USDA announces $125 million to overhaul aging agricultural research facilities
Federal grants require matching funds, targeting maintenance backlogs at land-grant institutions like Kansas State University
TOPEKA, Kan. — Land-grant universities in Kansas and across the country will have access to a historic $125 million annual federal investment to rebuild aging agricultural research facilities and tackle decades of mounting maintenance backlogs.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins and U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon announced the opening of the funding opportunity Monday in Washington. The program, administered by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, is funded through the Working Families Tax Cuts recently signed by President Donald Trump, a Republican. Universities can apply for grants ranging from $100,000 for preliminary planning and site surveys up to $30 million for large-scale research complexes and new specialized labs, provided they secure a dollar-for-dollar non-federal cash match.
The federal cash injection arrives at a critical time for institutions like Kansas State University, which has actively lobbied for funds to replace its cramped, deteriorating infrastructure. Earlier this year, K-State officials and agriculture industry advocates pressed state lawmakers to help fund a rebuilt dairy teaching and research facility, warning that outdated equipment threatened to disrupt food-safety inspections and workforce training. U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, a Republican from Kansas, has also previously pushed for federal interventions to address the massive deferred maintenance deficit at America's agricultural schools.
Federal officials framed the major infrastructure investment as an economic and national security imperative. During a roundtable with university leaders, Rollins noted that modernizing these laboratories ensures America's agricultural sector remains globally competitive.
“A nation that cannot feed itself is not secure and for too long, many of our land-grant universities have faced aging facilities and mounting deferred maintenance costs that threaten their ability to conduct world-class agricultural research,” Rollins said. “Today we are announcing a $125 million investment to ensure America’s farmers and ranchers continue to benefit from the innovation that secures our vital U.S. agriculture industry.”
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