Deputy Secretary of Agriculture to visit campus and meet with students

Founded as the Colorado Agricultural College in 1870, Colorado State University has a long history of collaboration with and support from the USDA. On Tuesday, Oct. 13, the second highest-ranking official in the USDA will come to Fort Collins and CSU to meet with university leaders and students. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Krysta Harden will spend part of the day learning about the educational and research programs within the CSU College of Agricultural Sciences and will engage with students who focus on developing solutions to the pressing issues in global agriculture.

“I’m excited to visit with the students at Colorado State University and hear their perspective on the future of agriculture,” said Harden. “As the average age of the American farmer continues to rise, it is more important than ever before that we give the next generation of farmers and ranchers the tools they need to succeed and lead our industry.”

In addition to meeting with CSU President Tony Frank and College of Agricultural Sciences Dean Ajay Menon, Harden will also host a roundtable discussion with CSU students focused on how the next generation of farmers and ranchers can help meet the needs of a growing global population. She also will tour the CSU Trial Garden and will visit the newly-built, state-of-the-art CSU Horticulture Center.

According to the Colorado Department of Agriculture, agriculture contributes $41 billion to the Colorado economy and employs nearly 173,000 people. Agricultural production – across a diverse spectrum of industries in Colorado – will play an essential role in meeting the food and fiber needs in Colorado, across the Unites States and around the world.

“We are delighted to host Deputy Secretary Harden here in Fort Collins,” said CSU President Tony Frank. “There is virtually no part of CSU that isn’t touched by agriculture – faculty and staff members in all of our colleges are involved in collaborations with their counterparts in the College of Agricultural Sciences in areas such as precision agriculture, business modelling and forecasting, and the ethical treatment of animals. We look forward to showing Deputy Secretary Harden the breadth of agricultural research and teaching on our campus and how we position our students to leave CSU prepared to tackle the global challenges in food security and availability, environmental sustainability, and resource conservation.”

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