Source: NC A&T UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE & ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES, 6/24/20

 
June 24, 2020 

Erica Peterson Executive Vice President

NC Agribusiness Council

2500 Regency Parkway

Cary, NC 27518 

Dear Erica:

Thank you for your support of the legislation that will increase state appropriations for North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University by $3 million to provide the full federally mandated match for our Agricultural Research and Cooperative Extension programs in the current fiscal year along with an Umstead Act exemption for NCA&T’s dairy products. This measure attracted bipartisan support in the General Assembly and was signed into law by Gov. Roy Cooper on June 19, 2020.

As you know, the lack of this state match of federal funds in previous years jeopardized our federal funding and the services we provide to the people of North Carolina. Thanks to your advocacy, we will be able to do more to boost local, state and national economies. Our research and Extension services are especially important now because COVID-19 disproportionately affects the limited-resource communities and minorities we serve.

We’ll use the new research funds to hire personnel in our priority areas of sustainable agriculture, food safety, food security, nutrition, health and wellness, environmental and natural resources systems, and family and community well-being. We’ll also be able to purchase much needed equipment and supplies.

We’ll strengthen our current outreach in Cooperative Extension, and we’ll design and deliver new programs to help our state’s most vulnerable populations. We now have greater ability to retain and appropriately reward our most valuable employees.

These additional state funds add to our positive momentum in the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences. In recent months we received a $750,000 grant for undergraduate scholarships and a $1.6 million grant for a multi-institutional center of excellence that will promote inclusiveness in the areas of food, agriculture and natural resources. We hope you will join us in a few months for the livestream of the ribbon-cutting for our new pavilion at the University Farm where the dairy creamer will be housed.

Exciting things are happening in the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences.  Thank you for your important contribution to our success and ability to better serve North Carolina.

Sincerely,

Mohamed Ahmedna, Ph.D.

Professor and Dean

College of Agriculture & Environmental Sciences

North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University