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Nebraska officials ask for $25 million for precision ag research facility
University of Nebraska officials are asking state lawmakers to appropriate $25 million from the American Rescue Plan Act to a facility that will focus on advancing precision agriculture.
The funds match another $25 million in private funding towards the construction of a public-private research facility as a companion to the USDA National Center for Regenerative and Resilient Agriculture.
The companion building would house research and ag-tech startup space where experts from the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, other UNL departments, and federal, state and private-sector partners could collaborate to solve challenges facing agriculture.
Chancellor Ronnie Green tells Brownfield additional funds from the federal government are in this year’s budget. “We’re anticipating that happening in the current budget process for construction dollars for the facility for that laboratory and expect follow on funding the next year after this year as well.”
The national laboratory at Nebraska’s Innovation Campus would house up to 60 federal research scientists in partnership with UNL’s Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources and open in 2024.
