WASHINGTON ― This week marks the commemoration of the 125th anniversary of the Second Morrill Act, signed on August 30, 1890. In that Act, Congress set aside lands to create agricultural colleges and universities in former Confederate states, with the provision that some be dedicated to the instruction of African-American students. Those institutions later evolved into some of today’s historically Black colleges and universities, such as the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, and Tuskegee University.
Representatives from Congress, the land grant universities, and agricultural industries are gathering for a two-day observance of the Act and the subsequent accomplishments of the land grant universities and colleges, or the “1890s,” since their origins at the end of the 19th century.
The House Committee on Agriculture held a hearing Wednesday at which six land grant university presidents gave testimony on the accomplishments of their schools and their plans. They also pointed out all the many ways that they are actively engaged with the agricultural needs of the states and communities they are located in.
In their opening remarks at the hearing, presidents cited some of the industry specific problems their institutions have tackled. At Prairie View Agriculture and Mechanical University in Texas, for example, faculty has researched issues such as improving the shelf life of dairy products and the various health properties of medicinal plants, among much else. At Georgia’s Fort Valley State University, researchers looked into how to reduce the risk of foodborne illnesses and how to increase the longevity and health of peach trees.
As the manifold projects of the land grant universities would suggest, agriculture is an extremely relevant industry within the U.S. economy. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), agriculture and related industries added $789 billion to the GDP in 2013, or 4.7 percent of the total.
However, as is the case with many HBCUs, the 1890s say they could do more if their funding from the states were increased, even though they already do a great deal in terms of research and outreach for their local communities and the world.
A report out earlier this year from the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities (APLU) found that 10 southern states withheld close to $57 million in state appropriations to more than half of the 1890 schools between 2010 and 2012. The USDA provides funding for the 1890s under a “one-to-one” match. States are supposed to match the funding but are not penalized for failing to do so. However, if the states do not match the funding, the school is on the hook for 50 percent of the grant.
