. Congressman Rogers, thank you for the question, 

and I look forward to working with you as well. I want to give you 

a couple of examples. Currently, our wonderful faculty in the agriculture area is working with the private corporation, Wal-Mart, 

working with small farmers so that they can gain some profitability. 

One of the issues that consistently face small farmers is that 

they can produce items but they can’t generate enough revenue to 

sustain their farms throughout the years, and so essentially what 

our faculty are doing is working with these small farmers on the 

private side. So that is an example of a private partnership. 

With the Federal Government, we are pleased that recently eight 

USDA agencies have come together to help form what we describe 

as the Carter Integrative Sustainability Center. This sustainability 

center will allow members of the USDA to have offices on a campus, on our campus, and also allow our faculty researchers to work 

there alongside of them. 

Mr. ROGERS. Well, I am curious, anybody who has ever visited 

your campus can see that there is a history of corporate partnership with your university. Do you have an infrastructure that you 

are a part of that opens lines of communication to corporate America to help you familiarize yourself with what their needs are in a 

way that you could possibly be a partner in helping them resolve 

37 

those concerns, or is there such an organization? There may not be. 

I am asking. 

Dr. JOHNSON. Well, obviously, we rely upon the 1890 Council for 

insight into what is happening nationally with corporations that we 

can continue to develop more and more partnerships with, but internally and internal to the institution, frankly, we work individually, corporation by corporation. Obviously, increased funding will 

help us to develop such an infrastructure that will enable us to do 

it faster. 

One of the things my colleagues and I would agree on is that we 

receive a lot of our ideas about how to make these corporations and 

partnerships work, but however, we need additional personnel, we 

need additional funding, we need the technology infrastructure to 

streamline in order to form, as it were, a clearinghouse whether it 

be shared by an 1890 institutions or whether it is unique and intrinsic to the university. 

So let me just say that obviously we draw on what available consortiums we are a part of to note and see what corporate needs are 

nationally, but internal to the university, frankly, we work a partnership at a time to those who are willing to partner with the institution. 

Mr. ROGERS. Well, I have the honor of chairing, along with Gerry 

Connolly of Virginia, the Public-Private Partnership Caucus, and 

we have been in place about 3 years now, and I look forward to 

reaching out to your institution as well as all the institutions here 

to establish a dialogue as to how we can better promote your partnership with the private sector in trying to accomplish some of the 

challenges we have as a nation. 

But with that I yield back, and thank you all for being here. 

The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman yields back. 

Ms. Fudge from Ohio, 5 minutes. 

Ms. FUDGE. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, and I thank 

you all so much for being here today. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to enter into the record an APLU policy brief which 

I will be referencing in my remarks today. 

[The information referred to is located on p. 57.] 

The CHAIRMAN. Without objection 

Ms. FUDGE. Thank you very much. 

Let me just first congratulate all of the HBCUs, 1890s that are 

here today for the remarkable work you do under circumstances 

that are not always the best, and I especially want to thank you 

for taking a chance on students that most universities would not 

take a chance on, especially those who have low test scores or low 

GPAs. You, if no other institution does, recognizes that there is talent in a lot of these young people and that all they really need is 

an opportunity to succeed. 

I understand that we have students coming to your institutions 

who need some remedial or special work, and let me just say to 

you, that is probably going to get worse, and that is one of the reasons we do need to start giving more resources to your institutions 

because I also sit on the Education and the Workforce Committee, 

and we just passed out of committee a bill that is going to cut K– 

12 funding, which is going to make this problem worse, as well as 

they are going to block grant all title I funding, so it is going to 

38 

be a major problem for young people coming into your institution. 

So again I thank you and ask that you would continue to invest 

in young people. 

The APLU report that I referenced, Mr. Chairman, indicates that 

from 2010 to 2012, only 61 percent of 1890 land-grant institutions 

received the 100 percent match from their states. The totals over 

that period of time some $57 million that 1890 land-grants did not 

receive because their states did not give a match. 

Now, there has never been a problem with states giving a full 

100 percent match to 1862s, and it is something that we need address, and I want to say today that my colleague, Mr. Davis from 

Illinois, has been working with me on how we can get states into 

a posture by which they could give the 100 percent match. So bipartisan efforts are going on to make sure that we can help with 

that, as well as the fact that we know that since 1890s do not have 

very large endowments, there are resources that are needed in 

these institutions that are not needed in 1862s. 

Let me just ask a question to whoever would choose to answer 

it. I didn’t hear much about the hurdles that are faced by 1890s 

as it relates to funding and what happens when you don’t get the 

funding. Anyone who chooses to answer it, please feel free. Don’t 

be shy. Okay. Come on, Dr. Bell. 

Dr. BELL. Thank you for that very important question. One of 

the challenges that our institutions face that has to do with funding is the lack of adequate personnel to help carry out some of the 

extra duties that are required when we serve the population of students that we serve. 

As you indicated, many students do come to our universities 

needing remedial help or other kind of attention, and that takes 

people to work with them directly as well as to guide them in the 

appropriate way to learn those study skills and other skills that 

perhaps they did not pick up while they were in high school. 

So one of the challenges is to have adequate personnel so that 

we can then use our faculty to engage in the research and teaching 

efforts that are necessary to help move the mission of the 1890s 

forward. Many of our faculty who are outstanding researchers have 

inadequate time to be able to do the high quality work that is going 

to help drive the 1890 agenda and the land-grant agenda forward 

because of the excessive teaching loads that they carry. Most faculty are teaching 12 credit hours per semester at our institutions, 

which is an enormous load. So those are just some of the challenges 

that we face as a result of inadequate funding. 

Ms. FUDGE. Thank you, Dr. Bell. 

And Dr. Martin, you talk about, in your testimony, of the burden 

of documentation when waivers are required, and I know my colleagues really don’t like very much—they hate paperwork, right, 

we hear this all the time, so I am hopeful that we can address that 

issue for you. 

Last, let me just say, again, thank you, and on behalf of my colleague, our assistant Minority Leader, Mr. Jim Clyburn, who really 

wanted to address you today and was not able to do so, I want you 

to know how interested he is in what you had to say today, and 

on his behalf, I thank you as well for being here. 

Mr. Chairman, I yield back. 

39 

The CHAIRMAN. The gentlelady yields back. The other Mr. Scott 

from Georgia, 5 minutes. 

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and before I get into the questions, I want to just get a thank you to an 

old friend of mine, Lynmore James, who I served with for 14 years 

in the state legislature. I know my colleague David Scott knows 

Lynmore. He was a graduate of Tuskegee, and he was a tireless advocate for Fort Valley State and certainly worked very hard on behalf of veterinary programs and other things for Fort Valley State. 

And so I haven’t seen him in awhile, but Dr. Bailey, when I saw 

you today, it just reminded me of that friendship, and I actually 

have just sent him a text to make sure he knew I was going to be 

talking about his work on behalf of your institutions while we had 

you here today. 

I was at Fort Valley State in October of last year and had an interesting conversation with some of the veterinarians there. You 

have a tremendous research facility for ruminants, we would call 

those sheep and goats in south Georgia. I hope I pronounced the 

other word correctly. But I had a very interesting conversation 

with the veterinarian there, and I know one of your faculty members actually went to Afghanistan and translated some of the veterinary books into their languages so that they could understand 

how to better take care of their sheep and goats in that part of the 

world, and that good will has tremendous impact for America and 

our relationships in other parts of the world in helping them do 

that. 

But if you would just speak to the a program that you have that 

is called, Stronger Economies Together that Fort Valley State has 

been involved in. Would you be willing to share that with us on 

your leadership there and what Fort Valley State is doing with 

that? 

Dr. BAILEY. Yes. Thank you for that question, Congressman. This 

particular program, Stronger Economies Together, Fort Valley State 

University has taken the lead, and what they do is they focus on 

those counties that are most economically depressed, what we call 

the StrikeForce counties. And the main thing that they do is bring 

rural leaders together so that they can cooperate, collaborate, and 

make decisions that will advance the economies. 

And so we have been quite successful in that because we have 

been able to get teams out to the eastern part of the state as well 

as the southwest part of the state, pulling the leaders together in 

order to make progress for the economies of those areas. 

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. I represent over 20 counties in 

that area, and I want to thank you for your work there, and it is 

pretty—when we lose one manufacturing facility, the impact in our 

area is much greater than certainly if they lose an individual manufacturing facility in a metropolitan area, and so certainly bringing 

manufacturing back is one of those things that we want to continue 

to work on. 

But the agricultural sector is what has been the bright spot for 

the rural parts of the country lately, and I want to thank you for 

being there for that in the research, and I want to thank you for 

your relationship with 4–H. I now we had a lot of 4–H students 

40 

here today. That is a wonderful organization that does a tremendous amount of good for our country and our youth. 

Any other suggestions that you would have for us, Dr. Bailey, before we go? I am down to one minute, with regard to extension? I 

know Ms. Fudge brought up funding. Any suggestions on the funding related issues? 

Dr. BAILEY. Yes. We have done a lot of training, food education 

training, especially through the 4–H and as well as FFA, so we are 

reaching young people. We need additional funding so that we can 

bring their families into the discussion because we know that it is 

a long-term investment in eating right and better healthy behavior, 

but also it is one that really permeates the entire culture. 

So additional funding will allow us to reach more counties, more 

students, more families as we move towards making a healthier 

and more economically prosperous state. 

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. Thank you, and thank you for 

being here, and I look forward to being at Fort Valley State again, 

and hopefully my friend Lynmore James can join us there for lunch 

one day. Thank you. I yield the remainder of my time. 

The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman yields back. The gentlelady from 

North Carolina, Ms. Adams, for 5 minutes. 

Ms. ADAMS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And thank you all for 

your testimony today. We appreciate having you. I have a very serious interest in HBCUs. I did my bachelors and masters at North 

Carolina A&T. I spent 40 years on the campus of Bennett College. 

Clearly it is in my blood. 

I did want to touch on something that Dr. Martin and some of 

the others talked about, and that is the funding, but since Ms. 

Fudge mentioned it, I am not going to pursue it so much, but just 

to say that there was a required match to states, and the states 

just aren’t doing it, and ten southern states in particular withheld 

about $57 million, as you said, and so there is no penalty. 

We might need to look at that, not that I want to be punitive, 

but when we try to find ways for states to help with that funding, 

I think we need to look at that a little more seriously, so I won’t 

dwell on that. But it has been a lot of money that our schools have 

lost, and in terms of the research and the other kinds of things 

that they could be doing, we do need this money, and it is about 

fairness because the other schools are getting it, and we want to 

make sure that everything is fair. 

And Mr. Scott, I want to thank you for the information that you 

provided. I think it is a very good suggestion. 

But Dr. Martin, let me just ask you, because you mentioned the 

food insecurity and food access, and we know that there are several 

problems in Greensboro and the Triad. I am pleased that my alma 

mater A&T is using its 492 acre farm as a community education 

resource in all that you are doing. 

And I commend you for that, but you mention barriers to young 

and minority farmers, and I guess my question, first of all, is what 

challenges do you see for A&T, for new farmers in North Carolina? 

Dr. MARTIN. Thank you very much, Congresswoman Adams. A 

variety of the areas we find are critical to small farmers in general, 

certainly minority farmers in particular, include making a living, 

a reasonable living from the soil of the land these farmers own, and 

41 

what we have sought to do is provide both significant understanding of business opportunities for our small minority farmers 

and helping them find the best use of their land and crops to grow 

on those, on their property, and then connecting them with outlets 

to market their produce so that they are able to derive sufficient 

return on their investment on their farms as well. 

We have endless examples of where we have taken work with a 

small farmer who once produced one set of crops, say tobacco, for 

example, and help them understand the importance of 

transitioning to other opportunities for their land. 

For example, using the land to create a set of crops related to 

vegetables that are critically important in connecting the produce 

derived from that farm to some of the grocery store chains and outlets and farmers’ markets so that they may then get a greater return on the produce of their farms. Or transitioning them from 

growing tobacco to creating fisheries, for example, to derive profit 

from growing prawns or producing catfish, or creating mushroom 

farms. 

We have a world class mushroom expert on our campus who has 

developed the technology that has then transferred to some of the 

small farmers in our region to help them learn to produce mushrooms, very important, very high quality mushrooms, producing 

these mushrooms, and then selling these mushrooms to grocery 

store outlets and chains as well. 

And these farmers are now doing better, are more prosperous, 

quite honestly, and that is critically important for us, obviously. 

That makes a difference in the economy for those regions of our 

state as well. 

Ms. ADAMS. Thank you very much. Before I run out of the time, 

I am sure you are aware that the reauthorization of the Higher 

Education Act is before the Congress, and can you share with us 

any priorities that you think we may not have on our radar screen 

that may be unique to North Carolina A&T? 

Dr. MARTIN. Thank you again for that excellent question. We believe that, obviously, the reauthorization of the Higher Education 

Act is critically important to higher education in general, certainly 

important to the 1890s and HBCUs in particular. There are core 

areas, first and foremost, related to financial aid, the Pell Grant, 

and ensuring that there is consideration given to expanding Pell 

Grant, the level of Pell Grant awards. 

We lost the opportunity to make Pell Grant awards during the 

summer months, which we think are critically important for our 

students and students we serve, and so if we could see opportunities to reintroduce that opportunity. 

Title III funding: Title III funding is part of the Reauthorization 

Act, critically important to HBCUs in particular, quite honestly. So 

restoring fully and expanding Title III funding, continued funding 

for the graduate education component of Title III that runs out this 

year. We are looking for another 5 year restoration of that funding, 

continuation of that funding, we think, will be critically important 

for us. 

Ms. ADAMS. Thank you very much. Mr. Chairman, I yield back. 

The CHAIRMAN. The gentlelady’s time has expired. The gentleman from Pennsylvania, Mr. Thompson, 5 minutes. 

42 

Mr. THOMPSON. Mr. Chairman, thank you so much. Each of the 

panelists, thanks to each of you for your leadership, your leadership marshalling our land-grant universities, pathways to opportunity, but also our land-grant universities are just great problem 

solvers. Some would say traditionally for rural America, I would 

say it is raw America, given the types of problems that our landgrant universities work on, so thank you so much. 

My question is, and I will open this up to whoever would like to 

respond. Do you believe that separate funding lines for the 1890 

and 1862 land-grant institutions are still a necessity or is there a 

more efficient way to appropriate Federal agricultural research and 

extension funding? 

Dr. BAILEY. Thank you for that question, Congressman. The idea 

of the separate funding is still appropriate. We have two groups of 

universities, but they have two very different missions, and the 

separate funding right now should continue. 

Mr. THOMPSON. Very good. Any other thoughts? 

Dr. WRIGHT. I would like to add. George Wright from Prairie 

View A&M University. There are instances in our state where 

Texas A&M and Prairie View are located in the same county and 

in the same office, so you will have Texas A&M and Prairie View, 

yet the agents from both of those two institutions will say that they 

seem to be touching different constituencies. 

And so consequently, even though Prairie View does everything 

it can to open its doors to everyone, at the same time we do see 

a special need there to work with that community. I might also add 

that in many instances, the situation for Hispanics, many of them 

are newcomers to this country, mirror the same situations for African-Americans, and so if you look at some of the parts of Texas 

that do not have emergency care, do not have hospitals, or are 

missing some of the youth programs and so forth, then it is Prairie 

View agents who are doing it. 

I think it is fascinating that people only think about our program 

as doing the rural kind of things, but we are very involved in abuse 

of women, of bullying, of diet issues, and things like that, so there 

are some issues that we do see, yet at the same time we do understand the need to work collaboratively 

Mr. THOMPSON. Dr. Johnson. 

Dr. JOHNSON. Congressman, I would also like to echo Dr. Bailey’s 

remarks. Being situated in Tuskegee, Alabama, I do recommend 

that these funding lines remain separate. We are situated in one 

of the poorest counties in one of the poorest states, and obviously, 

disproportionately African-American. 

And so not only would it remain separate but even be increased 

because of the unique issues Tuskegee, for instance, are confronted 

with, confronted with not only the rural farming problem but situated with the lack of capacity even within the city to assist not 

only our students but even for us to be a much more vital community partner with our local county and city. 

Mr. THOMPSON. Thank you. Dr. Mangum. 

Dr. MANGUM. Thank you. I would also like to respond to that 

question. I do believe that we should have separate lines of funding 

for a couple of reasons. 

43 

One, mainly because the capacity building funds is extremely important to our institutions. You probably know, as many do, that 

our endowment funds don’t nearly match up to the endowment 

funds available to many of the 1862s which provide them with additional resources to be able to address the agriculture and other 

issues associated with the agricultural industry. 

So the capacity building funds have continued, and we certainly 

hope that they are expanded, would allow us the opportunity to become more competitive as we build out our institutions and build 

out our agricultural programs. Thank you. 

Mr. THOMPSON. Well, once again, thank you to all the panel. And 

Mr. Chairman, I yield back. 

The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman yields back. The gentlelady from 

Florida, Ms. Graham, for 5 minutes. 

Ms. GRAHAM. Thank you so much. I want to thank everyone who 

is here today, and I also believe we have a pretty large overflow 

room as well, so thank you to those in the overflow room for being 

here. 

I would like to just say to Dr. Mangum again what an honor and 

a pleasure it has been to get to know you and to work with you, 

and as Rattler-in-chief, you are making all of us very proud, so 

thank you very much. 

My question, you mention the USDA land transfer, and one of 

the issues that I am very interested in as well is helping our veterans with employment opportunities as they come home, and 

farming is a natural opportunity, particularly in north Florida. 

What components of the USDA transfer are you thinking about 

potentially benefiting those veterans as they transition back from 

active duty into veteran status? 

Dr. MANGUM. Thank you, Congresswoman, for that question. 

With the land transfer of the 3,800 acres, we need to partner with 

many people to establish the small farms and the ranches in that 

region, and the veterans association in our area has been pursuing 

us, in fact, when the opportunity became available. 

The idea of establishing small farms and allowing opportunities 

for our veterans to establish farms as a way to transition back into 

society is a great opportunity for us, and we are really looking forward to being able to do that. 

So we have several partners that we are looking to partner with 

to establish those farms in that area and those ranches. 

Ms. GRAHAM. Well, thank you, and I just wanted to make sure 

that we had that on the record because I am so proud of all that 

FAMU is doing, in addition to now working with our veterans in 

that capacity, so thank you again. And I yield back the balance of 

my time. 

