American agriculture leads the world in innovation and productivity, with the potential to help feed a growing global population. Many years ago, our country took the steps to provide the infrastructure and funding to develop a world-class agricultural production system. Today, that system is at risk. Here’s why that matters to all of us.

On July 2, 1862 Abraham Lincoln signed the Morrill Act into law, establishing the “land-grant” system of colleges and universities, providing federal land to states to build institutions focusing on agriculture, mechanical arts, and military science. The Hatch Act of 1887 followed, allocating federal funds to states to establish agricultural experiment stations. Then, in 1914, the Smith-Lever Act expanded the land-grant mission by creating the cooperative extension system, which connected scientific advancements in agriculture to farmers, rural communities, and youth through education programs like 4-H.

These acts collectively led to the creation of the University of Georgia (UGA) Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service. In 1918, Captain H.H. Tift successfully lobbied the state legislature to win Tift County the bid to establish the Georgia Coastal Plain Experiment Station. The establishment of the Experiment Station has had a transformative role on the region agriculturally. In 2024, UGA’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) generated a record-breaking statewide economic impact of $899.3 million — the fourth consecutive year it has done so. The UGA CAES generated $258.8 million from agricultural research and $374.9 million from extension and outreach. The 54 scientists, 300 staff, and 130 graduate students and post-doctoral research associates at UGA Tifton play a big role in this success.

Our family history is interwoven with the land-grant system. Joe Watkins (my great-grandfather) and Jimmy West (my grandfather) strongly believed in utilizing new technologies to promote soil conservation, increase crop production, and provide better nutrition to increase milk yield. My father, Joe West, works with extension agents today to replenish our family farm with nutrients via soil sampling, planting fruit trees, and promoting pollinators. For me, I joined 4-H in 5th grade. At the time, I was most excited to get out of class for an hour. However, as I grew and became more involved with 4-H, I began honing skills in leadership, public speaking, and teamwork that molded me into the person I am today. My father and I also became a part of the land-grant system. Joe was a dairy scientist and extension specialist who communicated cutting-edge nutrition research to dairy farmers across Georgia and the U.S. He later became the assistant dean of the UGA Tifton campus and finished his tenure at UGA as interim dean for the entire College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences. I am early into my journey. I have been trained by two land-grant universities, receiving two degrees at UGA and a PhD from Colorado State University. I now work as an assistant professor at another land-grant, in the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine.

We are writing this Letter to the Editor today because the ability of the land-grant system to continue its mission is at risk. The President’s proposed budget for the next federal fiscal year would eliminate all Hatch funding ($265 million) to experiment stations. It also proposes cutting $40 million from the USDA Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) which provides competitive grants for agricultural research and reducing cooperative extension funding by nearly 54% — a cut of $150 million.

Research, extension, and farming go hand in hand. By eliminating agricultural research and decimating extension, we will be leaving farmers to fend for themselves. According to the Georgia Ag Impact Report, Georgia’s agricultural sector generated $91.4 billion and provided 381,200 jobs in 2023. The proposed budget would deeply injure land-grant institutions across the U.S., including the UGA CAES and UGA Tifton. Loss of funding will lead to seriously impacted research and extension output and create blocks to addressing new challenges facing farmers every day.

Cooperative extension funds youth programs like 4-H which inspire high school students to explore agricultural science and pursue careers in research and community service. University of Georgia’s 4-H programs contribute to the education and community service of approximately 200,000 young Georgians who participate in 4-H annually. Cutting this funding means fewer opportunities for Georgia’s youth to get involved and make a difference in their communities. Land-grant universities, with the tripartite missions of educating students, performing ground breaking research, and providing technology transfer by extension educators have made American agriculture the powerhouse it is today. Countries across the globe look to the US as leading innovators in production and technology.

Loss of funding jeopardizes the many agricultural advances and the infrastructure we have in place. Investing federal dollars into research and extension invests in Georgia and Tifton’s future – a future of innovation, sustainability, and the ability to feed the world. If you share our concern for agricultural funding, please contact your political leaders to express that concern. The future of agriculture depends on it.

Rachel C. West, Ph.D.
Joe W. West, Ph.D.