Washington, D.C. – Congressman Frank Lucas (OK-03) today announced that the United States Department of Agriculture will award Langston University six agricultural research grants totaling $1,806,967 in federal funding. The grants are made available through the USDA’s 1890 Institution Teaching, Research, and Extension Capacity Building Grants program, which helps strengthen the partnerships among HBCU land-grant universities, government agencies, and private industry through the advancement of food and agricultural sciences.

“The partnership that is forged between our state’s land-grant universities and federal agencies is critically important to the development of scientific and agricultural innovation,” said Congressman Lucas. “Langston University has long been an international leader in the field of food and agricultural sciences. These grants will ensure that Oklahoma’s own innovators will continue to advance provide vital research for tomorrow’s challenges.”

The six grants through the 1890 Institution Teaching, Research, and Extension Capacity Building Grants program will ensure that Langston University will be able to establish a large animal testing center, enhance current goat management and education studies, enhance undergraduate academic programs related to biotechnology and horticultural practices, provide training in goat production and market gardening practices, develop a UAV enabled to provide livestock and pasture data, and research the effects of brackish/saline water in goats, sheep, and cattle. More information regarding these grants can be found by visitinghttp://www.nifa.usda.gov/.