The CHAIRMAN. The gentlelady yields back the balance of her 

time. The gentleman from Florida, Mr. Yoho, for 5 minutes. 

Mr. YOHO. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate everybody 

being here on the panel and all the other Presidents being present 

today. I am a graduate from the University of Florida land-grant 

university, and I appreciate Dr. Mangum being here with your rivalry of FAMU, and it is always good to see another great Florida 

school present here in Washington. 

44 

What do you see as the biggest challenge getting students involved in the agricultural sector in your school? What have you 

come across? 

Dr. MANGUM. Thank you for the opportunity to answer that 

question as well. I think one of the biggest obstacles is making agriculture attractive to young people. We need additional resources 

to enhance our offerings, enhance the experiences of our students 

to be able to become involved in it, to show them and have them 

experience the value of agriculture and show them the value of it 

in the future. 

Food safety, food security, and being able to have food that is 

healthy is a very important part of us being able to tell the story, 

having the laboratories, the greenhouses, and the facilities that 

would attract them to the agriculture industry is a challenge for all 

of us in a high-tech world where technology is taking over, but agribusiness is also extremely important. For us to be able to turn 

them onto those types of opportunities, we need to invest more in 

their world and exposing them to agriculture. 

Mr. YOHO. And it is such a critical thing that we all do because, 

as George Washington said, you have to have food security to have 

national security. And when I first came up here and I shared this 

story with somebody, they were arguing the farm bill, and one of 

the Congressmen from obviously a non-farming state or not very 

big one said, what do we need a farm bill for, why don’t we import 

our food. 

I think we tried that with oil, and I don’t want to try that with 

our food, and so it is so important to get people involved in that. 

And it is a fun, and you know, on the campaign trail, one of my 

competitors said people don’t want their kids working in the fields 

anymore, and I am like, heck, I have been doing that since I was 

15 years of age, it is okay, and it is just something we need to promote more and more. 

Dr. Johnson, with your veterinary program—in fact, I had a 

classmate of mine, his wife went to Tuskegee, and she graduated 

in 1982. I believe it was Cindy Silas. Are you doing anything to get 

people to go into large animal medicine because as doctor—or my 

colleague, Mr. Peterson brought up, there is a shortage, and it is 

hard work. It is great work, though living there, working on the 

farms, working with people that make a living on our farms, feeding America and the world. 

Do you have any special emphasis that you are bringing people 

in there, knowing that the USDA has a loan forgiveness program 

for people that do rural animal medicine? 

Dr. JOHNSON. Sure. Thank you for that question, and in fact, I 

wanted to follow up with Ranking Member Peterson that our graduates are approximately 30 percent within the large animal field 

in terms of what areas they go into, and then approximately 70 

percent small animal. 

With respect to trying to develop that pipeline, it is always a difficult challenge. I know that we have two deans, Dean Walter Hill 

and Dean Ruby Perry at both of the vet schools, as well as the agriculture. One of the things that they are thinking about is developing unique innovative ideas and partnerships about how to get 

45 

veterinarian students as well as agriculture students working together. 

Obviously, your cattle, your animals benefit from the nutrients 

of the soil that they derive from and the food that they are eating, 

and so one of the things that I know that they are working in cooperation with is applying for more USDA funding to support that 

sort of work so that they can create additional pipelines, but we 

will certainly follow up and give you even more information if you 

need. 

Mr. YOHO. That is great. I appreciate it, and my affinity is that 

I am a veterinarian, so the more people—large animal, too. The 

more people you can put into that, the better off we will all be. 

And if you guys can, weigh in on this. One of the things we see 

is the benefit of the GMOs, genetically engineered, genetically 

modified, transgenic, whatever you want to call. We see the benefit. 

Less fertilizer, more yield, more nutrition. I assume you are all 

doing research in that. 

What we need to help us in this Committee is to get that word 

out, the benefits of GMOs, and to have spokesmen like you and 

your colleges that you are representing say it is okay, it has gone 

through research, it has gone through the development, and they 

are feeding the world, and they are using less pesticides, and if you 

guys could weigh in on that, and of course, I am out of time, but 

if you will help us do that, it would be greatly appreciated, and I 

thank you for your time and your efforts and all you do. I yield 

back. 

The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman yields back. The gentlelady from 

the Virgin Islands, Ms. Plaskett, for 5 minutes. 

Ms. PLASKETT. Yes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and good morning 

still to all of the Presidents. I want to thank you all for the tremendous work that you do in educating our young people and bringing 

young people to be leaders here in this country. 

Mr. Chairman, if you would allow my indulgence, I wanted to do 

a little housekeeping myself. Dr. Lawrence Alexander, I want to 

thank you for taking care of my son. I have a son, Ariel Duffy who 

is a student at your university. He is the great nephew for O.C. 

Duffy. He is doing very well and you all are treating him very good, 

but I am watching. He is not the youngest child in my family, but 

he is the baby, so he is in Vespers Choir and really enjoying his 

time at University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff where his grandfather 

graduated and is an agricultural scientist before retiring, so thank 

you all for the work that you have done in that area. 

And I wanted to just thank you all for what I think is the commitment that you all have to the communities as well that you are 

in. My oldest son was at the University of the Virgin Islands, 

which is also a land-grant university, and did some work with not 

just the farmers but the fishermen in our areas and assisting them 

in statistical analysis that was needing for their yields from their 

fishing. 

And this the kind of work that you all engage in is really being 

a part of the communities in the land-grant, fulfilling that mission, 

and being a part of rural development in many of the areas that 

you are in. So I was going to ask you, whomever would like to answer the question, regarding the farmers and rural residents. What 

46 

is the assistance in the work that you see yourselves really performing the most and the activities that your, not just the students 

but the professors in your extensions have the most need for among 

the rural farmers in the areas in which you are working? 

Dr. BELL. I would like to start. 

Ms. PLASKETT. Yes, Dr. Bell. 

Dr. BELL. Thank you for that question. On the Eastern Shore of 

Maryland, one of the major concerns that our rural farmers have 

is on their use of fertilizer and impact on the Chesapeake Bay, and 

so helping those farmers to identify ways to modify their use of primarily poultry litter and to cut down on the phosphorous runoffs 

that occur as a result of that so that they can meet the regulatory 

requirement is a critical research area for us. 

We have been able to come up with some new technology that 

allows the poultry fertilizer to be used in a different way that does 

not produce the same level of runoff and odor that typically violates 

the regulations, and so it is an educational program for our small 

farmers. 

We have a poultry association that meets regularly on our campus to help bring them the latest technology as well as to help 

them to manage their farms and to be more competitive for USDA 

funding. 

Ms. PLASKETT. Thank you. Do you see the area of the students 

entering into agribusiness to really provide assistance in this area 

or how are the students really using the degree of agribusiness 

that you find, those that are engaged in it? Is it being utilized here 

in the United States, or I know so many instances where students 

are using it more in developing nations and other areas. 

Dr. MARTIN. Thank you very much for the question. Quite honestly, the demand for our undergraduates by the agribusinesses we 

partner with are overwhelming. The demand is very high, and 

many of our undergraduates have just incredible high paying jobs, 

and many of them are going on into the marketplace, quite honestly. 

What we try to do as part of our educational engagement with 

our students is to get them involved in undergraduate research so 

that we are enabling and encouraging many of them to get involved 

and through their research to go on to graduate school and getting 

involved in work related to our extension activity. They may then 

see an opportunity to pursue graduate education, get involved in 

higher education career opportunities and then work in our research and connect what we do in our research laboratories and innovation we discover there and transitioning that research to the 

benefits and betterment of the farmers we work with as well. 

The scope of needs of our small farmers are quite varied across 

areas including limiting use of pesticides, developing crops where 

there is limited need for irrigation, and enhancing the use of a different set of more resilient seed in producing more abundant crops 

and capturing those crops and connecting our small farmers to outlets where they may then sell their produce. 

It is a varied set of expectations. They have limited hands on 

their farms to now farm the farm, if you will, and produce crops, 

so we are developing strategies to help them develop more efficient 

47 

ways to grow produce and deliver their produce in a more abundant way to the marketplace. 

Ms. PLASKETT. Thank you. Thank you all so much for your work, 

and I yield back the rest of time. Thank you. 

The CHAIRMAN. The gentlelady’s time has expired. The gentleman from Georgia, Mr. Allen. 

Mr. ALLEN. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and it is always a great 

privilege to be here, and I want to thank each and every one of you 

for what you are doing in education. 

My mom and dad were involved in education, and thank goodness they were involved in education, although there were many 

challenges there. Before that, we farmed, and of course back in 

those days what motivated me to get an education is we were dirt 

poor, but things worked out. And of course, I went to school at Auburn University over there in Alabama, and a great land, great 

land-grant university, and then of course, my folks graduated from 

the University of Georgia, another great agricultural school. 

So yes, I guess my question would be this. There are lots of opportunities in the agribusiness world, and we have heard about 

those over and over and over again, and students—we talk about 

funding and we talk about that we need money for this or we need 

money for that. 

And I guess my question is, outside of funding, what can we do 

to help motivate young people, or what is the biggest challenge we 

have with young people today, motivating them to take a look at 

this industry and the opportunities available to them? And I would 

be glad to offer that question to whoever would like the tackle it 

on the panel. 

Dr. WRIGHT. Okay. I would like to give it a shot. It seems to me 

that so many of our young people, and I don’t know where it comes 

from, have grown up with a stereotypical view of what agriculture 

equates into farm life means. 

One of the things our dean, who is here with me, tries to do is, 

someone made this comment earlier, I think it was Congressman 

Scott, in saying that it is about food, it is about clothing, it is about 

water, it is about security, it is about all of those things. It is also 

about working in forestry and so forth, so we try to show them the 

wide range of opportunities available. 

At Prairie View, roughly around May the 1st, the first Saturday 

in May, we have what is called ‘‘Goat Day,’’ and that is the day 

that brings everyone in our community to the university. We are 

very happy that a lot of white and Hispanic young people come because we want them to see Prairie View and consider coming there. 

We wish we could get more African-Americans to come. We showed 

them all the things you can do with a goat. Anything you can do 

with a cow, you can do with a goat, and probably more, but it is 

very important to do that. 

So for us, it is just educating them about the opportunities that 

are available. We even talked to them about job possibilities here 

in Washington, working in USDA, working as attorneys, working 

in all sorts of things, and as one of my colleagues was just mentioning, we definitely try to show them how graduate education is 

possible, and all the different kinds of opportunities throughout 

this country are available, so it really is—— 

48 

Mr. ALLEN. How could we help you get that message out? How 

could this body help you? 

Dr. WRIGHT. Again, I think a lot of it falls on us ourselves. 

Mr. ALLEN. I see. 

Dr. WRIGHT. At Prairie View, like many of these, we try to say 

the ‘‘A’’ is there for a very important reason, and the ‘‘A’’ has been 

there from the beginning, that it is agriculture, and agriculture is 

more than someone tilling the soil. 

Mr. ALLEN. Yes, I am on the Education and the Workforce Committee as well, and I was in one of our schools, and I asked the 

kids what is the largest industry in our district, and a little fella 

raised his hand, he said Wal-Mart. 

So Mr. Chairman, we have to get the word out that agriculture— 

of course, agriculture is our largest industry. Any others like to address that need? 

Dr. MANGUM. May I—— 

Dr. BAILEY. Yes, I would like to just add that you asked what 

can we do to help, and I would like just to add that agriculture is 

not Google, and it is not one of these high-tech very attractive 

areas that young people want to be in, but it has to really start— 

the education has to start at the young ages, and so making sure 

that the message even goes down to—— 

Mr. ALLEN. That is a great idea. 

Dr. BAILEY.—K through 12 so that they realize that this is so important. It is a matter of survival but that their familiarity 

grows—— 

Mr. ALLEN. Right. 

Dr. BAILEY.—early and strong. 

Mr. ALLEN. And promote it, yes. 

Dr. BAILEY. Yes. 

Mr. ALLEN. Okay. Well, I will have to yield my time back. My 

time is out. Thank you again so much for being here, and keep up 

the good work. We want to help any way we can. 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back 

The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman’s time has expired. Ms. Kuster, 

for 5 minutes. 

Ms. KUSTER. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. 

And thank you to all of you. I will take you to a different part 

of the country. I am from New Hampshire in the northeastern part 

of the state, but we have a wonderful land-grant university, the 

University of New Hampshire which is doing great things with agriculture. 

Two points: One is that I just want the say for those who don’t 

think that government programs work, 125 years is a pretty good 

record, and I imagine the number of people that have been educated and certainly the security and the variety of our food industry is pretty extraordinary. 

I want to take a somewhat different look at young people. I am 

very proud of the fact that New Hampshire has a five percent 

growth rate in small farms. And by the way, all farms are small 

farms in New Hampshire by any of my colleagues’ reckoning. 

And one of the reasons is that we have a resurgence in organic 

farming, farm-to-table, farmers’ markets, we have a resurgence in 

our consumers wanting to know where their food is coming from 

49 

and what is in it. And with all due respect to my colleague, Mr. 

Yoho, we might have a different perspective on the research that 

he has asked you to—and the advocacy that he is asked you to take 

on. 

What I see in my district, and certainly the polling bears this 

out, but the reality of our lives bears this out, people want to understand what is in their food, and the fastest growing restaurants 

in the country right now are Panera, Chipotle, people want to actually watch their food being prepared. They want to see what is 

going into it. 

So I wanted to ask you, this is what is inspiring young people, 

and then they are getting—the rest of us are catching up to CSAs 

and how to go back to cooking great food and real foodies. This is 

what is driving the economy for us in New Hampshire. 

I would like to ask you, are you seeing this? Do you see people 

interested in organics or natural foods or being closer to their food, 

and how are any of you, and this is just wide open, how are any 

of you responding to that? 

Dr. MARTIN. Congresswoman, thank you very much for that excellent question. We in North Carolina are seeing significant 

growth in farmers’ markets. The attendance at our farmers’ markets are overflowing because of the interest of individuals in wanting fresh vegetables and fresh produce and wanting to know what 

is in their food. 

We also are working very closely with our partner institution, 

1862 institution, North Carolina State and research and centers of 

research and food production and partnering with all of our food 

outlets in North Carolina in our restaurants to gain commitments 

from them to bring to the table in our restaurants all over our 

state a certain percentage of their food grown in North Carolina. 

So we are seeing an accelerated interest and excitement about 

first partnerships in collaboration, but also food-to-table through 

our work with our food producers, small farmers, larger farmers, 

and producers, and the outlets, our restaurants and grocery chains 

and the like in North Carolina. Lots more excitement and enthusiasm about growth in quality of food and safety of food. 

Ms. KUSTER. Great. Thank you. Thank you very much. Any others? 

Dr. BELL. I would like to add that at the University of Maryland 

Eastern Shore, one of the initiatives that we are working on is 

what we call high tunnel greenhouse farming, and so we have a 

number of those high tunnel greenhouses that have been instituted 

around the region working with farmers who are then contracting 

directly with area outlets such as Whole Foods and others. And we 

have also introduced that into some of the school systems to help 

with the school age children, help them to become accustomed to 

growing food and seeing how it naturally develops. So it is a very 

interesting project. 

Ms. KUSTER. Yes. And getting consumers and children closer to 

their food again. I have heard stories where children didn’t know 

what our food looked like. They didn’t know the name of it. They 

hadn’t seen fresh food, so—— 

Dr. BELL. Absolutely. 

Ms. KUSTER. Dr. Bailey, I have 10 seconds. 

50 

Dr. BAILEY. Yes. I just wanted to add that at Fort Valley State 

University, we have devoted 18 acres to local farmers so that they 

can go out, grow their own fruits and vegetables, and we have a 

farmer’s market associated with that. It is very successful. 

Ms. KUSTER. Terrific. I think that is a great way to attract young 

farmers and attract young people to it. 

So thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

The CHAIRMAN. The gentlelady’s time has expired. The gentleman from Illinois, Mr. Davis, 5 minutes 

Mr. DAVIS. Mr. Chairman, thank you, and I will not use all my 

time because I actually have to be on the House floor chairing proceedings at noon, but I do want to say, I had a chance to watch 

much of your responses to the questions while I was conducting 

some other meetings during this hearing, and it is just amazing to 

me some of the progress that you are making at your universities. 

And the focus, I do want to add to what my colleague from Georgia, Mr. Allen, said about focusing on agriculture. I come from Illinois. Obviously no one here is from the State of Illinois in representing an institution there, but Illinois is kind of a hub of where 

our land-grant universities came from and where they are today, 

and as a matter of fact, a former professor at Illinois College in 

Jacksonville, Illinois, an institution I went to for 1 year, and no, 

they didn’t kick me out, Mr. Chairman, I left on my own volition. 

But Illinois College, Mr. Turner is credited by historians with 

helping Mr. Morrill come up with the idea for land-grant universities. So what you do is tremendous for us, and we are glad to 

partner with you in the great State of Illinois, especially on behalf 

of my land-grant university that I am proud to represent, the University of Illinois. 

I want to make sure that you have all the opportunities that you 

need to talk about some of the advances. What I care about most 

is being privileged to be the Subcommittee Chairman for the Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture, and Research. These 

issues of ag research are priorities of mine and at all of our landgrant institutions. 

I am going to throw this out, and if I get up in the middle of your 

response, I apologize because I do have to go, but I am going to 

yield back the balance of my time and allow you a chance to be 

able to maybe think about some of the issues that you would want 

our Subcommittee to address, and if you could, follow up with me 

later. Send a letter, send some correspondence, come see me, let me 

come see your institutions because what you do is an integral part 

of what we are able to do to make your institutions more successful 

in the future. 

And I would have to thank my colleague, who is not here, but 

she was instrumental in many of the issues that your institutions 

are facing, and we are working very closely together on some other 

issues regarding with our fellow appropriators, and that is my good 

friend Marsha Fudge from Ohio who I know had some very kind 

words for each of you earlier today, and thank you again for being 

here. Thank you for what you do for making agriculture such a priority, and thank you for educating so many students and turning 

them into great American professionals and giving him an opportunity and a career. 

51 

Mr. Chairman, I yield back. 

The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman yields back. The gentleman from 

Louisiana, Mr. Abraham, for 5 minutes. I am sorry. I misspoke. 

The gentleman from Oklahoma, Mr. Lucas, former Chairman of the 

Committee. 

