Land Grant University

I received an M.A. and a Ph.D. from Penn State.  It isn’t Harvard or Yale, but I am proud to be an Penn State alumnus.  Penn State is a “land grant university,” one of the public universities initiated by Congress in the 1800s to teach agriculture, science, and engineering.  

Over the years land grant colleges developed agricultural experiment stations for research.  They also set up “Cooperative Extension” programs to apply this research to real world farming.  The County Agent was a part of this program, and 4-H activities were one of the Agent’s responsibilities.

Federal money to the agricultural programs is mostly distributed through the National Institute for Food and Agriculture.  That budget has been cut by 9% this year.

At the state level Gov. Corbett proposed cutting aid to Penn State by 52%. After public outcry the proposed cuts were reduced, but the agricultural programs will still be cut by $10.5 million, which will mean the loss of abut 200 jobs and perhaps the Extension program.  

The Republican Party is supposed to be the party of investment, of shrewd business decisions.  It’s not.  It is the party intent on trashing research, education, and the future of American agriculture.