Melissa Lee, July 16, 2024
University leaders celebrate additional proposed funding for USDA facility
University of Nebraska leaders are celebrating the announcement that U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer and the Senate Appropriations Committee have identified an additional $16 million in federal funding for construction of the USDA Agricultural Research Service facility at Nebraska Innovation Campus.
The funding was advanced July 11 by the committee and awaits votes by the U.S. Senate and House. It builds on the $25 million appropriated for the ARS facility — officially known as the National Center for Resilient and Regenerative Precision Agriculture — in the 2024 spending package that was championed by Fischer in the Senate and U.S. Rep. Mike Flood in the House.
Leaders across the university system hailed the senator’s latest announcement as another sign of momentum for the project. The facility, which was celebrated with a groundbreaking in May, will be home to world-leading agricultural research and development.
“All of us at the University of Nebraska continue to be grateful for the leadership of Senator Fischer and our entire delegation in advocating for investments that will keep Nebraska at the forefront of agricultural innovation,” said Dr. Jeffrey P. Gold, president of the University of Nebraska system. “This facility is going to be a game-changer for our state. I look forward to continuing to work closely with our elected leaders, university colleagues, philanthropic partners, and farmers and ranchers across the state as Nebraska leads the way in feeding the world.”
Architect rendering of the USDA’s National Center for Resiient and Regenerative Precision Agriculture at Nebraska Innovation Campus.
The $160 million center will house four USDA ARS research units, including two new teams focused on precision production and water, climate and resilience. A companion facility will serve as a business incubator and accelerator to ensure that the research taking place at the national center will move quickly to real-world solutions for farmers, ranchers and food manufacturers.
“The groundbreaking research that will be conducted at the USDA ARS National Center for Resilient and Regenerative Precision Agriculture will benefit Nebraskans, our nation, and the world,” said Chancellor Rodney D. Bennett. “The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is grateful for Sen. Fischer’s continued leadership and our delegation’s ongoing support to secure funding for the nation’s only federal center focused on climate-smart, sustainable, digital, and precision agriculture.”
In 2022, the Nebraska Legislature and governor approved $25 million in state funding for the companion facility, contingent upon the university raising $25 million in private funding. The project is among the highest priorities of the ongoing Only in Nebraska fundraising campaign.
“In the past two months, we’ve celebrated the groundbreaking for the first phase of the USDA’s National Center, a ribbon cutting for one of the most exciting research feedlots in the world, and now this incredible news. Our capacity is growing, our partnerships are becoming stronger, and Nebraska is gaining incredible momentum in the areas of climate-smart and precision agriculture,” said Mike Boehm, vice president and Harlan Vice Chancellor for the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources. “Sen. Fischer has played a big role in building that momentum, and I’m so grateful for her leadership, advocacy and dedication to our state and its ag industry. What happens next in ag innovation happens first in Nebraska.”
The $16 million for the USDA facility is included in the Fiscal Year 2025 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. The bill also includes $3 million for the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, as well as $1 million for the UNL-led National Ag Producers Data Cooperative.