Mr. LUCAS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and this is a very important hearing we are having. I always like to remind my colleagues 

what our Presidents out there know, which is that the wonders of 

the land-grant system, prior to the original 1862 Act being passed, 

unless you were the child of a rich person in this country or for 

that matter anywhere in the world, an advanced education was not 

available to you, and with the 1890 Act and 1994 Act, we have 

made that available to everyone in this great nation, and that is 

really kind of the fundamentally amazing thing that we began in 

this great country. 

So we should all be very proud of all the land-grants. I have the 

privilege of representing Langston University, an 1890 in Oklahoma, and I believe, Mr. Chairman, you said it would be all right 

to address some questions to the Presidents who are not at the 

table. 

The CHAIRMAN. Yes, sir. 

Mr. LUCAS. Dr. Wright did a very good job discussing the goat 

program, but if I could call upon Dr. Smith, perhaps, to touch on 

that just a little bit more, we are very proud in Oklahoma of that 

particular research program at Langston, and if you could expand 

a little bit on that, Doctor, and perhaps Dr. Wright also, if he 

would care to, talk about this building relationships in foreign 

countries and the trust that comes from that in a time when perhaps Americans are not always the most trusted individuals 

around the planet. 

RESPONSE OF KENT J. SMITH, JR., PH.D., PRESIDENT, 

LANGSTON UNIVERSITY, LANGSTON, OK 

Dr. SMITH. Thank you very much, Congressman. And we are very 

proud to have you as our Representative. 

We are proud of the partnerships we have domestically, but we 

are equally proud of the partnerships that we have established at 

Langston University and particularly with our goat research area. 

We are in Haiti; we are in Israel; we are in Africa. And these are 

partnerships that are literally transforming lives internationally. 

As mentioned by my colleague, we tend to think of the goat very 

differently in the United States of America. But when you go 

abroad, the goat is one of the most used animals out there. And 

when you talk about the impact both from a dairy standpoint but 

also from a meat standpoint, from clothing and what have you, it 

is nothing short of phenomenal what can happen in an underserved community when they are introduced to the possibilities 

that goat research and having goats available to them could provide. 

So we are heavily involved internationally at Langston University through our goat research program, and we are doing many of 

the things that my colleagues have mentioned domestically as well. 

Mr. LUCAS. The opportunities there for your students, both graduate and faculty, to participate in those international trips, could 

52 

you expand on that a little bit, because I suspect a typical landgrant university in this day is still much like Frank Lucas was several decades ago, had not spent a whole lot of time outside of his 

state, certainly not outside of the country, but it has to be a mindexpanding experience for the student? 

Dr. SMITH. I will give you a personal example that just happened 

to me. It was July 4, and the reason I know that is I was outside 

with my young children, and we were popping fireworks on the 

campus, and literally six students walked up, well, about six students, and turns out they were students from Africa, exchange students from Africa, who had just gotten onto our campus the day before and they were there as a result of our faculty members’ research and involvement in Africa, and they are here for the summer; and we started having a dialogue. 

And for my personal children, they got to interface with some 

people who were different from them, who were from another part 

of the world, and many conversations. Fast forward to the interactions that our students are having this summer with students 

from Africa, that is what being prolific in the area of research and 

going global can have on your campus. Our faculty is getting to 

interact in ways they would not have had otherwise. 

So it is a tremendous opportunity that is provided. When you 

give, you get back tenfold in terms of the research. So it is allowing 

us as a land-grant institution to talk about the university globally, 

but to interface with what is happening in education throughout 

the world. 

Mr. LUCAS. Thank you, Dr. Smith, and thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back the balance of my time. 

The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman yields back. Now Mr. Abraham, 

from Louisiana, for 5 minutes. 

Mr. ABRAHAM. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Being a rural physician in the Louisiana Delta, I cannot tell you how important agriculture and land-grant universities have been to our state in the 

southeastern United States. We are very fortunate today, we have 

representation from Southern University. 

Dr. Belton, if you will just stand up for a minute, sir, I would 

love to recognize you. He is the newly appointed President and 

Chancellor of the Southern University System. And again, for me 

it is an honor for him to be here representing Southern. Southern 

is a shining star, not only in our State of Louisiana, but in the 

southeastern United States and really throughout the nation. It 

has directly and indirectly benefited, farmers, ranchers, agribusiness; and every resident the state, I can assure you, has been 

touched through the graduates and the work that Southern does. 

I in fact, I have an intern working with me this summer, Perez 

Pickney; he is a student of Southern University. So thousands of 

our students in Louisiana and across the nation have graduated 

with degrees from Southern, successfully employed, gone out and 

become just fantastic businessmen and businesswomen, leaders of 

our community, leaders of the nation’s community. And additionally Southern has been recognized and accredited from the Urban 

Forestry and Natural Resources Department that offers a B.S., 

M.S., and Ph.D. in urban forestry and natural resources; and to 

53 

date more than 300 students have received degrees from just this 

department, and they are heavily recruited by the USDA. 

So, again, I just can’t say enough about Southern being an integral part of our university system in the State of Louisiana but 

also in the state of the nation, and I am proud to have Dr. Belton 

and his representatives here to do that. 

And I will get to my question. Dr. Bailey, you alluded to this, but 

agriculture now is not what it was when I was growing up as far 

as getting a degree in agriculture. It is so much more. I couldn’t 

begin to expound on the possibilities and the probabilities that are 

available in agriculture now. I guess my question is, of all the 

fields in agriculture that are new and upcoming, where do you guys 

see the most growth, and are there jobs available for these graduates when they get out? And anybody that wants to hit first, go 

right ahead. 

Dr. BAILEY. Thank you for that question. I personally have a 

background in business, and that might make me favor agricultural economics. I think it is the basic area, the foundation. I know 

that there are career opportunities for our students in that area as 

well. It is an asset to the decision-making, and I think that it will 

help all of the decision-makers, the leaders, to hit the correct balance with regard to investment in food or fabric or shelter. Its importance simply cannot be minimized, and I would say that probably is where we need to go. 

Mr. ABRAHAM. I agree totally. Anybody else? Yes, ma’am. Go 

ahead, Dr. Mangum. 

Dr. MANGUM. Thank you. I would also like to expand on that 

question. I think scientists are needed in agriculture. Much of what 

we do, developing the biological controls, if we are going to protect 

the food supply and production, we need more students in the research area. 

Mr. ABRAHAM. I totally agree. I think it is a national security 

issue, our food safety now; so you are spot on exactly with that. It 

has become that important. Anybody else—— 

Dr. BELL. I was going to just add that food safety and security 

is a prime area on our campus, in particular given the industries 

that we serve in the region, and so we think that that is an area 

of growth for not just our region, but for the whole nation and the 

world actually. 

Mr. ABRAHAM. Go ahead, Dr. Wright. 

Dr. WRIGHT. I was going to mention water management is very 

important. It just so happens that in Texas we have had a lot of 

rain this year, but if you look over the last 5 or 6 years, we have 

more or less had droughts. And the fact that on our campus we 

have people very interested in that area is so important. It is again 

a research area, but water management is so important. 

Mr. ABRAHAM. Yes. Look at California and what happened. I appreciate y’all’s great work. Mr. Chairman, I yield back. 

The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman yields back. Before we adjourn, 

I turn to my colleague and friend, David Scott, for any comments 

he might have to close out the hearing. 

Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia. Oh, well, thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

First, again, thank you very much for your leadership in providing 

54 

this hearing. We are very, very appreciative of that and with what 

we have to do. 

I was just sitting here and this whole morning, and I want everyone to know that this has been a hearing of soaring magnitude and 

historical significance, and we have accomplished a lot. We have 

strengthened the bond and relationship of the 1890s with the Congress of the United States. You genuinely see the interest and the 

concern that Members of Congress have expressed, their knowledge, the work they did in getting their own research. You could 

tell by the in-depth questions that they asked. 

The other extraordinary part about this hearing that made it of 

soaring magnitude is that you all came so well prepared to talk 

about what you have done and are doing with the Federal funds 

that you are receiving. And furthermore, the talk that you have 

brought to explain the great efficiencies for how you are getting so 

much out of the amount of money and funds that we are giving. 

And, third, the fine recommendations of what you and what we 

can do to do, as I echo the words of George Washington Carver, 

what we can to better the condition of the American people. 

Now, one of the most prevailing things that have come out of this 

meeting is the urgency and the total understanding that we are 

facing here an issue of grave national security. That is why this is 

so important, and the role of the 1890s, going forward, will play a 

very critical role in addressing this national security area. 

One, the age of our farmers, those who produce our food, is continually escalating up, as I said, to 60 years of age. The 1890s can 

play a critical role in that. The whole concern about beginning 

farmers, just for an acre of land now, it costs $8,000. So we in Congress must understand that we have to look at this as a national 

security area and get the resources out into your hands so that you 

can do the job of opening up these opportunities and dealing with 

this final issue of showing the proper image of agriculture to the 

African-American community. 

This was the final point that was made, and the gentleman from 

Prairie View A&M addressed it so succinctly when you said the 

stereotypical image of agriculture must be erased so we can show 

all of the greatness of agriculture, the significance of agriculture, 

the extraordinary jobs and opportunities that are all too often 

being bypassed by the African-American community because of this 

stereotype. As I said, it is the food we eat, the clothes, the energy; 

it is everything. And so I say to you, ladies and gentlemen, God 

bless you. This has been extraordinary. We say onward and forward. 

Again, thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

The CHAIRMAN. One of the worst things you can do is to follow 

a Baptist preacher. David, thank you for those comments. 

I too want to add my thanks and congratulations to the system 

for 125+ years. Some of those schools have been around a bit longer 

than that but at least from the 1890 version and supports given 

from that legislation. Congratulations on that. We probably won’t 

have to wait for another 125 years to have you back to talk to Congress. This has been a really terrific hearing. You saw from the interest of the crowd outside when we all got here, we transitioned 

from the reception, the keen interest in that. 

55 

Universities are at their core tools, tools to prepare kids for the 

future. I had a chance to meet with four young folks that are back 

there this morning to talk to them about what their plans are, 

where they are going, and the fact that they need to be really good 

because my generation and the one just below me and the one 

ahead of me have screwed this place up; and they are going to have 

to be really good to save us from ourselves in effect for all the problems that are out there that’s going on. 

I marvel at the impact that teachers and administrators have on 

mentoring and teaching and training and loving and prepping 

young men and women for those tasks that will, in fact, make this 

country a better place and all of our lives better and then the ripple effect, because they will teach and train and mentor and love 

and hug, and do all those things. 

So thank you for being a part of that and being here. You have 

a great story to tell. It folds really nicely into the overall agricultural story. As we look at the future of the 2018 Farm Bill, we have 

to create that awareness among folks who live in urban America 

and don’t really have that link, other than eating three or four 

times a day, to agriculture and the impact it has on their lives. 

And so how do we make them aware because they already benefit from the cheapest, most abundant and safest food and fiber 

supply of any developed nation in the world based on the efforts 

of you and training those young farmers and all that they do. They 

just don’t know it yet, and several of you mentioned the fact that 

this idea that they don’t know where food comes from other than 

the grocery store and have no idea how it shows up there. 

And as we gentrify our country, more and more, and that is what 

is happening, and we lose that direct contact back to the land, that 

we run the risks of not appreciating just what agriculture does for 

us every single day. I may have told one of you I was in a conversation with one of our colleagues when I first got here, and I was 

talking about being on the Agriculture Committee; and she said, 

‘‘Well, I represent an urban area, and I don’t have any agriculture 

issues in my district.’’ I said, ‘‘Does no one in your district eat?’’ 

And she looked at me and she said, ‘‘Well, yes.’’ And I said, ‘‘Well, 

it seems they have a keen interest in the successful production agriculture industry in this country.’’ 

So I hope you have had a great time in Washington, D.C. I hope 

this has been beneficial for you to come and be a part of this. It 

has clearly been beneficial to us. And we appreciate all of your efforts to make that happen. As I mentioned earlier, the other 

schools, if you want to prepare an opening statement much like you 

would have been able to present under the rules of the Committee, 

the record of today’s hearing will remain open for 10 calendar days 

to receive additional material as supplemental written responses 

from the witnesses to any question posed by a Member. 

Thanks everyone for being here today. This hearing of the House 

Committee on Agriculture is adjourned. 

[Whereupon, at 12:14 p.m., the Committee was adjourned.] 

[Material submitted for inclusion in the record follows:] 

57 

SUBMITTED MEMORANDUM BY HON. DAVID SCOTT, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS

FROM GEORGIA

Memorandum 

To: The United States House of Representatives Agriculture Committee 

From: U.S. Congressman, David Scott 

Date: July 15, 2015 

Re: The 1890 Land-Grant African-American Colleges and Universities’ funding 

proposed language addition 

Currently: 

The 1890 land-grant institutions receive the majority of their United States Department of Agriculture funding through the farm bill, every 5 years, and these 

funds are to be used for three general purposes: research, education, and extension. 

As a result of the current farm bill, on February 9, 2015, the United States Department of Agriculture Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Joe Leonard announced 

the availability of more than $18 million for the 19 historically black land-grant colleges and universities in an effort to recruit, educate, and train African-American 

students for careers in agriculture. 

Proposed Language Addition: 

The proposed language addition is to add one additional use to the current funding structure. In order to encourage, recruit, and train more African-American students for careers in agriculture, farming, and agribusiness, this additional use of the 

funds would be helpful and necessary to help achieve Assistant Secretary Joe 

Leonard’s, and our objective, which is: to recruit, educate, and train more AfricanAmerican students for careers in the very important, critical, and growing fields of 

agriculture, farming, and agribusiness. 

The proposed new uses of funds will read as follows: 

These funds will be used for the following purposes; Teaching, Research, Extension, Student Scholarships and Student Loan Forgiveness. 

Rationale for proposed language addition: 

Knowing that the average age of agricultural farmers in the United States is 60 

years of age. And, knowing the difficult challenges facing beginning farmers, and 

knowing the critical need to increase the number of African-American students 

seeking careers in agricultural business and farming; therefore, the United States 

Congress recognizes that, we, the United States Congress, ourselves, must play a 

critical role in reducing the average age of farmers, provide greater assistance for 

beginning farmers, and provide financial scholarship and loan forgiveness to bring 

more African-Americans into careers in farming and agricultural business. 

Thus, through this language addition that funds can now also be used for student 

scholarship and loan forgiveness for 1890 students, we are also helping to bring 

down the average age of farmers, over time, and open the door of opportunity for 

more beginning farmers. 

SUBMITTED REPORT BY HON. MARCIA L. FUDGE, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS

FROM OHIO

The Office for Access and Success Policy Brief 

Report No. 3000–PB1 

September 2013 

By: 

JOHN MICHAEL LEE, JR., PH.D., Vice President, APLU. 

SAMAAD WES KEYS, Program Assistant, APLU. 

This OAS Policy Brief highlights the inequities that exist in state matching Federal formula funding to our nation’s 1890 land-grant universities and provides policy 

recommendations to fix the systemic inequities in the nation’s land-grant system. 

Land-Grant But Unequal State One-to-One Match Funding for 1890 LandGrant Universities 

58 

Highlights 

• From 2010–2012, 61 percent of 1890 land-grant institutions did not receive 

100 percent of the one-to-one matching funds from their respective states for 

extension or research funding. 

• Between 2010–2012, 1890 land-grant universities did not receive more 

than $31 million in extension funding due to states not meeting the one-toone match requirement. 

• From 2010–2012, 1890 land-grant universities did not receive more than 

$25 million in research funding due to states not meeting the one-to-one 

match requirement. 

• Combined, 1890 land-grant universities did not receive almost $57 million 

due to states not meeting the one-to-one match. 

Introduction 

On July 2, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Morrill Act into law, forging a new partnership between the Federal Government and the states to create the 

backbone for what is today the public system of higher education in America. Before 

the establishment of the state-university system of higher education, private institutions primarily provided higher education to Americans and access was afforded 

only to the well off at a few institutions such as Harvard, Yale and Princeton 

(APLU, 2012). 

For more than 150 years since that historic event, the nation’s land-grant colleges 

and universities have provided a ‘‘liberal and practical education’’ and these institutions have helped open the doors of access and empower students with the education 

they need. These institutions have also developed ground-breaking research that 

has moved our country forward and these institutions continue to provide rural communities in each state with robust solutions to the challenges they face—both agriculturally and socially. There is at least one land-grant institution in every state 

and territory in the United States and the District of Columbia (see Figure 1). 

Today, land-grant colleges and universities continue their mission to provide equitable access to education and develop innovations that continue to strengthen individual states and the country as a whole. Americans lead richer, productive and 

more prosperous lives because of the contributions of the land-grant university system. 

Under the 1862 Morrill Act, which created the vast majority of land-grant institutions, and the Morrill Act of 1890, which established 18 black land-grant universities, the Federal Government committed to providing financial support to schools 

so long as states matched that level of support. Although 1890 land-grant universities produce talented students, innovative research and state-of-the-art practices 

in agriculture and STEM disciplines that are geared toward improving life in rural 

and high-risk communities, states are failing to provide the nation’s 1890 historically black land-grant universities the same level of one-to-one matching dollars 

they provide other land-grant institutions that receive Federal funding. 

59 

Figure 1: U.S. Land-Grant Colleges and Universities 

Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, Washington, D.C. Based on U.S. Department 

of Agriculture map: m2783, June 2003. 

The purpose of this policy brief is to highlight the disparities that exist in the 

matching of Federal formula funding to our nation’s 1890 land-grant universities 

and to provide policy recommendations to fix this systemic disparity in the nation’s 

land-grant system. The brief gives a history of the land-grant system, offers detailed 

information about land-grant matching funds to 1890 universities, highlights survey 

data and concludes with four recommendations for policymakers to strengthen the 

land-grant system. While this brief compares and contrasts state one-to-one matching funds to 1862 and 1890 universities, it does not suggest a zero sum game of 

taking needed funds from 1862 universities. Instead, the land-grant system is 

strongest when all universities—1862s, 1890s and 1994s—are funded adequately to 

carry out the land-grant mission. 

The First Morrill Act of 1862 

The Morrill Act is named after the U.S. Congressman from Vermont, Justin Morrill, who led the passage of the legislation that established the land-grant institutions for each state known as the First Morrill Act (Allen & Jewell, 2002; Brown, 

Donahoo, & Bertrand, 2001; Redd, 1998; R. Wilson, 1990). Though Congressman 

Morrill introduced his first version of the bill in 1857 and secured passage in 1859, 

it was vetoed by President James Buchanan (APLU, 2012). The passage of the First 

Morrill Act in 1862 reflected the demand for an expanded focus on agricultural and 

technical education in the United States that opened the doors of education to the 

agricultural and industrial workers. In the Morrill Act the purpose of the establishment of the land-grant system is stated in the following words: 

‘‘. . . the endowment, support, and maintenance of at least one college where 

the leading object shall be, without excluding other scientific and classical studies, and including military tactics, to teach such branches of learning as are related to agriculture and the mechanic arts, in such manner as the legislatures 

of the states may respectively prescribe, in order to promote the liberal and 

practical education of the industrial classes in the several pursuits and professions in life’’ (Morrill Act of 162, sec. 4). 

