A Message from Leadership - Sept. 2020
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EmailA message from leaders of the MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, MSU AgBioResearch and MSU Extension to legislators for the 2019-20 legislative report.
Each year, we have the opportunity to submit a legislative report that details the efforts of MSU Extension and MSU AgBioResearch. You can find this year's report for fiscal year 2019 to 2020 online.
As requested, we include an overview of the funds expended by MSU Extension and MSU AgBioResearch by federal, state, local, university and private sources. The state investment in our land grant mission that includes outreach and research, in addition to teaching, is essential. It allows us to leverage a variety of other funding sources to fulfill our missions.
The annual report is also an opportunity to formally review some of our major programs and highlight our accomplishments and impacts for you. Before we summarize some of those here, it is crucial that we not downplay the impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic on our organizations, higher education, the State of Michigan and individuals worldwide. We are leading through a public health crisis like none of us have experienced in our careers. The health and economic impacts of the pandemic are not equal across the globe, let alone the state of Michigan. While the challenges have been substantial, we are proud of the progress we have made in meeting our mission while keeping our staff and students safe.
We have increased our efforts to foster a culture where every member of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and our units feels valued, supported and inspired to achieve individual and common goals with an uncommon will. We have and will continue to work through this public health crisis.
This year’s online legislative report reviews many innovative and important programs across our organization. You will find stories on the following:
- Our response to COVID-19,
- Grants and other investments we’ve received to leverage your state investment,
- Initiatives like the launch of our Center for PFAS Research to respond to emerging needs,
- Efforts to improve access to healthy foods, and
- Our ongoing work to help farmers and agricultural professionals manage stress.
The report also includes a section on Project GREEEN, a unique research and outreach program we oversee in collaboration and consultation with the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, agricultural commodity groups and other interested parties.
Please take a moment to review our online legislative report. We know there is a vast amount of information presented here, so we hope you will look forward to our new monthly MSU Extension and AgBioResearch Impact Update email where we will highlight one specific story for you each month.
Reach out if you have any questions or would like additional information. We appreciate your interest, your support and your ongoing investment.
Sincerely,
Doug Buhler, Michigan State University AgBioResearch Director
Jeff Dwyer, Michigan State University Extension Director
Ron Hendrick, Dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
