KANSAS CITY, Mo., June 11, 2021 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced today an investment of over $19 million in 1890 Land-grant Institutions scholarships for undergraduate students to stimulate interest in food and agricultural careers.

“As we work to increase the talent pipeline for the agricultural innovation workforce and the next generation of agricultural scientists, we need the brightest minds from across all areas and cultures in our society to be represented,” said NIFA director Dr. Carrie Castille. “NIFA’s 1890 Scholarships Program helps us move closer to that goal by providing scholarships to support recruitment, engagement, retention, mentoring, and training of undergraduate students at 1890 Land-grant Institutions, the Historically Black Colleges and Universities that are partners in the U.S. Land-grant University System.”

These scholarships are intended to encourage outstanding students at 1890 Land-grant Institutions to pursue and complete baccalaureate degrees in food and agricultural sciences and related fields that would lead to a highly skilled food and agricultural systems workforce. Learn more about 1890 Land-grant Institutions programs.

The following 19 institutions received scholarship funds as part of the 1890 Scholarships Program:

• Alabama A&M University, Normal, Alabama
• Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, Alabama
• University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Pine Bluff, Arkansas
• Delaware State University, Dover, Delaware
• Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, Florida
• Fort Valley State University, Fort Valley, Georgia
• Kentucky State University, Frankfort, Kentucky
• Southern University and A & M College, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
• University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Princess Anne, Maryland
• Lincoln University of Missouri, Jefferson City, Missouri
• Alcorn State University, Lorman, Mississippi
• North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Greensboro, North Carolina
• Central State University, Wilberforce, Ohio
• Langston University, Langston, Oklahoma
• South Carolina State University, Orangeburg, South Carolina
• Tennessee State University, Nashville, Tennessee
• Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, Texas
• Virginia State University, Petersburg, Virginia
• West Virginia State University, Institute, West Virginia

NIFA invests in and advances agricultural research, education, and Extension across the nation to make transformative discoveries that solve societal challenges. NIFA supports initiatives that ensure the long-term viability of agriculture and applies an integrated approach to ensure that groundbreaking discoveries in agriculture-related sciences and technologies reach the people who can put them into practice. In FY2020, NIFA’s total investment was $1.95 billion.