This purpose was fulfilled and what started as a system of colleges to educate the 

industrial class, is today a system of comprehensive colleges and universities that 

are centers for research, teaching, agricultural innovation and the liberal arts. Many 


11422001.eps
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land-grants are also flagship institutions such as the University of Florida and The 

Ohio State University. Ultimately, most land-grant colleges have become large public universities that today offer a full spectrum of educational opportunities. However, there are some land-grant colleges that are private schools, including Cornell 

University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Tuskegee University. 

The Second Morrill Act of 1890 

African-Americans could not benefit from the passage of the First Morrill Act in 

states that did not allow them to attend institutions of higher education. These 

states were primarily in Southern and border states. In fact, it was not until the 

passage of the subsequent legislation known as the Second Morrill Act of 1890 that 

African-Americans were able to attend land-grant institutions in many states. The 

Morrill Act of 1890 prohibited the distribution of money to states that made distinctions of race in admissions unless at least one land-grant college for African-Americans, was established, and thus brought about the establishment of 19 public black 

colleges (Allen & Jewell, 2002; Provasnik, et al., 2004; Redd, 1998; Roebuck & 

Murty, 1993). It should be noted that several institutions outside of the South and 

border states provided access to African-American students long before the Morrill 

Act of 1890. Prior to the establishment of the black-land-grant system in 1890, access to higher education for African-Americans in the United States was primarily 

limited to private universities such as Howard University and Fisk University. 

1890 Land-Grant Universities 

A second Morrill Act was passed in 1890, aimed at the former Confederate 

states. This Act required each state to show that race was not an admissions 

criterion, or else to designate a separate land-grant institution for persons of 

color. Among the 70 colleges and universities which eventually evolved from the 

Morrill Acts are several of today’s historically black colleges and universities. 

Though the 1890 Act granted cash instead of land, it granted colleges under 

that act the same legal standing as the 1862 Act colleges; hence the term ‘‘landgrant college’’ properly applies to both groups. However, many did not receive 

land nor money. 

1994 Land-Grant Universities 

Later on, other colleges such as the University of the District of Columbia 

and the ‘‘1994 land-grant colleges’’ for Native Americans were also awarded 

cash by Congress in lieu of land to achieve ‘‘land-grant’’ status. 

1890 Land-Grant Universities 

• Alabama A&M University (AL) 

• Alcorn State University (MS) 

• Delaware State University (DE) 

• Florida A&M University (FL) 

• Fort Valley State University (GA) 

• Kentucky State University (KY) 

• Langston University (OK) 

• Lincoln University (MO) 

• North Carolina A&T State University (NC) 

• Prairie View A&M University (TX) 

• South Carolina State University (SC) 

• Southern University System (LA) 

• Tennessee State University (TN) 

• Tuskegee University (AL) 

• University of Arkansas, Pine Bluff (AR) 

• University of Maryland Eastern Shore (MD) 

61 

• Virginia State University (VA) 

• West Virginia State University (WV) 

Land-Grant But Unequal: State Matching Funds for 1890 Land-Grant Institutions 

Over the years, land-grant status has implied several types of Federal support. 

The first Morrill Act of 1862 provided grants in the form of Federal lands (30,000 

acres or equivalent in scrip for each Representative and Senator) to each state for 

the establishment of a public institution to fulfill the Act’s provisions. At different 

times money was appropriated through legislation such as the second Morrill Act 

of 1890, which funded the establishing of the nation’s public historically black landgrant colleges and universities; and the Bankhead-Jones Act of 1935 which provided 

an increase in Federal funding to land-grant colleges and universities during the depression. 

The nation has significantly expanded its contributions to land-grant colleges and 

universities. This support includes funding for research through the Hatch Act of 

1887 and the Smith-Lever Act of 1914 that created the extension system at 1862 

land-grant universities. However, because 1890 land-grant institutions are not eligible to receive funding provided by the Hatch Act or the Smith Lever Act, the EvansAllen Act was established in 1977 (90 years after the Hatch Act of 1887) to support 

agricultural research at 1890 land-grant institutions with funds equal to at least 15 

percent of the Hatch Act appropriations. Institutions currently receive about 21 percent of Hatch Act funding through the Evans-Allen Act. 

The National Agriculture Research, Extension and Teaching Act of 1997 

(NARETPA)—established 83 years after the Smith-Lever Act of 1914—provides Federal funding for agricultural extension programs and activities at 1890 land-grant 

institutions similar to those of 1862 universities under the Smith-Lever Act. 

NARETPA provided this funding directly to 1890 institutions for the first time. The 

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) plays an integral role in the administering of Federal land-grant funds and the coordination of agricultural landgrant activities at the national level. USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) awards research funding through a combination of formula funding, 

non-competitive and competitive grants. 

Important Federal Land-Grant Legislation 

Hatch Act of 1887 

A key component of the land-grant system is the agricultural experiment station program created by the Hatch Act of 1887. The Hatch Act authorized direct payment of Federal grant funds to each state to establish an agricultural 

experiment station in connection with the land-grant institution in order to increase agricultural research. The amount of this appropriation varies from year 

to year and is determined for each state through a formula based on the number of small farmers in the state. A major portion of the Federal funds must be 

matched by the state. 

Smith-Lever Act of 1914 

In order to disseminate information gleaned from the experiment stations’ research to the farmers and other industrial workers in the state, the SmithLever Act of 1914 created the Cooperative Extension Service associated with 

each 1862 land-grant institution—1890 land-grant institutions did not receive 

this funding (APLU, 2013). Extension programs at land-grant institutions are 

the community and rural education programs that provide a direct impact to 

the citizens of each state and include programs to support small farmers and 

agricultural business development in every state. This Act authorized ongoing 

Federal support for extension services, using a formula similar to the Hatch 

Act, to determine the amount of appropriation. This Act also requires states to 

provide matching funds in order to receive the Federal monies. 

Evans-Allen Act of 1977 

62 

The Evans-Allen Act of 1977 provides capacity funding for food and agricultural research at the 1890 land-grant universities in a manner similar to that 

provided to the 1862 universities under the Hatch Act of 1887. Research conducted under the Evans-Allen Program has led to hundreds of scientific breakthroughs of benefit to both the unique stakeholders of the 1890 Institutions and 

the nation as a whole [7 U.S.C. 3222, (Sec. 1445, Research Act of 1977)]. 

The Evens-Allen Act was created to support continuing agricultural research 

at colleges that were created under the 1890 Morrill Act. Its purpose is to promote efficient production, marketing, distribution and utilization of products of 

the farm as essential to the health and welfare of people and to promote a 

sound prosperous agriculture and rural life. 

The National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act 

NARETPA) of 1977 

The National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 

1977 (NARETPA) as a law, provides the basis for Federal funding for agricultural extension programs and activities at 1890 land-grant institutions. 

Though these funding sources have been made available to the nation’s land-grant 

colleges and universities, this funding also requires the home state of the land-grant 

institution to match all formula based funding received from Federal funds on a dollar-to-dollar basis commonly referred to as the one-to-one match requirement. While 

one-to-one matching is a requirement for all states with land-grant universities, 

states often do not fulfill the matching requirement for its 1890 land-grant institutions while meeting and in many cases exceeding the matching requirement for 

1862 land-grant institutions in the same state. Federal legislation allows institutional waivers for the one-to-one match requirement for 1890 land-grant institutions 

while 1862 land-grant institutions are not eligible to receive waivers. As a result, 

from 2010–2012, 1890 land-grant institutions did not receive almost $57 million in 

Federal matching funds for research and extension activities. 

The Matching Disparity 

The one-to-one matching inequity that is being experienced by 1890 land-grant institutions is not in any way caused be 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 state. This inequity in funding to HBCUs 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 (Allen & Jewell, 2002; 

Redd, 1998). 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 (see Figure 2) requiring these institutions to apply for a 

waiver of the one-to-one match requirement or forfeit their funding. The U.S. Department of Agriculture still requires 1890 land-grant institutions to come up with 

at least 50 percent of the match. 

63 

Figure 2: Evans-Allen and Extension One-to-One Matching Status to 1890 

Land-Grant Universities by State, 2012 

Source: Association of Public and Land-grant Universities Office of Access and Success analysis of U.S. Department of Agriculture extension and 

Evans-Allen Funding, 2013. 

Note: In some cases though institutions may not have received a waiver, 

the match comes from general funds instead of a specific line-item. 

From 2010–2012, 61.2 percent (11 out of 18) of the 1890 land-grant institutions 

did not receive 100 percent of the one-to-one matching funds from their respective 

states for extension or research funding. In terms of dollars, 1890 land-grant universities did not receive $31,828,918 in extension funding due to states not meeting the 

one-to-one match requirement (see Table 1) between 2010–2012, and 1890 landgrant universities did not receive $24,798,282 in research funding due to states not 

meeting the one-to-one match requirement (see Table 2) from 2010–2012. Combined, 

this is a net loss of $56,627,199. It is also not clear if the remaining eight states 

where 1890 institutions have not applied for a waiver are also losing millions of dollars because many do not have a specific line-item that provides these matching 

funds and they are taken from the institutions general agriculture allocation. For 

example, in FY14, Maryland will provide the University of Maryland Eastern Shore 

(UMES) with a specific line-item match for USDA matching funds for the first time. 

Historically, the match for the agriculture funds at UMES was derived from the 

general agriculture appropriation and was not specifically identified as a match. 

When these funds are not identified as a match and are taken from general funds, 

it results in a net loss to the institution. Budget reductions to state institutions general funds also requires institutions to reduce their state match significantly. Without a separate line-item allocation to ensure that the one-to-one match is met each 

year, it is unclear if the requirement is being met by all states, including those that 

have not required a waiver. While the matching provided by states to institutions 

has increased significantly over the last 2 decades, 1890 land-grant universities in 

many states still do not receive the funding necessary to meet the one-to-one requirement. 

Table 1: 1890 Land-Grant Universities Extension Funding 2010–2012 

2010–2012 Totals 

State Institutions Total to 

State 

100% Match 

Requirement 

Total 

Total 

Waiver 

Requested 

State 

Actual 

Match 

Total 

State 

Percent 

Match 

Total 

AL Alabama A&M $6,337,562 $6,337,562 $0 $6,337,562 100% 

AL Tuskegee $6,337,562 $6,337,562 $2,195,669 $4,141,893 65% 

AR University of Arkansas, Pine Bluff $5,555,679 $5,555,679 $1,867,658 $3,688,021 66% 

DE Delaware State $3,486,215 $3,486,215 $0 $3,486,215 100% 

FL Florida A&M $5,435,344 $5,435,344 $2,717,632 $2,717,713 50% 

GA Fort Valley State $7,575,368 $7,575,368 $0 $7,575,368 100% 

KY Kentucky State $9,473,491 $9,473,491 $3,569,427 $5,904,064 62% 

LA Southern University $4,971,901 $4,971,901 $0 $4,971,901 100% 

MD University of Maryland, Eastern 

Shore 

$3,943,556 $3,943,556 $0 $3,943,556 100% 

MS Alcorn State $5,931,055 $5,931,055 $0 $5,931,055 100% 

MO Lincoln University $9,559,897 $9,559,897 $5,033,586 $4,526,311 47% 


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Table 1: 1890 Land-Grant Universities Extension Funding 2010–2012—Continued 

2010–2012 Totals 

State Institutions Total to 

State 

100% Match 

Requirement 

Total 

Total 

Waiver 

Requested 

State 

Actual 

Match 

Total 

State 

Percent 

Match 

Total 

NC North Carolina A&T State $10,736,846 $10,736,846 $3,756,038 $6,980,808 65% 

OK Langston University $5,856,454 $5,856,454 $0 $5,856,454 100% 

SC South Carolina State $5,448,885 $5,448,885 $2,724,443 $2,724,442 50% 

TN Tennessee State $8,411,095 $8,411,095 $0 $8,411,095 100% 

TX Prairie View A&M $12,562,718 $12,562,718 $6,055,922 $6,506,796 52% 

VA Virginia State $7,097,437 $7,097,437 $2,270,574 $4,826,863 68% 

WVA West Virginia State $4,025,156 $4,025,156 $1,637,969 $2,387,187 59% 

Grand Totals $122,746,221 $122,746,221 $31,828,918 $90,917,304 74% 

Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2013. 

Table 2: 1890 Land-Grant Universities Evans-Allen (Research) Funding 2010–2012 

2010–2012 Totals 

State Institutions Total to 

State 

100% Match 

Requirement 

Total 

Total 

Waiver 

Requested 

State 

Actual 

Match 

Total 

State 

Percent 

Match 

Total 

AL Alabama A&M $6,678,810 $6,678,810 $0 $6,678,810 100% 

AL Tuskegee $6,629,632 $6,629,632 $312,615 $6,317,017 95% 

AR University of Arkansas, Pine Bluff $5,734,629 $5,734,629 $1,234,076 $4,500,553 78% 

DE Delaware State $3,132,109 $3,132,109 $0 $3,132,109 100% 

FL Florida A&M $5,287,691 $5,287,691 $3,068,010 $2,219,682 42% 

GA Fort Valley State $7,640,470 $7,640,470 $0 $7,640,470 100% 

KY Kentucky State $9,124,875 $9,124,875 $1,677,140 $7,447,735 82% 

LA Southern University $5,086,583 $5,086,583 $0 $5,086,583 100% 

MD University of Maryland, Eastern 

Shore 

$3,836,233 $3,836,233 $0 $3,836,233 100% 

MS Alcorn State $8,022,396 $8,022,396 $0 $8,022,396 100% 

MO Lincoln University $7,307,444 $7,307,444 $3,735,087 $3,572,357 49% 

NC North Carolina A&T State $10,513,898 $10,513,898 $2,845,912 $7,667,986 73% 

OK Langston University $5,860,825 $5,860,825 $0 $5,860,825 100% 

SC South Carolina State $5,691,927 $5,691,927 $3,304,647 $2,387,280 42% 

TN Tennessee State $8,322,683 $8,322,683 $0 $8,322,683 100% 

TX Prairie View A&M $12,382,874 $12,382,874 $6,315,445 $6,067,429 49% 

VA Virginia State $7,096,901 $7,096,901 $913,367 $6,183,534 87% 

WVA West Virginia State $3,757,225 $3,757,225 $1,391,983 $2,365,242 63% 

Grand Totals $122,107,205 $122,107,205 $24,798,282 $97,308,924 80% 

Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2013. 

Table 3: 1890 Land-Grant Universities Combined Extension & Evans-Allen Act 

Funding (Research) 2010–2012 

2010–2012 Totals 

State Institutions Total to 

State 

100% Match 

Requirement 

Total 

Total 

Waiver 

Requested 

State 

Actual 

Match 

Total 

State 

Percent 

Match 

Total 

AL Alabama A&M $13,016,372 $13,016,372 $0 $13,016,372 100% 

AL Tuskegee $12,967,194 $12,967,194 $2,508,284 $10,458,910 81% 

AR University of Arkansas, Pine Bluff $11,290,308 $11,290,308 $3,101,734 $8,188,574 73% 

DE Delaware State $6,618,324 $6,618,324 $0 $6,618,324 100% 

FL Florida A&M $10,723,035 $10,723,035 $5,785,641 $4,937,394 46% 

GA Fort Valley State $15,215,838 $15,215,838 $0 $15,215,838 100% 

KY Kentucky State $18,598,366 $18,598,366 $5,246,567 $13,351,799 72% 

LA Southern University $10,058,484 $10,058,484 $0 $10,058,484 100% 

MD University of Maryland, Eastern 

Shore 

$7,779,789 $7,779,789 $0 $7,779,789 100% 

MS Alcorn State $13,953,451 $13,953,451 $0 $13,953,451 100% 

MO Lincoln University $16,867,341 $16,867,341 $8,768,673 $8,098,668 48% 

NC North Carolina A&T State $21,250,744 $21,250,744 $6,601,950 $14,648,794 69% 

OK Langston University $11,717,279 $11,717,279 $0 $11,717,279 100% 

SC South Carolina State $11,140,812 $11,140,812 $6,029,090 $5,111,722 46% 

TN Tennessee State $16,733,778 $16,733,778 $0 $16,733,778 100% 

TX Prairie View A&M $24,945,592 $24,945,592 $12,371,367 $12,574,225 50% 

VA Virginia State $14,194,338 $14,194,338 $3,183,941 $11,010,397 78% 

WVA West Virginia State $7,782,381 $7,782,381 $3,029,952 $4,752,429 61% 

Grand Totals $244,853,426 $244,853,426 $56,627,199 $188,226,227 77% 

Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2013. 

Survey of 1890 Land-Grant Universities 

In a 2013 survey of 1890 land-grant universities conducted by the APLU Office 

for Access and Success, 50 percent of institutions indicated that they did not receive 

65 

one-to-one matching funds from their state (See Figure 3) and 70 percent of institutions indicated that they had requested a waiver between 2008 and 2013 (see Figure 

4). Further, only ten percent of respondents (one institution) indicated that the 1890 

land-grant institutions received more than a one-to-one match (see Figure 5), and 

80 percent of respondents noted that the 1862 land-grant institutions receive more 

than a one-to-one matching of funds from their state (See Figure 6). This further 

underscores the under-funding of 1890 land-grant institutions in comparison to 1862 

land-grant universities in the same state. Figure 7 shows that since 2008, there has 

been an increase in 1890 land-grant institutions receiving waivers for the one-toone matching requirement. When asked what entity in the state makes the final decision on whether or not your institution receives matching funds, 90 percent of survey respondents indicated that the state legislature was responsible for the making 

the decision on matching funds while only ten percent indicated the governor as the 

final decision maker. The survey also asked respondents to briefly describe the process to secure matching funds in their state (See Figure 9). The responses received 

ranged from a request being made to the legislature by the university to the absence 

of any formal process to secure matching funds. The responses show that there is 

a need to standardize the process of how requests for funding for matching funds 

are handled on a state-by-state basis. 

