Farm Credit Services of America donation supports SDSU Precision Agriculture Building Project B

BROOKINGS — South Dakota State University is pleased to announce it has received a $500,000 gift from Farm Credit Services of America to support the construction of a Precision Agriculture Facility on the SDSU campus.
The facility will be a hub for research, teaching and innovation that covers the entire spectrum of precision agriculture and will enable collaboration with differing disciplines within that space.
Interim Dean of the College of Agriculture and Biological Sciences, Don Marshall, states, “SDSU is extremely grateful to Farm Credit Services of America for their support of the Precision Ag project at this substantial level. Their generosity and our shared vision of the future of agriculture will help position SDSU students and researchers to address the grand challenges of global food security with technology and efficient production methods that sustain our natural resources for future generations.”

SDSU offers the first four-year Precision Agriculture degree in the U.S. The degree is a collaborative effort encompassing the Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Department, Agronomy, Horticulture and Plant Science Department and College of Engineering. The SDSU Precision Agriculture degree keeps students at the cutting edge of the rapidly evolving intersection of agronomics, high-speed sensor technology, data management and advanced machinery development. Students will be prepared for lifelong careers that support economically and environmentally sustainable agriculture.
“We, like our customers, are interested in efficient practices that maximize production and profits. We are proud to support South Dakota State University as it helps lead innovation in agriculture”, notes Bob Schmidt, Senior Vice President for FCSAmerica in South Dakota. “Graduates from this program will be ready to meet the technology and expertise needs of employers in agronomy, equipment and more. Producers will have additional support in applying precision ag to their operations because of the work that will be done in this facility.”

Courtesy photo:

Bob Schmidt, Senior Vice President for FCSAmerica in South Dakota, second from right, presents a $500,000 gift in support of the SDSU Precision Agriculture Facility to SDSU President Barry Dunn, second from left, Bill Gibbons, Interim Director of the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station, left, and Interim Dean of the College of Agriculture and Biological Sciences Don Marshall, right.