PRINCESS ANNE, Md. - The first steps were taken Thursday morning toward a new academic building on the campus of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES).
The building, planned to sit on land at the corner of John Wilson Lane and College Backbone Road will have a mission: to counter a national and global security threat - food security.
"Over two billion more mouths to feed by the year 2050 and at the same time we have a graying of rural America," said Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young, Undersecretary for Research, Education, and Economics at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. "The average age of farmers is about 57.5 years based on our last census of agriculture."
As the world demands more agricultural produce, educational institutions will need to increase their investments in programs to train younger farmers and agriculture experts.
That prompted the U.S. Federal Government and the State of Maryland to help UMES build a new agricultural research and education center.
The Universities of Maryland and Delaware already have strong agricultural research programs based at their campuses in College Park, Md. and in Newark, Del.
But UMES' home in Princess Anne offers an environment they can't.
"The University of Maryland Eastern Shore, because we're in a rural community, and we focus on the rural agriculture, that is something that is so direly needed," said Dr. Heidi M. Anderson, president of UMES.
The new facility will cost about $26 million, and will boast more than 25,000 square feet of teaching and research space, including six greenhouses.
UMES agriculture faculty are excited and are already lining up to stake their claims in the new facility.
"Everyone is very excited to the point where everyone is fighting over the lab space that might be there," said Dr. Kimberly Braxton, UMES campus veterinarian. "So it should be a good time, and again, it's just brought a buzz to the campus, which is great."
Construction is expected to begin in early 2024, and the facility should be complete in about one year.