Figure 3: Land-Grant Universities Matching Survey, 2013 

Question: Does your institution receive 100 percent of one-to-one matching funds from 

your state for the Agriculture funding received from USDA? 

Source: Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, Office of Access and Success 1890 Matching Survey, 2013. 


11422003.eps
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Figure 4: Land-Grant Universities Matching Survey, 2013 

Question: Has your institution ever requested a waiver from USDA for not meeting 

the One-to-One Matching Requirement between 2008 and 2013? 

Source: Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, Office of Access and Success 1890 Matching Survey, 2013. 

Figure 5: Land-Grant Universities Matching Survey, 2013 

Question: Does your institution receive more than 100 percent of one-to-one matching 

funds from your state for the Agriculture funding received from USDA? 

Source: Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, Office of Access and Success 1890 Matching Survey, 2013. 


11422004.eps 11422005.eps
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Figure 6: Land-Grant Universities Matching Survey, 2013 

Question: Does your state’s 1862 land-grant institution receive more than 100 percent 

one-to-one matching funds from your state for Agriculture Funding received from 

USDA? 

Source: Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, Office of Access and Success 1890 Matching Survey, 2013. 

Figure 7: Land-Grant Universities Matching Survey, 2013 

Question: In what year(s) has your institution received a waiver from USDA for the 

One-to-One Match Requirement? (Select All That Apply) 

Source: Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, Office of Access and Success 1890 Matching Survey, 2013. 


11422006.eps 11422007.eps
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Figure 8: Land-Grant Universities Matching Survey, 2013 

Question: What entity in your state makes the final decision on whether or not your 

institution receives one-to-one matching funds? 

Source: Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, Office of Access and Success 1890 Matching Survey, 2013. 

Figure 9: Land-Grant Universities Matching Survey, 2013 

Question: Please briefly describe the process to secure matching funds in your state? 

Source: Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, Office of Access and Success 1890 Matching Survey, 2013. 

Moving Forward: Recommendations for Policy Makers 

The disparities in matching funds in the nation’s land-grant system must be corrected. States must meet their obligation that was established under the Morrill 

Acts to equally fund the land-grant system in their states that provide research and 

extension services that benefit rural farmers and communities in their respective 

states. More must be done on both the Federal and state level to ensure that match 


11422008.eps 11422009.eps
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funding for 1890 land-grant institutions is brought to parity with their 1862 landgrant counterparts. We do not aim to introduce through these recommendations a 

zero sum game where money should be taken from 1862s to accomplish the goal of 

parity for 1890s. The money received by both sets of institutions is important to the 

overall strength of the land-grant system and the contributions of both are important to the state. It is in the best interest of the state to fully fund the land-grant 

system, and we propose the following policy recommendations to strengthen the entire land-grant system: 

Recommendation 1 

States should ensure that 1890 land-grant Universities receive the One-toOne Matching of Funds from the state in a separate line-item budget. 

State legislators, governors and system and institutional governing boards should 

ensure that yearly budgets to 1862 and 1890 land-grant universities automatically 

include a separate line-item to match the Federal dollars received for land-grant institutions. This would not only ensure that all 1862 and 1890 land-grant universities receive the one-to-one match that is required under Federal law, but also ensures that universities do not have to make up the deficit for the funds through general operating dollars that are intended to be spent on academic programs. 

Recommendation 2 

States should ensure that both 1862 and 1890 land-grant universities receive the percent of matching funds in their appropriation dollars. 

State legislators, governors and system and institutional governing boards should 

ensure that the percent of formula funds matching is the same for 1862 and 1890 

land-grant universities because this is the only way that parity in funding can be 

reached. While each institution receives their grant allocations from the Federal 

Government based on a Federal formula, some states go above and beyond the 

matching requirement for their 1862 land-grant institutions but do not even meet 

the minimum 100 percent one-to-one match requirement for many of their 1890 

land-grant institutions. This means that while an 1862 institution (which receives 

more in land-grant funding based on institutional size and other factors) can receive 

2:1 or 12:1 matching funds, the corresponding 1890 institutions receive less than 

and up to a one-to-one match. The under-funding of HBCUs has been a persistent 

problem for many 1890 land-grant institutions in general, and it is time that these 

institutions receive their Federal match. This does not mean that 1862s should not 

continue to receive the funding they currently receive, but it does mean that more 

money should be invested into 1890 institutions in these states. 

Recommendation 3 

States should ensure that the process to request and receive matching 

funds is the same for 1862 and 1890 land-grant universities. 

States should create standardized and automated processes for the request and 

receipt of matching funds from the state. The results of the survey show that the 

processes that are currently used by states vary greatly and can often be different 

for 1862 institutions versus 1890. For example, one 1890 land-grant institution 

noted that while it had to specifically make a request for matching funds to the 

state legislature, the same funding was provided to the 1862 land-grant university 

without making a specific request before the same legislature and received much 

more money than required by the one-to-one matching requirement. The process in 

each state should be reviewed to ensure equity in funding. 

Recommendation 4 

Federal legislators should provide oversight to ensure that states meet 

their obligation for providing the one-to-one matching requirement and 

should incent states to provide the same percentage of formula match funding to both 1862 and 1890 land-grant universities within their state. 

States should no longer be allowed to not meet their obligation of providing 

matching funds to 1890 land-grant institutions. The Federal Government should 

provide more mechanisms to ensure that institutions receive the matching funds 

from their states. It should not be left up to 1890 land-grant institutions themselves 

to use the waiver process in lieu of not receiving matching funds from the state. 

Conclusion 

The above recommendations represent a path forward to ensure that 1890 landgrant universities can finally receive the one-to-one matching funds. To be landgrant but unequal is a strange place to be for a land-grant system that was created to bring education to agricultural and industrial citizens in each state. Staying 

70 

true to the original intent of the Morrill Acts, 1890 land-grant universities have contributed and continue to contribute greatly to research, extension services and academic training to citizens and farmers. However, many of these institutions have 

been doing so in states that have not met their obligation to provide matching funds 

to these institutions. This must be changed and rectified. Each state has an obligation to ensure these changes not only for the 1890 land-grant institutions but also 

for the citizens and farmers of each state that are served by these universities. 

For the executive summary, visit www.aplu.org/OASresearch. 

References 

Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (2013). 1890 Land-grant Universities One-to-One Matching Survey. Washington, D.C.: APLU Office of Access and 

Success. 

Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (2012). The Land-grant Tradition. Washington, D.C.: author. 

Allen, W.R., & Jewell, J.O. (2002). A backward glance forward: Past, present, and 

future perspectives on historically black colleges and universities. REVIEW OF HIGHER

EDUCATION, 25(3), 241–261. 

Brown, M.C., Donahoo, S., & Bertrand, R.D. (2001). The black college and the 

quest for educational opportunity. URBAN EDUCATION, 36(5), 553–571. 

Evans-Allen Act of 1977. 

Hatch Act of 1887. 

Morrill Act of 1862, sec 4. 

National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977. 

Provasnik, S., Shafer, L.L., & Snyder, T.D. (2004). Historically black colleges and 

universities, 1976–2001 (No. NCSE 2004 062). Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office. 

Redd, K.E. (1998). Historically black colleges and universities: Making a comeback. 

NEW DIRECTIONS FOR HIGHER EDUCATION, 26(2), 33–43. 

Roebuck, J., & Murty, K. (1993). Historically black colleges and universities: Their 

place in American higher education. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers. 

Smith-Lever Act of 1914. 

Wilson, R. (1990). Can black colleges solve the problem of access for black students? AMERICAN JOURNAL OF EDUCATION, 98(4), 443–457. 

About the Authors 

John Michael Lee, Jr. is Vice President for the Office for Access and Success 

(OAS) and is responsible for advancing Public Black Universities, Hispanic-Serving 

Institutions, and Tribal Colleges and supporting the APLU Council of 1890 Universities; Commission on Access, Diversity and Excellence; and the OAS Advisory 

Board. His research interests include student access, participation, and success in 

higher education; student recruitment, retention, and graduation; student development; minority serving institutions (HBCUs, HSIs, and Tribal Colleges); higher education diversity; and education policy. 

He earned a Ph.D. in higher education administration from New York University, 

an MPA with a concentration in economic development from Georgia State University, and a bachelor of science in computer engineering from Florida A&M University. 

Samaad Wes Keys is the program assistant for the OAS and is responsible for 

research, managing collaborative partnerships and initiatives to meet the key organizational objectives for advancing college access and success for all students, with 

particular attention paid to underrepresented groups at the pre-college and college 

levels. His research interests are focused on postsecondary education policy, minority student access and success, and minority-serving institutions. He holds a deep 

interest in the for-profit sector of higher education and how these institutions are 

shaping the future direction of higher education. 

He is currently a doctoral candidate at the University of Georgia’s Institute of 

Higher Education. He earned a master’s degree from Central Michigan University 

in educational curriculum and instruction and a bachelor of arts degree from Morehouse College in psychology. 

Suggested Citation 

Lee, J.M. and Keys, S.W. (2013). Land-grant But Unequal: State One-to-One 

Match Funding for 1890 Land-grant Universities. (APLU Office of Access and Success publication no. 3000–PB1). Washington, D.C.: Association of Public and Landgrant Universities. 

71 

About APLU 

The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) is a research, policy, and advocacy organization representing 223 public research universities, land-grant institutions, state university systems, and related organizations. 

Founded in 1887, APLU is the nation’s oldest higher education association with 

member institutions in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, four U.S. territories, 

and Canada. Annually, member campuses enroll four million undergraduates and 

1.2 million graduate students, award over one million degrees, employ over one million faculty and staff, and conduct $39 billion in university-based research. 

About The Council Of 1890 Universities 

APLU’s Council of 1890 Universities collectively represents the interests of 

1890 land-grant institutions including the University of the District of Columbia 

and the University of the Virgin Islands. The Council seeks to maintain, insure and 

increase funding, to present a unified approach for presentation of views regarding 

these institutions and to serve as a forum to share ideas and resources. The Council 

works with other 1890 associations in developing a comprehensive agenda for APLU 

regarding Congressional and Federal policies and programs impacting 1890 institutions. 

About OAS 

APLU’s Office for Access and Success (OAS) is dedicated to equity, access, 

and educational excellence for all Americans with a special focus on under-served 

students and minority-serving institutions. OAS is primarily responsible for supporting the APLU Council of 1890 Universities; the Commission on Access, Diversity and Excellence (CADE); Hispanic-Serving Institutions; and the OAS Advisory 

Board. To reach the authors, please e-mail oas@aplu.org. 

Acknowledgements 

This report was written and edited by John Michael Lee, Jr., Vice President for 

the Office of Access and Success (OAS) at APLU and Samaad Wes Keys, program 

assistant in OAS at APLU. The authors would like to thank M. Peter McPherson, 

President of APLU; Howard Gobstein, Executive Vice President; and Michael Tanner, Chief Academic Officer and Vice President; Ian Maw, Vice President for Food 

Agriculture & Natural Resource; Eddie Gouge, Senior Associate Director of Federal 

Relations—Food and Agricultural Sciences; Christine Keller, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Executive Director of the Voluntary System of Accountability; Jennifer Poulakidas, Vice President for Congressional and Governmental Affairs, Jeff Lieberson, Vice President for Public Affairs and Troy Prestwood, 

Public Affairs Representative in Public Affairs for their many contributions to this 

effort. 

We would also like to the thank the staff at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) for 

their assistance with securing the data necessary to make this report possible. 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF LAURENCE B. ALEXANDER, J.D., PH.D., CHANCELLOR, UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT PINE BLUFF, PINE BLUFF, AR 

Thank you Honorable Chairman Conaway, Ranking Member Peterson, and Members of the House Committee on Agriculture for providing this opportunity for me 

to provide written testimony for the Congressional hearing. 

My name is Laurence B. Alexander and I am the Chancellor of the University of 

Arkansas at Pine Bluff. 

The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff is an 1890 land-grant, historically black 

college/university (HBCU) with a diverse student population of more than 2,500 students, more than 30 undergraduate and graduate degree offerings, including a Ph.D. 

Program in Aquaculture/Fisheries. Our talented faculty members are among the 

most diverse of any university within the state. As the second oldest higher education institution in Arkansas, our aim has remained the same over the years—to 

provide a high quality, affordable education with a personal touch. 

For more than 140 years, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff has worked 

to create an environment that infuses excitement into learning, affords opportunities for personal growth and productivity while providing a basic need to its students—a chance to advance. The 15:1 student-to-teacher ratio makes it possible to 

maintain a learning environment with close interaction between students and faculty while offering challenging curricula which encourage our students to seek and 

fulfill their potential. Our land-grant academic programs and STEM Academy lead 

the charge in these areas. 

72 

Out-of-class experiences and student involvement includes more than 120 student 

organizations, an internationally renowned Vesper Choir, Marching Band, Concert 

Bands, Wind Symphony, nationally recognized spirit and debate teams, award-winning theater department and accomplished athletics program. 

Land-Grant Programs 

The School of Agriculture, Fisheries and Human Sciences is an integral part of 

the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and administers the 1890 research and extension land-grant programs at the University. The School consists of three academic departments: Agriculture, Fisheries and Human Science. Approximately $7.7 

million in combined Federal and state funds (Evans-Allen, Extension and State 

Match) support 15 approved ongoing research and extension projects. While most of 

the research is conducted at the UAPB campus site, some activities are occurring 

at the UAPB Lonoke and Marianna farm sites. Additional research studies were 

conducted on private cooperating farm sites in Jefferson, Lee, St. Francis, Monroe 

and Phillips counties and in collaboration with other institutions such as the 

Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge. Through collaborations with other colleges and 

universities, both in the U.S. and internationally, the School of Agriculture, Fisheries and Human Sciences strives to help improve the quality of life for people in Arkansas, the nation, and the world. The School’s Office of International Programs, is 

vital to achieving global effectiveness and success. 

Seven new Evans-Allen research projects conducted by School researchers were 

approved and seven Evans-Allen projects were completed. The knowledge gained by 

these research activities is extended to families and communities through a variety 

of outreach and Extension programs. The extension program has structured programs in 29 counties with staff housed in ten of those counties. 

Research and Extension in Agriculture are conducted in the areas of biotechnology, plant science, animal science, water quality and agricultural economics. 

The efforts in the Department of Human Sciences are directed toward human nutrition, food safety and family life. A newly developed project in the textiles program 

includes the utilization of new applications for biomaterials such as traditional fibers and new modified regenerated proteins like spider silk and cellulosic fibers in 

relation to aspects of sustainability of materials. 

The Agriculture and Human Sciences components of the Research and Extension 

programs are designed to provide information and assistance to small-scale and limited resource farmers and disadvantaged families and youth. 

Last, but not least, our nationally known Aquaculture/Fisheries program supports 

both the state’s aquaculture industry and recreational fishing. The latter serves as 

an avenue for enhancing tourism as an economic engine for the state. 

Selected Land-Grant Impacts 

Some of the impacts that our land-grant research and extension programs have 

yielded center around sweet potatoes, rice, catfish, bait fish and locally grown 

produce. I will briefly detail the more significant impacts we have had in the above 

mentioned areas with a sampling of the research conducted at UAPB: 

UAPB is working to identify a number of major viruses that detrimentally affect 

the sweet potato crop in the state of Arkansas. Our researchers can now advise producers to not use their own seeds over a period of time as higher accumulation of 

viruses may lead to yield loss. This knowledge could save producers thousands of 

dollars over a period of time. 

To help solve inefficiencies in commercial production of baitfish and keep down 

feed costs, UAPB scientists are testing new diet ingredients and feeding strategies 

using prebiotics with golden shiners. The study will direct producers to a feed that 

can produce a hardy, disease-resistant product that will increase profitability. 

A UAPB study examined the increased demand for fresh and chilled/frozen seafood while the market size and share of U.S. farm-raised catfish were declining. It 

found that the catfish industry needs to develop market-specific strategies to gain 

further market share in the U.S. 

Through a collaborative effort between UAPB, the East Arkansas Enterprise Community and the Arkansas Delta Seeds of Change, several schools now have fresh, 

locally grown fruits and vegetables to meet the ‘‘color my plate’’ guidelines. As a result, school districts in Arkansas have added more fresh fruits and vegetables to 

school lunch and summer feeding programs to meet USDA guidelines and to provide 

healthier choices to school children. 

STEM Scholars Academy 

I would also like to call attention to our STEM Scholars Academy at UAPB. The 

Academy is a well-integrated set of enrichment programs designed to help meet 

local, state and national human resource needs in STEM areas. The STEM Scholars 

73 

Academy reflects the land-grant mission and the University’s mission with a particular emphasis on helping to increase the pool of well-prepared underrepresented 

minorities in STEM majors and careers. 

Currently, there are three enrichment initiatives, including the NSF-funded 

HBCU–UP Comprehensive Implementation grant which is foundational to the 

STEM Academy; the NSF-funded Arkansas Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation grant which is reflective of best practices learned in the HBCU–UP STEM 

Academy; and the U.S. Department of Education funded M.Ed. degree in Science 

and Mathematics Education Program. All are designed to help meet research, teaching and industry needs in science areas, with a particular emphasis on diversity in 

these critical areas. The Arkansas Science and Technology Authority is also a major 

partner in these initiatives. 

Key components of the STEM Academy initiatives include a Guest Lecture Series, 

Advisory Board, Pre-First Year Summer Institutes/Academy, hands-on research/ 

mentoring experiences, internships, study groups, curricula and infrastructure upgrades. Currently, the STEM Academy has 229 undergraduates and six graduate 

students. The disciplines include: chemistry, mathematics, physics, computer 

science, biology, plant science, animal science, and industrial technology. 

The UAPB STEM Scholars Academy has helped to transform education efforts 

within the science, engineering and mathematics disciplines at the University by 

producing a well-designed model of intervention that sharpens the students’ skills 

in teamwork, research, STEM content, technical writing and professional presentations. As a result, we have experienced an increase in STEM enrollment from 

21.3% to 33.2% (Fall 2005 to Fall 2014). The number of bachelor degrees conferred 

in STEM majors has increased from 76 to 124 (2005–2014), a 63.2% increase since 

the development of the Academy. 

Today, the STEM Scholars Academy serve as strong beacons to students, their 

parents, organizations and agencies, shedding light on the importance of STEM research and educational programs. These programs are critical for creating well prepared and diverse STEM graduates. These programs also provide a spring board for 

STEM career growth while at the same time helping the U.S. to remain competitive 

in the global economy. 

