Schumer, Gillibrand Announce Nearly $500K In Agricultural Research Funding For Rural New York

Press Release

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, today announced $494,000 in federal funding for agricultural research and development at Cornell University and the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. The funding was awarded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and will be used to develop economically, environmentally sustainable agricultural programs, and to advance plant breeding for agriculture production.

"New York's farmers and the New York agricultural industry is the lifeblood of the state's economy and our nation's food supply," said Senator Schumer. "This federal funding is a wise investment in two great agricultural research institutions, Cornell University and Cold Spring Harbor Lab, that will help our farmers and agricultural community develop economically and environmentally sustainable agriculture programs and keep us at the forefront of agricultural technology. I am proud to secure this federal support, and I will not rest until New York farmers have the resources they need to lead the nation's agricultural industry."

"Rural communities are at the heart of New York and this funding will strengthen rural economies by providing new opportunities for our farmers and producers," said Senator Gillibrand, member of the Senate Agriculture Committee. "Cornell University and the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory have been sources of abundant agricultural research for New York State, and this funding will help researches continue their efforts. I will continue fighting for crucial research funding as we discover practical applications and solutions for our farmers and the food industry."

Cornell University received $469,000 to advance research in nanotechnology for enzyme stabilization to help transform food processing byproducts into consumable goods. This transformation will increase food and agriculture sustainability.

In Long Island, the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Association, Inc. was awarded $25,000 for the Cereal Genomics Workshop to advance their research efforts in gene studies for cereal products. Genome data for cereal crops is rapidly emerging, and this project will focus on genome analytics for improved plant breeding and production.

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