Continuing Challenge 

One of the major challenges that our university faces is securing the full state 

match for the university’s annual Evans-Allen and Extension funding. The annual 

effort to secure the full match deters the university from more fully serving its clientele through research and Extension efforts. Each biennium the University has to 

diligently work to secure the state match. Since the inception of this Federal requirement, the university has not been successful in securing the state match and 

has had to request a waiver each year from USDA–NIFA to receive our full Federal 

funding allocation. 

We are concerned that any decreases in Evans-Allen and Extension funding will 

further hamper our ability to serve our clientele through our research and Extension efforts. 

Concluding Statement 

I will close my written testimony by saying that I am honored to have the opportunity to submit my testimony for the Congressional hearing. On behalf of all of the 

students, faculty, staff and citizens of the great State of Arkansas who are associated with our land-grant programs and mission, we at the University of Arkansas 

at Pine Bluff thank you for your continued support. 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF DR. RAY L. BELTON, PRESIDENT AND CHANCELLOR, 

SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY AND A&M COLLEGE SYSTEM, BATON ROUGE, LA 

Mr. Chairman, Honorable Members of the Committee, fellow 1890 land-grant university leaders, ladies and gentlemen, good morning! I am Ray Belton, the President 

and Chancellor for the Southern University and A&M College System of Louisiana. 

It is an honor for me to be here today to participate, observe and to share some 

comments on such an important and historical occasion—125th celebrations of 1890 

land-grant institutions, where Southern University and A&M College is recognized 

as one among these great institutions. 

It is my pleasure to provide this testimony to the House Agriculture Committee 

of the United States House of Representatives. My testimony consists of a brief 

overview of the Southern University A&M College System, it’s five campuses, and 

highlight some features of agricultural and related programs as they exist. Moreover, this testimony will address future goals and funding opportunities needed to 

74 

help Southern University continue to provide quality educational, research and extension services to the citizens of Louisiana. 

Southern University and A&M College is the only HBCU System in the United 

States of America. The System consists of five campuses: Southern University 

and A&M College—Baton Rouge, a comprehensive institution offering 4 year, 

graduate, professional, and doctorate degree programs; Southern University at 

Shreveport Louisiana, a 2 year junior commuters college, designed as an extension of Southern University—Baton Rouge for the students in the Shreveport—Bossier City and surrounding areas; Southern University—New Orleans, a 4 year 

urban institution that offers personalized co-curricular programs; Southern University Law Center, a traditional law program inclusive of outstanding clinical 

and externship, joint degree and studies abroad programs; Southern University 

Agricultural Research and Extension Center, an entity whose mission is to 

conduct basic and applied research and disseminate such information nationally, as 

well as statewide. 

The agriculture and related programs are housed on the SUBR and Ag Center 

campuses. First, let me provide a few general highlights of SUBR, our flagship campus. It consists of five colleges with bachelor degree programs in various disciplines 

to include agricultural, family and consumer sciences. It also provides eighteen (18) 

master degree programs and five (5) Ph.D. programs. The University’s College of 

Nursing and Allied Health has been ranked among the top 10 producers of AfricanAmerican nurses in the nation. It was named Nursing School of the Year by reputable association, the Louisiana State Nurses Association and the Louisiana 

Nurses Foundation. The Southern University’s Marching Band—the Human Jukebox—was recognized among the top marching bands in the 2015 Historically Black 

Colleges and Universities Digest’s national awards competition. 

The College of Engineering is one of the country’s top 10 producers of AfricanAmerican engineers, and its graduates hold significant, creative and administrative 

positions in such companies as IBM, ExxonMobil, Entergy Corp., Caterpillar Corp., 

Raytheon, Dow Chemical, Chevron and others. Noted alumni include the following: 

Russel L. Honoree, retired Lieutenant General, U.S. Army and leader of the 2005 

Task Force Katrina; the late Freddye Scarborough Henderson, founder of the first 

African-American travel agency in the country; and Joseph Steward, former Vice 

President, Kellogg Company. These are some examples of noteworthy graduates 

from Southern University A&M College programs. 

Many of the graduates of the division of Agricultural, Family and Consumer 

Sciences hold responsible positions within USDA and private industry. Southern 

University’s first patent emanated from the Division of Agricultural, Family and 

Consumer Sciences in which a method and apparatus of reducing calcium in aquatic 

waste to be used as plant and animal feed. In 2014, the Urban Forestry program 

helped Southern University to earn the designation of Tree Campus USA, becoming 

the first HBCU in Louisiana and only the 4th in the nation to receive the designation. 

Academics, Research and Extension at Southern University: Southern University has directly and indirectly benefits students, farmers, agribusiness men and 

residents of Louisiana through programs funded in large measures through the 

House Agriculture Committee to the United States Department of Agriculture, for 

the enhancement of the land-grant programs. 

Thousands of students have graduated with Bachelor of Science degrees in agriculture and are successfully employed throughout USDA, the private sectors, selfemployed as farmers and owners, and practicing agribusiness men in farm related 

businesses. Additionally, Southern University has a nationally recognized and accredited Urban Forestry and Natural Resources department, one of a few in the 

United States, that offers a B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Urban Forestry and 

Natural Resources. To date, more than 300 students have received degrees at the 

various levels from this department. These graduates are highly recruited by the 

USDA, the university community and the private sector. The Division of Agricultural, Family and consumer Sciences (DAFCS) ranks first in undergraduate student 

retention out of the university’s nine undergraduate degree colleges and schools; 

first in average grant funding per faculty over the last 6 years; and seventh in the 

number of African-Americans with bachelor’s degrees in the agricultural sciences 

among 1890 land-grant universities. Southern’s first patent was received for method 

and apparatus of reducing calcium in aquatic waste to be used as plant and animal 

feed. In 2014, the Urban Forestry program helped Southern University to earn the 

designation of Tree Campus USA, becoming the first HBCU in Louisiana and only 

the 4th in the nation to receive the designation. 

As stated earlier, the Ag Center’s mission is to conduct basic and applied research 

and disseminate the discovered information nationally, as well as statewide. The 

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Center’s practices are based on practical research, qualitative and quantitative research results. The research and extension programs support the academic offerings 

by promoting faculty and student research; outreach leading in the various disciplines of agriculture and natural resources. Further, it also provides our students 

with real global experiential learning and competencies. Beyond supporting academic programs, research and extension continue to connect farmers, rural communities, and urban residents with opportunities for success. For example, given the 

importance of beef cattle production to small farmers in Louisiana, Southern University is engaged in a major research program designed to maximize income for 

small land holders by improving efficiency in land use through upgraded pasture 

production and, expanded grazing practice, by having both beef cattle and goats to 

sequentially graze the same pasture. The results of this project are being well received by our farmers. 

Niche crop production and value-added commodities such as hibiscus and mushroom are providing several promising opportunities for farmers to have other profitable crops to put in crop production mix. 

Additionally, the cooperative extension program has graduated over 65 small 

farmers from across the State of Louisiana in a 20 hour whole farm-planning curriculum through the State Leadership Development Institute. As results of this 

training, small farmers are realizing increased farm productivity and income. 

Finally urban agriculture and gardening are being integrated into a research, 

educational and nutritional program. With Louisiana ranking 49th in the country 

in obesity and having sixty-four percent of its adults either overweight or obese, 

Southern University AgCenter has developed interactive hands-on group sessions 

and in-home nutrition notes on dietary quality, physical activity and safety are also 

being provided to under-served families in rural and urban communities. 

Future Goals and Funding Needs: The funds are essential for the future of agriculture and forestry in Louisiana and America as well as having helped to improve 

technology transfer abroad to a growing population and decreasing availability of 

land; growing demand for sustainable urban forestry, urban agriculture and the 

need to restore vast amount of urban and urban-rural interface ecosystems (including restoration of our wetlands). Additionally, the cooperative extension program 

has graduated approximately 65 small farmers from across the state of Louisiana 

in Whole Farm Planning sessions through the Regional and State Leadership Development Institutes. The farmers received in excess of 200 hours of instruction and 

traveled throughout the southern states and the State of Louisiana to become more 

familiar with best practices in agriculture. The Cooperative Extension Program 

works with farmers assisting them with specialized/individualized training to meet 

their needs. The overall goal of trainings and workshops is to increase the profitability and sustainability of the small farm operations. Instructional areas provided 

by agents, specialists and external collaborators include record keeping, variety selection, production, resource inventory, and estate planning and risk management. 

Research and extension programs will be critical to help develop successful models 

where farming, environmental issues, urban living can all co-exist while improving 

access to quality affordable food. 

Many challenges exist that affect efforts to address needed issues of clientele 

groups through land-grant programs at the university. Additional resources are 

needed to fully support on-going and expanded initiative at the university. Some are 

as follows: 

• continue and expand the work on increasing profitability among small farm 

families. 

• continue efforts to address obesity and related issues. 

• continue the work toward enhancing economic development activities in underprivileged and unfortunate communities. 

• enhance the work of preparing students for career opportunities in the food, 

fiber and agricultural industries. 

In addition to a need for resources to expand these on-going initiatives, similar 

resources and funding opportunities are needed to support proposed centers of excellence: 

• Create an integrated center to benefit Small Farms, Ranchers and Forest Landowners in high poverty areas. 

• Establish a virtual center to support the science, technology, engineering, agriculture, and mathematic (STEM) pipeline of students and to address the growing need of talented career candidates to meet future workforce needs. 

76 

• Create a center the satisfy the nation’s need in the areas of international engagement and global food security to increase international cooperation, trade 

and development. 

It has been observed and recognized that many of the 1890 land-grant institutions 

including Southern University A&M College have not, on a consistent basis been 

awarded the required 1:1 Federal match funding of land-grant programs through 

state appropriation. This has been a challenge for Southern University as it has 

been for many institutions when securing the required and deserved match of dedicated funding. Therefore, we join others in support of proposed legislation to amend 

current Federal mandates which could strengthen and close the gap of disparity in 

receiving match funding requirements for 1890 colleges and universities in the future. 

Again, thank you for affording me the opportunity to share comments about 

Southern University; present programmatic engagement in land-grant initiatives, 

future goals and funding opportunities, and above all the need for enhanced funding. 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF RAYMOND M. BURSE, PRESIDENT, KENTUCKY STATE

UNIVERSITY, FRANKFORT, KY 

The 1890s—Building on Yesterday, Finding Answers Today, and Preparing 

for Tomorrow—Celebrating 125 Years of Providing Access and Enhancing Opportunities 

To Chairman Mike Conaway, Ranking Member Collin Peterson, and Members of 

the House Committee on Agriculture, I am Raymond M. Burse, President of Kentucky State University, and I am honored to submit my written testimony for the 

official hearing record. 

This recognition of the 125th anniversary of the Second Morrill Act serves as an 

opportunity to highlight the innovative research and significant contributions of the 

19 land-grant universities across the country. The Second Morrill Act of 1890 has 

afforded this network of universities 125 years of access to education and excellence, 

an achievement that we celebrate today. 

Kentucky State University Historically 

From its modest beginnings as a small normal school for the training of black 

teachers, Kentucky State University has grown and evolved into a land-grant and 

liberal arts institution that prepares a diverse student population to compete in a 

multifaceted, ever-changing global society. The university, chartered in May 1886 as 

the State Normal School for Colored Persons, was only the second state-supported 

institution of higher learning in Kentucky. During the euphoria of Frankfort’s 1886 

centennial celebration, when vivid recollections of the Civil War remained, the city’s 

4,000 residents were keenly interested in having the new institution located in 

Frankfort. Toward that end, the city donated $1,500, a considerable amount in 1886 

dollars, and a site on a scenic bluff overlooking the town. This united display of community enthusiasm and commitment won the day. The new college was located in 

Frankfort in spite of competition from several other cities. 

With the passing of the Second Morrill Act in 1890, KSU became the second landgrant institution in Kentucky, a designation that allowed the school to establish 

home economics, agriculture and mechanics departments. 

Kentucky State University Today 

Today, KSU serves a student population of approximately 2,000 through the College of Agriculture, Food Science, and Sustainable Systems, the College of Arts and 

Sciences, the College of Business and Computer Science and the College of Professional Studies. KSU’s 882 acre campus includes a 204 acre agricultural research and 

demonstration farm and a 306 acre Environmental Education and Research Center. 

KSU, building on its legacy of achievement as a historically black, liberal arts and 

1890 land-grant university, affords access to and prepares a diverse student population of traditional and non-traditional students to compete in a multi-faceted, 

ever-changing global society by providing student-centered learning while integrating teaching, research, and service through high-quality undergraduate and select graduate programs. 

Kentucky State University is committed to keeping relevant its legacy of service 

by proactively engaging the community in partnerships on civic projects driven by 

the objective of positively impacting the quality of life of the citizens of the commonwealth. 

77 

The College of Agriculture, Food Science, and Sustainable Systems at KSU works 

to uphold the mission of the university through its commitment to research, service, 

and teaching in the food and agricultural sciences. The College is organized around 

five divisions including, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Aquaculture, Environmental Studies and Sustainable Systems, Food and Animal Science, and Family and 

Consumer Sciences. Each division works to resolve agricultural, educational, economic, and social problems of the people of the Commonwealth of Kentucky while 

fulfilling the principles upon which the Morrill Act was founded: research, extension 

and teaching. 

KSU boasts the largest multi-disciplinary organic agriculture program in the 

1890’s land-grant system with nationally and internationally recognized research 

programs in aquaculture, organic agriculture, sustainable biofuel feedstock production, alternative fruit and nut crops, ecological entomology, alternative pesticides 

and water quality, goat production, obesity and human health, and apiculture. 

Leading Research in Aquaponics 

With interest in aquaponics having grown considerably in recent years, KSU’s 

Aquaculture Program, our ‘‘Program of Distinction,’’ is widely recognized as a leader 

in the field. More specifically, the program has led research in the areas of 

paddlefish culture, freshwater prawn culture, Koi breeding, production of feedtrained largemouth bass, and fish meal replacement research. Using a customized 

raft design based on the University of the Virgin Islands system, the six rafts available to researchers and housed in the KSU Aquaculture Research Center, provide 

the unique ability to conduct replicated research trials. Upcoming research will 

evaluate the microbial profile of the aquaponics system and screen for potential 

harmful bacteria at different points in the system. Additional aims include the development of an online academic course in aquaponics that will cover aspects such 

as the design, construction and management of the aquaponics system, fingerling 

and plant production, economics, and food safety. 

Meeting the Needs of Farmers and Consumers 

Taking on a problem common among both commercial and home vegetable and 

fruit growers, identifying and managing insect pests and diseases, KSU researchers 

are working to develop biologically-based, sustainable insect pest management options and strategies for sweet corn and blackberry production. 

Promoting Healthy Living Through Outreach Across Kentucky 

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 30% 

of the adult population in Kentucky and 25% of Kentucky’s children are either overweight or obese. In both cases, Kentucky ranks in the top ten of most obese states 

in the nation. In an effort to combat this epidemic, researchers and Extension specialists at Kentucky State University’s College of Agriculture, Food Science, and 

Sustainable Systems have developed programs to teach and encourage healthy eating habits and physical activity in youth and families. SHAPE UP KSU, a program 

through which 376 undergraduate students have received health screenings for their 

height, weight, waist circumference, body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage, 

blood pressure, and fasting lipid and glucose concentrations was developed to this 

end. A second program, the Center for Family Nutrition and Wellness Education, 

has boosted KSU’s College of Agriculture, Food Science, and Sustainable Systems’ 

efforts in better addressing the obesity challenge among the vulnerable populations 

in the Bluegrass Region. And yet a third endeavor, KSU’s Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program, summer programs enrolled students in grades ranging 

from kindergarten to eighth grade and provided them education on health and nutrition and the importance of physical activity. Such innovations have been made 

possible by research made possible in part by land-grant funding. 

Conclusion 

In conclusion, it is my hope that you will consider the gains made by all 1890 

universities as well as the potential for further advancement as you move forward 

in this process. With continued funding and support, Kentucky State University is 

poised to set itself as a leading institution of research an innovation in agriculture. 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member, and Members of the Committee, for 

your time and consideration. 

78 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF PAMELA V. HAMMOND, PH.D., INTERIM PRESIDENT, 

VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY, PETERSBURG, VA 

Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member, and Members of the Committee, thank you for 

the opportunity to address you today and include our testimony in the record. I am 

Dr. Pamela V. Hammond, Interim President of Virginia State University (VSU). 

Founded in 1882, when the Virginia Legislature passed a bill to charter the Virginia 

Normal and Collegiate Institute. After several years of legal battles and name 

iterations, in 1979, the legislature passed a bill changing our name to the present 

Virginia State University. By our centennial year, we were fully integrated with a 

student body of nearly 5,000, approximately 250 faculty, a library of over 200,000 

books, a 236 acre campus and the 416 acre Randolph Farm. 

The Importance of VSU as an 1890 University: We play a significant role in 

addressing agricultural, educational, health and STEM issues throughout Virginia 

and in partnerships with other states. We are uniquely prepared and positioned to 

address the critical needs of diverse, limited resource and challenged communities; 

we have the ability to adapt and adjust to the changing needs of clientele; and we 

have the research and scientific knowledge and community engagement credibility 

to solve complex and ordinary issues. While we are positioned and ready to address 

many critical issues, more often than not, we continue to receive inadequate Federal 

and state funding to accomplish goals. To put it simply, if we had more, we are talented and creative enough to accomplish more. The 1890 universities have a role 

to play in addressing the five national priorities identified by USDA/NIFA (National 

Institute of Food and Agriculture): 

• Global Food Security and Hunger. 

• Childhood Obesity. 

• Sustainable Energy. 

• Climate Change. 

• Food Safety. 

We have unique niches in the areas of alternative and sustainable agriculture, 

value-added production, aquaculture and small ruminants (sheep and goats), and 

small fruits and vegetables with an ability to add diversity, local impact and safer 

foods to the food supply chain. We have strengths in environmental and water quality, natural resource management, and family, community and youth development. 

Our close connections and credibility with small farmers and rural communities are 

sought after by other organizations. We work with them to enhance economic development and profitability and sustainability of agricultural enterprises. We address 

the health and nutritional challenges of our communities and develop solutions to 

hunger and nutritional issues. The 1890 universities have produced more minority 

educators, agricultural professionals, health professionals, military leaders and scientists of color than any other universities in the nation. However, we continue to 

receive minimal Federal and state funding when compared to our sister 1862 landgrant institutions. This is exacerbated by changes in Federal financial aid policies 

that disproportionately impact students who attend 1890 universities. Ultimately, 

this threatens enrollment, retention, auxiliary services and the capacity of our universities to prepare more leaders, innovators and graduates of color in STEM and 

food and agricultural sciences and other high demand fields. Additionally, our challenges in reaching and preparing youth for leadership, science, technology and agriculturally-based professions, limit our selection pool for higher education and occupational advancement. 

A Major Challenge in Funding and Disparities for 1890 Universities: Federal and state funding formulas for land-grant universities are provided through the 

Federal farm bill. The use of these funds is guided by Sections 1444 and 1445 of 

the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 

(NARETPA) and Section 1449 of NAREPTA. Section 1449 outlines the expectation 

that each state adheres to a 100% Federal match requirement: National and worldwide economic challenges have impacted state and Federal funding levels. Federal 

funding levels are continuously eroding. Based upon the 100% state matching requirement, each dollar lost in Federal funding results in another dollar lost in state 

funding. This doubles the loss of every Federal dollar to an 1890 university. Our 

1862 partners receive significantly more state and Federal funding, along with more 

local funding to conduct research and extension programming. As state budgets become more strained, it becomes increasingly difficult to advocate for state dollars to 

support valuable research and extension programs. The chart below shows the disparity in Federal funding for 1890 and 1862 universities. 

79 

FY 2014 Budget for 1890 Research, Teaching 

and Extension Federal Funding 

FY 2014 Budget for 1862 Research and Extension Federal Funding 

$35 Million (1890 Extension and Evans-Allen) $515 Million (Smith-Lever and Hatch Funding) 

Source. USDA/NIFA http://www.csrees.usda.gov/newsroom/news/2014news/ 

02261_1890_grants.html (Feb. 26. 2014). 

Editor’s note: The hyperlink for the press release referred to is http://nifa.usda.gov/press-release/usda-awards-grants-support-research-teaching-and-extension-programs-1890-historically. 

Additional Challenge—The Matching Requirement for Competitive 

Grants: For 1890 universities, the Federal matching requirement of many larger 

grants limits our ability to apply for competitive funding. We are typically limited 

to the grants earmarked for the 1890 universities such as 1890 Capacity Building 

Grants, 1890 Facilities Grants and others. While these funding streams have kept 

us alive for years, it has meant that we are limited in our capacity to apply for and 

garner more funding. We have the interest and capabilities to apply for many of the 

grants available to 1862 institutions; however, we are unable to meet the matching 

requirements unless we have an established Research Foundation, or a large state 

or private funding source. Thus, we often leave valuable dollars on the table. This 

also shows why formula funding keeps us alive and is critical to our existence. If 

left to rely solely on competitive grant dollars only, which appears to be the trend 

in the way Federal funds are dispersed, many of our 1890 universities would struggle to exist. 

Our Precious Small and Limited Resource Farmers, Being Squeezed Out: 

The average age of a farmer in the Commonwealth of Virginia is 68 years. Without 

a farm management plan, a land/farm transition plan, and the willingness of a new 

generation of family members to continue farming the family land, we stand to lose 

valuable agriculture producers, valuable land and valuable food sources. AfricanAmerican farmers are a more vulnerable group. Each year more farm bill funding 

supports the nation’s supplemental nutrition programs, and less funding is earmarked for producer programs—particularly small farmers and rural communities. 

In the past, a significant amount of funding had been provided in the farm bill to 

work with Small Farmers through the ‘‘[Section] 2501 Outreach to Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers.’’ In the most recent farm bill, funding for this 

program was literally wiped out, thereby challenging 1890 universities to make critical decisions of how to source the program. Many decided they could no longer 

source the program and simply had to end it. These programs were critical in providing valuable resources and technical assistance to keep farmers and their rural 

communities economically sustained and flourishing. 

VSU Can Augment Positive Impact with Increased Funding of 1890’s Extension; Evans-Allen Research; and 1890 Capacity Building and 1890 Facilities Funds in the farm bill. VSU is positioned to: Develop Small Farm Marketing Incubators—Enhancing Local Food Distribution in Regionally Based Food 

Value Chains; Hire Extension Agents to increase the profitability and sustainability 

of Small and Limited Resource Farmers through Small Farm Outreach; Develop 

Value-Added Farm Product Infrastructure and Marketing for Small Poultry, 

Ruminants, and Specialty Crops; Conduct Multi-State research on Nutrient Dense 

Food Production, Marketing and Consumer Education; Help Eradicate Food Deserts 

and Food Insecurity, through the continued development of Urban Agriculture Centers, Address Obesity and Health Disparities in Urban and Rural Communities; Develop new 4–H Youth Programs focused on STEM and Agricultural Fields of Study, 

Increase Research on New Pest Resistant and Drought Resistant Crop Varieties; 

Develop Online Courses, Videos, and Interactive Publications addressing client need 

and increase our Outreach Capacity; Establish a Small Farm Entrepreneurship and 

Family Resource and Financial Management Center; Employ Extension Specialists 

in the areas of Healthcare and Child and Human Development, Gerontology, Nutrition and Animal and Poultry Science. 

With increased 1890 Facilities Funding—VSU would build/expand facilities to: Increase laboratory and classroom space at Randolph Farm; Establish a 

new degree program in Veterinary Technology; Develop a fully equipped small ruminant parasitology laboratory, addressing emerging Animal and Plant Science Issues; 

Increase focus on Food Safety and Food and Nutrition Science; Establish food processing facilities to increase value-added plant and animal products; Increase capacity to conduct research and Extension education in Urban Food Production; Develop 

VSU’s Small Ruminant Extension and Research Center for the sustainable/lowinput production of meat goats and hair sheep; Design and implement a USDA-inspected mobile processing slaughter unit, providing outreach programs on humane 

and safe small ruminant slaughter, meat processing, and waste composting. 

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With Current Federal and State Funding Support, VSU has accomplished: 

Including, but not limited to—Renovation and increased laboratory facilities in 

areas of Agricultural Engineering, Hospitality Management Program, Small Ruminant Research, Aquaculture, Horticulture and Extension Facilities; Increased aquaculture research and extension capacity constructing a Fish Processing Plant and 

Hatchery; construction of new greenhouses increased research capacity and environmental impact for Extension Research and Teaching; infrastructure improvements 

at Randolph Farm increased capacity supporting experiential learning for small 

farmers and students; Constructed a wetlands area for research and extension determining the impact that wetlands have on absorbing herbicides and pesticides, including herbicide and pesticide storage areas meeting EPA standards; installation 

of infrastructure improving communication by offering distance learning opportunities to clientele. 

1890 Capacity Building Funds: Implemented summer youth programs engaging students in agriculture, human sciences and STEM fields of study; Lead Water 

Quality Research and preventing wastewater from entering Virginia’s Chesapeake 

Bay. 

Evans-Allen and State Research Funds: Generated an average of $4,000,000 

annually in competitive external grant funds to conduct basic and applied research 

projects; Lead a statewide study to eradicate food deserts and food insecurity in Virginia; implemented a pilot-scale research module for improving the health of Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay through removing harmful nutrients from wastewater entering Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay; Lead new research in the production of hops to 

help small farmers meet the needs of a growing craft brewery industry; Conduct research and lead extension efforts to build urban sustainable food systems providing 

access to fresh healthy affordable food and nutrition education to challenged communities; Partner with a new Virginia-based industries to develop optimal crop varieties for product lines and conduct food science research; Utilize food science research to develop practical post-harvest handling and storage methods lengthening 

the shelf-life of niche crops. 

1890 Extension Funds: In excess of 50,000 individuals directly participate in 

VSU Extension programs annually; Help improve Virginia’s economic development 

by assisting small farmers in generating more than $1.9 million in the past 2 years; 

Our Marketing and Agribusiness Program helped small and limited resource farmers generate $750,424 in local sales; VSU partnered with private-sector interests in 

local foods sales leading to the innovation of local food start-up businesses grossing 

$640,000 from 1,600 customers in the Richmond area, participating small farmers 

earned $400,000, in a single year; VSU’s Small Farm Outreach provided technical 

assistance to 396 limited-resource farmers to improve farm production, marketing, 

prepare business and marketing plans, and apply for USDA farm programs; 182 

Virginia farm businesses saved $139,150 and 175 earned a combined $151,400; Alternative Agriculture programs trained 520 landowners (representing 330 Virginia 

farms), helped 80 farmers transition to alternative enterprises and assisted 60 farmers increase farm incomes an average of $6,000 per farm, VSU, in partnership with 

The Virginia Berry Growers Association, assisted farmers in growing and marketing 

fresh berries to local industries (35 farmers have reached sales levels of $250,000); 

Our Aquaculture Program partnered with local farmers to expand local aquaculture 

enterprises and generate $445,750 in income, In Winter 2014, VSU and Virginia Cooperative Extension initiated a new partnership with Hampton Roads area farmers 

and the successful Richmond area food hub enterprise called ‘‘The Farm Table.’’ Resulting in 12 farmers signed up to sell directly to the new food hub for 300 weekly 

Hampton Roads customers with subscription boxes valued at $25 for 40 weeks, over 

the 2014 growing season, participating area farmers earned a total of $100,000.00 

($8,333.00 per farm, on average). 

Preparing our youth: VSU hosts a student run farmer’s market, the ‘‘Farm 

Stars Program,’’ generating approximately $11,000.00 in annual sales; Through 4– 

H youth development and Summer Enrichment Programs, more than 500 youth are 

educated annually through a series of residential and day camps (4–H Intermediate 

Congress, The Future of You, Kids-Tech University, Summer Agriculture Program, 

and Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences [MWEE]), ‘‘Ag Discovery’’ summer enrichment program to provide experiential learning in Animal Science, Biology 

and Veterinary Medicine to youth from states across the U.S.; Hosting Randolph 

Farm Tours providing experiential learning, for over 1,400 youth annually, in ages 

ranging from 8–18 years old. 

Concluding Statement: As Interim President of Virginia State University, I am 

honored to have this historic opportunity to testify before you on behalf of the administrators, faculty, staff and students of our prestigious College of Agriculture’s 

research, academics and extension programs. Thank you for your valued considerVerDate Mar 15 2010 10:57 Aug 20, 2015 Jkt 041481 PO 00000 Frm 00084 Fmt 6621 Sfmt 6621 P:\DOCS\114-22\95605.TXT BRIAN
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ation, partnership, and continued support. We look forward to the next 125 years 

of land-grant university successes impacting agriculture and the lives of Virginians. 

Sincerely, 

PAMELA V. HAMMOND, Interim President. 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF ANDREW HUGINE, JR., PH.D., PRESIDENT, ALABAMA

AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL UNIVERSITY, HUNTSVILLE, AL 

The 1890s—Building on Yesterday, Finding Answers Today, and Preparing 

for Tomorrow—Celebrating 125 Years of Providing Access and Enhancing Opportunities 

Chairman Conaway, Ranking Member Peterson, and to each of you, distinguished 

Members of the United States House of Representatives, I bring you greetings as 

the President of Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University, Normal, Alabama in the City of Huntsville, Alabama. 

As you may have been or are now aware, the year 2015 marks the 125th anniversary of the Morrill Act of 1890 that established black land-grant colleges and universities. These 1890 land-grant institutions of higher learning continue to be major 

educational resources for the nation, as well as key sources of African-American 

leaders, who render valuable service to their communities, the nation, and the 

world. Currently, there are 19 black land-grant colleges and universities throughout 

the United States. 

Our existence is credited to Senator Justin Smith Morrill, an abolitionist who had 

a vision that education would be for all social classes, and offered a shift from predominantly classical studies to applied studies. This shift, through the First (1862) 

and Second (1890) Morrill Acts, prepared students for the real world and advanced 

the nation, by providing an opportunity to educate all classes of citizenry. 

Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University (AAMU), a beneficiary of the 

1890 Act, is a traditional, yet progressive 1890 land-grant institution with a tri-fold 

focus of teaching, research, and outreach, where academic excellence is a strong 

commitment. 

Our founder, William Hooper Council, an ex-slave, opened the doors of this University on May 1, 1875 to 61 students with a state appropriation of $1,000 per year. 

His vision was consistent with the vision Senator Morrill had in the land-grant Acts, 

‘‘to provide for the education of my people.’’ Thus, our presence and successes were 

further cultivated through the Morrill Act of 1890 and our becoming a land-grant 

institution; providing additional monies for practical and mechanical subjects, such 

as engineering, agriculture, and architecture. After several name modifications, 

the Alabama Board of Education adopted a resolution on June 26, 1969, which presented the current and final name of Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University. 

For the past 140 years, AAMU has thrived and can boast of more than 37,000 

alumni and counting. Among that number are several renowned public and community figures. 

Today, as a part of the 1890 land-grant university system, AAMU has a School 

of Graduate Studies and four Colleges—Business & Public Affairs; Education, Humanities, & Behavioral Sciences; Engineering, Technology & Physical Sciences, and 

Agricultural, Life & Natural Sciences (CALNS). 

The research and instruction of the CALNS encompasses the biological and environmental sciences, community and regional planning, family and consumer 

sciences, and food and animal sciences with a focus of changing lives through the 

use of science and technology in agriculture. 

The varied research efforts that allow us to maintain a relevant impact include 

identification of foods, and food ingredients and spices in the mitigation of various 

forms of cancer. We have also made significant inroads in research involving 

biofuels, geospatial information studies (GIS); forestry and wildlife management, 

and silvopasture management, just to name a few. Through our efforts in 

grantsmanship, CALNS has established a combination of meteorological and soil 

profile stations (Alabama MesoNet System) across Alabama and three counties in 

southern Tennessee. In addition, there are three Eddy Covariance Systems sited in 


11422010.eps
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three of our dominant ecosystems. They monitor soil carbon sequestration dynamics 

and energy of forested biomes. 

Against this background, and with our course offerings, manpower and laboratory 

equipment, a center of excellence in GIS (under the sponsorship of the National-Intelligence Agency and the United States Geological Survey) was recently established. Furthermore, AAMU is an integral player in working with the Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Alabama Department of Conservation, 

Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study and others to reduce the spread 

of the fungal White-Nose Syndrome (WNS) in bats, which has caused the death of 

at least six million bats. Arresting this disease is critical, as bats are an important 

part of forest ecosystems, helping to control forest and agricultural insect pests. Insectivorous bats likely save the U.S. agricultural industry at least $3 billion each 

year, approximately $74 per acre for the average farmer. The presence of this disease was discovered in Alabama by an AAMU wildlife scientist. 

Our Small Farms Research Center is influential in the education of new and beginning farmers and ranchers, particularly those with limited resources throughout 

all 67 counties via shared information, conferences and hands-on workshops. 

The university is committed to attracting and educating the next generation of 

agriculturalists. As such CALNS is responsible for on-line delivery of courses in the 

Alabama Black-Belt Region, one of the poorest regions in Alabama. Through these 

courses, high school students are given assistance in their preparation for college/ 

university studies. 

Our international engagements are also noteworthy. Collaborative research, 

teaching and student and faculty exchange programs have been established in 

China, Costa Rica, Brazil, Ghana, Uganda, and Nigeria; other like collaborations are 

in their early developmental stages. Of particular note, is the Confucius Institute. 

AAMU is one of only 107 universities nationwide to host such a prestigious entity. 

The Confucius Institute, through its furtherance of Chinese language and culture, 

will facilitate economic partnerships, particularly those related to agriculture, between our nations. 

The outreach arm of the CALNS is the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, 

which collaborates with Auburn University to achieve a statewide extension service. 

The AAMU location focuses on the life-changing Urban Affairs and New Nontraditional Programs for individuals, families, children and youth, entrepreneurs, 4–H, 

animal producers, and more. Its ultimate goal is to improve and sustain lives, 

homes, communities, businesses, and the environment. Additionally, for the past 

thirteen years, the Alabama Cooperative Extension System has conducted a successful aging initiative, due to the keen awareness of the demands of our aging population for transportation, housing, healthcare, finances and food security. Statistically, there are over 35 million people in America that are 65 years old or older 

and that number will double to 70 million in 20 years; accounting for more people 

over 65 than under 18. 

The physical campus of AAMU is situated on more than 2,300 scenic acres, a 5 

minute commute from downtown Huntsville, which was in fact, its original site. The 

campus has the unique distinction of being laid out in 1928, by Frederick Law 

Olmsted, Sr., designer of New York’s Central Park. 

In addition to the campus proper, there are two off-site facilities that serve the 

university and community, as well. The first is where a vast amount of our agricultural research is done, on over 980 acres of land at the Winfred Thomas Agricultural Research Station in Hazel Green, AL; approximately 10 miles from the campus. Second, the Agribition Center is a facility that is located in an industrial area, 

and hosts community events ranging from horse and cattle expositions to organizational meetings. 

With over 5,300 students, including graduate and undergraduate combined, there 

are at least 44 states and 11 countries represented at our University, with over 40% 

of all students being first generation college attendees. Our student-faculty ratio is 

20:1, thereby ensuring that our students receive the specialized attention and support that they need to be successful. 

The accomplishments of the University are vast. We have compiled 140 Points 

of Pride that pinpoint many of our University’s faculty, alumni and student successes. The complete listing can be found at http://www.aamu.edu/news/2011/ 

Pages/Points-of-Pride---140.aspx; however, I have selected a few to be specifically 

mentioned: 

• AAMU would be ranked in the Top 10 nationally, according to news reports, 

if the effectiveness of higher education institutions were ranked by criteria set 

by U.S. President Barack Obama 

83 

• AAMU is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. 

• AAMU is the only 1890 land-grant university with three Ph.D. programs in 

science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) areas. The fourth 

Ph.D. program (and state’s only one) focuses on Reading/Literacy. 

• The Department of Food and Animal Sciences offers the only Institute of Food 

Technologists (IFT) certified food science program at a historically black college 

or university (HBCU) in the U.S. The Food and Animal Sciences Department 

is one of two and the oldest Ph.D. food science program among HBCUs in the 

U.S. 

• AAMU ranks second in the nation in awarding undergraduate degrees in natural resources and conservation to African-Americans (DIVERSE, 2014). 

• AAMU is the eighth largest producer of undergraduate degrees to AfricanAmerican minorities in agriculture and related sciences (DIVERSE, 2014). 

• AAMU ranks eighth in the nation in awarding master’s degrees to AfricanAmericans in the fields of both biological/biomedical sciences and physical 

sciences (DIVERSE, 2014). 

• AAMU contributes directly to the defense of the country and has commissioned 

nearly 900 officers through its ROTC since the program’s inception. 

• AAMU’s forestry program is accredited by the Society of American Foresters 

and is the only such program at an HBCU. 

• AAMU is second in the nation in the awarding of undergraduate degrees in 

mathematics and statistics to African-Americans (DIVERSE, 2014). 

• AAMU ranks fifth in the awarding of degrees to African-Americans in the field 

of engineering (DIVERSE, 2014). 

In closing, I would like to sincerely express my gratitude for the opportunity to 

present Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University to such an august assembly of officials. With continued funding and support, we expect to remain among the 

Top 20 largest employers in the region, as well as make our economic impact felt 

throughout the region (according to the Center for Business and Economic Research 

at the University of Alabama’s Culverhouse College of Commerce—$350M). 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF ALFRED RANKINS, JR., PH.D., PRESIDENT, ALCORN STATE

UNIVERSITY, LORMAN, MS 

Good morning. Chairman Conaway, Ranking Member Peterson, and distinguished 

Members of the House Committee on Agriculture. Thank you for allowing me to 

enter this written statement for the record. 

On behalf of our more than 3,639 students, 677 faculty and staff, and 25,000 

alumni thank you, Mr. Chairman, for this opportunity. 

Our History 

Founded in 1871, 6 years after the Civil War ended, Alcorn State University 

traces its heritage to the Morrill Acts. Alcorn State is unique among the 1890s institutions because it, also, received funding from the first Morrill Act, making it America’s oldest public historically black land-grant institution. Alcorn is, also, Mississippi’s second oldest state-supported university. We now attract a racially and 

ethnically diverse student body from 40 states and more than 20 countries. We educate those of limited means, as well as the affluent. Alcorn’s programs engage students in applied and basic research while stimulating intellectual development of 

life-long learning. We remain a leader in Agricultural education, annually conferring 

degrees in Agribusiness Management, Agricultural Economics and Agricultural 

Science. 

Agriculture, as you are aware, is critical to Mississippi’s and America’s economy. 

Mississippi agriculture, representing $7.4 billion is the top industry in the state, directly and indirectly employing approximately 39% of the state’s workforce. The 

state’s agriculture enterprises include more than 11 million acres of farmland, 19.7 

million acres of forestland, 14,000 miles of streams and 640,000 acres of pond and 

lakes. The leading agricultural products in the state include: 

• Poultry—MS broilers $2.5 billion, eggs $215 million 

• Forestry $1.17 billion 

• Soybean 85.14 million bushels at $993 million 

• Cotton $331 million 

84 

• Cattle & Calves $289 million 

• Catfish $178 million 

• Rice $141 million 

The strength of the Mississippi agriculture is due, in large part, to the strength 

of the two state’s land-grant universities—of which Alcorn is the oldest. With the 

research and outreach of these two institutions—Alcorn State University and Mississippi State University—we have been able to improve agriculture in our state 

through research and extension services. Our extension employees continue to work 

with our growers to move them to new levels in both rural and urban communities. 

Research Initiatives 

Patents 

In 2006, a patent was received by scientists at Alcorn State that could help to 

reduce the risk of heart disease without the use of prescription medicines. Supplements of this vegetable crop fed to human subjects with high blood cholesterol 

showed significant reduction in ‘bad’ cholesterol and increase in ‘good’ cholesterol. 

The patent for waterleaf was the first ever received by Alcorn State. Further research is continuing to develop the patent. 

Dr. Yufeng Zheng, associate professor in the Department of Advanced Technologies, is the principal inventor for the utility patent (8,917,914), ‘‘Face recognition 

system and method using face pattern words and face pattern bytes,’’ that was recently issued to Alcorn State. The present invention provides a novel system and 

method for face recognition utilizing facial features. The system and method of the 

invention comprise creating face patterns called ‘‘face pattern words’’ and ‘‘face pattern bytes’’ for face identification. 

Swine Development Center 

Scientists in the Department of Agriculture are making their mark in the heart 

disease prevention arena with their published findings that vegetable purslane 

leaves lower the risk of cardiovascular disease in humans. Heart disease continues 

to be a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in the United States. As a result 

of these concerns for potential side effects and consequent increase in health care 

costs, there is a growing demand for non-traditional and/or diet related approaches 

to lower blood lipids and cholesterol, and prevent cardiovascular disease and stroke. 

In a feeding trial conducted at Alcorn State, Scientists explored the efficacy of 

purslane leaves in lowering cardiovascular diseases risk in patients with high blood 

cholesterol and other blood lipids. 

The study demonstrated that using a novel food product rich in omega-3 fatty 

acids, pectin, and other essential nutrients, produced a marked improvement in the 

lipid profile of the patients, LDL-cholesterol (bad cholesterol) was reduced by 27%, 

suggesting a remarkable improvement in heart disease risk, a primary culprit in the 

development of cardiovascular disease and stroke. 

Experiment Station 

Scientists at the Alcorn State Experiment Station are currently evaluating the effects of progesterone supplementation on the survival of transferred embryos; this 

process is needed in order to release mechanisms used by progesterone to alter the 

survival of the embryos in cattle. The strategy evaluated and recommended by our 

scientists to supplement progesterone is now being used by many farmers practicing 

embryo transfer as a means to improving the fertility and genetics of herds. 

Dr. Victor Njiti is looking at ways to reduce the high cost of sweet potato production by limiting the number of harvesting operations through reduced vine growth. 

Further, we have expanded the market for sweet potato through increased industrial utilization and human consumption. Technology has been developed to process 

sweet potato into high quality chips, and is now being prepared for patent and 

transferred to industry. 

Delta Obesity 

The Department of Human Sciences secured a grant through Delta Obesity Prevention Research Unit (OPRU), Adaptation and Adoption of the Dietary Guidelines 

by African-American Children in Southwest Mississippi. The ongoing project promotes investigation of the impact of nutrition education (alone or combined with 

physical fitness) on the adoption of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DG) 

among rural, limited-resource African-American middle school children. The project 

will add to the body of knowledge regarding low income, rural African-American 

adolescents’ understanding of the Dietary Guidelines as it applies to their individual 

lives. The project will also help to determine if increased knowledge of the Dietary 

85 

Guidelines recommendations alone or paired with physical activity within its population can impact adoption of the Dietary Guidelines. 

A feasibility study on obesity is currently underway in Fayette, Mississippi with 

middle school-aged children. 

» Focus group discussions were conducted with adult women (28 women from 

Warren, Claiborne, and Jefferson Counties), and children in Jefferson County 

(63 males and 99 females). 

» The feasibility study exposed 287 middle school-aged children to nutrition education focused on following the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. 

» One conclusion drawn from the focus groups is that there is a significant need 

for marketing to encourage these cultural groups to utilize the website, 

Mypyramid.gov. 

Extension Program 

The Alcorn State University Cooperative Extension Program provides educational 

programs to help Mississippians improve the quality of their lives. In 2014, the 

Alcorn State University Cooperative Extension Program completed the second year 

of its long range plan which represents many of the accomplishments of Extension’s 

educational programs. These efforts were supported through the cooperation of 

county, state and Federal Government, and a diverse group of organizations and individuals. One of our major programs (Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP)) promotes optimum nutrition and healthy lifestyle management. Nutritional needs change throughout life and have a direct impact on health, quality 

of life and ability to achieve physical and mental potential. Diet related risks involved in chronic diseases can be lowered through changed behaviors and positive 

pregnancy outcomes can result from better prenatal nutrition. 

Program Impacts: 

» Over 5,000 participants increased awareness of need to have good nutrition 

habits; 8,480 participants increased knowledge that promotes health; and 

15,849 participants increased attitudes and aspirations that are indicative of a 

need for good health. 

» Nearly 723 person showed a decrease in high blood cholesterol; 663 showed a 

decrease in high blood pressure; 292 showed a decrease in high blood sugar; and 

1,000 showed a decrease in excess weight. 

» Approximately 2,538 parents adopted food behaviors consistent with the Dietary Guidelines and Food Guide Pyramid. 

The Family Nutrition Program supported by the USDA Food Nutrition Service 

was conducted in 40 counties with a focus on food stamp eligible families with 3 

to 5 year old children. One agent’s comment after finishing the four sessions was 

of the participants does not want the sessions to end. Family Nutrition participants 

have been hired as EFNEP program assistants while others come back as volunteers. In a letter with $1,436 of support from the United Way in Warren County, 

the grantor stated, ‘‘You are really making a difference in the lives of many women 

and children in our community.’’ Various counties reporting evaluation results for 

the low income audience, in general, indicated an improvement in food resource 

management practices for 75% to 97% of participants; and improvement in nutrition 

practices for 88% to 97% of participants; and improved food safety practices of 50% 

to 81% of participants. 

Mississippi Small Farm and Agribusiness Center 

The Alcorn State University Mississippi Small Farm and Agribusiness Center 

(MSFAC), the only one of its kind at an 1890 institution, was established in 1988 

by an Act of the Mississippi State Legislature to promote, enhance and facilitate the 

development and growth of small farms and alternative agricultural enterprises, including international marketing, thereby improving the economic condition of small 

farmers throughout Mississippi. The state has approximately 37,500 small farms 

that have an annual gross farm revenue of $50,000 or less. MSFAC provides services directly to approximately 600 farmers and indirectly to several thousands, with 

its website linking the center to farmers all over the state and beyond its borders. 

Located on the campus of Alcorn State, the center provides services in the following 

areas: 

» Database and Information. 

» Energy Database. 

» Marketing & International. 

» Agricultural Education. 

86 

» Small Farm Loan Program. 

» Vegetable Industry Development. 

» Natural Products Industry. 

» Livestock Industry. 

Student Successes 

Department of Agriculture 

We are proud of our graduates who have decided to pursue advanced degrees in 

agriculture. Crystal Vance is pursuing a Ph.D. in soil science, with an assistantship, 

Louisiana State University School of Agriculture Plant, Environmental and Soil 

Sciences. During the spring semester, Vance presented her thesis at the Alcorn 

State School of Agriculture, Research, Extension and Applied Sciences Seminar Series. Her presentation was entitled, ‘‘Plant Density Effects of Switchgrass (Panicum 

virgatum L.) On Biomass, Nutrients and Carbon Buildup on Heavy Soils.’’ This research was funded by the United States Army. Vance graduated with a 4.0 GPA 

from the Department of Agriculture in Plant and Soil Science. 

Department of Human Sciences 

Several undergraduate students in nutrition and dietetics are going on to pursue 

advanced degrees. Aquierra Anderson, Victoria King, and Kanesha Sumling. Anderson will enter the Food and Nutritional Services Master’s Program at Tuskegee University, and King and Sumling have been accepted in the Belhaven University 

Health Administration Master’s Program where they are hoping to acquire knowledge and skills to become hospital administrators. 

Over the years our graduates have gone on to be highly successful in their fields. 

You will find them in agricultural leadership roles all over our state, nation and the 

world. Indeed, we can boast of Alcornites who are making outstanding contributions 

within USDA as employees. Among these individuals are: 

USDA/Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) 

1. Jacqueline Davis-Slay, Director Public and Private Partnership. 

USDA/Agriculture Marketing Service (AMS) 

1. Darmechie Hulbert, Agricultural Commodity Grader. 

2. Yolonda M. Moore, Agricultural Commodity Grader. 

USDA/Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) 

1. Perry Earl Davis, Deputy District Manager. 

2. Christina Travis, Resource Manager. 

3. Natoya Cameron, Resource Management Assistant. 

Foreign Agricultural Service 

1. Patrick Packnett. 

Challenges and Opportunities 

According to the 2012 United States Census of Agriculture, there were 30,227 

black farmers in the 18 states served by 1890 universities. Of that number 5,129 

or 17% of those farmers reside in Mississippi. The 2012 Agricultural Census, also, 

shows there has been a 30% increase in black farmers’ ownership of farmland. Much 

of that increase in USDA program participation is credited to educating the farmers 

on USDA programs offered by 1890 universities. 

Our work with small- and limited-resource farmers is important, because they 

represent 50% of the farmland and have the potential to increase jobs and economic 

development. If funds are enhanced, we could do so much more in a positive way 

to reach and assist limited-resource farmers and the communities in which they live 

and operate. 

SUBMITTED QUESTION

Response from Harold L. Martin, Sr., Ph.D., Chancellor, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University 

Question Submitted by Hon. David Rouzer, a Representative in Congress from North 

Carolina 

Question. Dr. Martin, I am honored to be one of two members from North Carolina who get to welcome you to the House Committee on Agriculture and thank you 

for your service and leadership to our state and to North Carolina Agricultural and 

87 

Technical State University. NC A&T boasts a proud tradition among the 1890 landgrant universities as evidenced by the College of Engineering ranking number one 

for the number of degrees awarded to African-Americans, and the School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences recently becoming the largest school of its kind 

among the nation’s historically black colleges and universities. 

Please explain A&T’s commitment to the people of North Carolina as an institution of higher learning and its commitment to small minority farmers. Also, please 

discuss the ways in which both North Carolina land grant universities—NC A&T 

and North Carolina State University—work together to help the agricultural industry in our state. 

Answer. Thank you so much for the question Congressman Rouzer and thank you 

for all that you that you do for the people of North Carolina. 

A&T’s commitment as institution of higher learning 

N.C. A&T is a learner-centered community that develops and preserves intellectual capital through interdisciplinary learning, discovery and engagement, and is 

committed to fulfilling its fundamental purposes through exemplary instruction, 

scholarly and creative research, and effective public service and engagement. A&T 

is dedicated to providing ‘‘ladders of opportunity’’ to high-achieving students seeking 

a superior education and is committed to creating a campus climate that fosters student satisfaction and a sense of community. The university’s academic and outreach 

efforts illustrate how campus and community collaborations enhance the quality of 

life for the citizens of North Carolina, the nation, and the world. 

A&T is ranked by the Carnegie Classification System as a ‘‘doctoral/research university’’ and, for the past nine years, has ranked third among The University of 

North Carolina system’s member institutions for sponsored research funding. With 

an enrollment of nearly 11,000 students, A&T is recognized as the largest among 

the nation’s historically black colleges and universities, and the School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at A&T is the largest school of its kind among 

the nation’s HBCUs. A&T ranks No. 1 in the nation for the number of baccalaureate 

degrees in engineering awarded to black or African-Americans (American Society for 

Engineering Education) and is the top producer of African-Americans with undergraduate degrees in STEM disciplines, arts and humanities, and education. 

A&T’s commitment to small minority farmers 

In an era where family farms and farmland are rapidly disappearing from the 

American landscape, North Carolina farm census data shows that African-American 

owned farms in North Carolina are on the rise, having increased in number from 

1,491 in 2007, to 1,637 in 2012. Overall acreage under cultivation in these enterprises has increased by nearly 20,000 acres. Despite these successes, challenges 

loom for North Carolina’s small farming community, and particularly, for new farmers. According to North Carolina farm census data, 86 percent of African-American 

farms had gross sales of less than $50,000 and 51 percent of those farmers’ sole 

source of income is farming. Small farmers of all races are also aging and nearing 

retirement and unfortunately, only 3 percent are under 34 years old. A&T is committed to providing the education and training needed to attract and retain the next 

generation of farmers and has done so through effective community outreach and 

innovative undergraduate and graduate programs. 

A&T is striving to make small farming in North Carolina more profitable and 

more attractive, while continuing its unique mission to serve minorities in rural 

communities. Through new ideas like our Small Farms Collaborative and Local 

Foods and Health Initiative (funded through the 1890 Facilities Program), A&T 

plans to use its 492 acre farm as a strong community education resource for local 

food production. Elements of the farm plan mentioned include a food processing facility to teach entrepreneurs how to add value to North Carolina agricultural products, a pasture-based dairy and creamery producing A&T-branded yogurt, ice cream 

and artisanal cheeses for revenue production, an organic vegetable production research and demonstration site, a student-run farm, and land for community gardens 

that will be available to residents of the surrounding communities. 

A&T’s commitment to collaboration 

At A&T we use long-range planning and evaluation to adapt our programs to the 

emerging needs and issues in the state of North Carolina. A&T’s cooperative extension program is a responsive, high-touch organization and one that works in direct 

partnership with N.C. State University. Together, our cooperative extension services 

help families and communities throughout North Carolina with nutritional programming aimed at: reducing obesity, diabetes and other chronic diseases; parenting 

classes for troubled families; financial literacy training; and youth development 

through 4–H programs. Examples of continued collaborations are below: 

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• In addition to the nearly 500 acre University Farm—A&T’s largest classroom— 

cooperative extension also has an agricultural presence in Goldsboro through 

the Center for Environmental Farming Systems. CEFS is a consortium 

comprised of the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, A&T 

and N.C. State. The center is a premier locale for extension, research, and educational programs in sustainable agriculture and local food systems, with units 

of: small farm vegetable production, dairy, beef, outdoor swine, goats, and 

organics. 

• A&T and N.C. State also collaborated to design, implement, and evaluate the 

Farm School educational program—a 6 month intensive program that recruits new, beginning, and young producers into farming. Participants are 

trained on business and marketing planning, farm financing options, and alternative agricultural enterprises. Participants also tour farms to gain a better understanding of the farming enterprise. 

• A&T and N.C. State embraced local foods as a joint signature program of 

both universities a few years ago, resulting in a coordinated expanded focus on 

local-and-regional foods at the county levels. County Extension agents have also 

become better trained to help growers and consumers produce and buy more affordable, fresh and local foods. 

• Extension agents from both universities have also partnered with the N.C. Department of Agriculture Piedmont Research Station in Salisbury to conduct winter squash and broccoli variety trials, to determine which varieties are best 

grown in North Carolina. 

• The cooperative extension program at A&T has created two unique curricula in 

the areas of Family and Consumer Sciences, Table for Two and Speedway to 

Healthy. These programs are being endorsed and shared by both A&T and N.C. 

State extension agents to help promote nutrition and health to audiences in the 

interest of developing healthier children and families in our state, and also to 

lower health care costs and expenses—including those born by taxpayers 

through public and governmental assistance programs. 

» Table for Two, a curriculum focused on improving the nutrition and health 

of pregnant teens and their pre- and-post natal babies. 

» Speedway to Healthy, a 1,200 foot2, custom-made exhibit of the human 

body’s interior provides an interactive teaching tool where children learn 

about their bodies’ relationship to food. Since its launch this spring, the exhibit has been hosted in five counties, seen by more than 2,000 elementary 

aged children, including more than 800 alone during a 3 day stop in Alexander County. As school resumes, two more counties have booked the Speedway in late September. 

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