State Rep. Ramon Alexander, D-Tallahassee, has
filed a bill that
seeks $1,719,136 for the Florida A&M University Brooksville
Agricultural and Environmental Research Station.
The money is being sought, in part, to hire farm
technicians, a grant writer, a research data manager, a researcher in plant
science, and a researcher in animal science. The funds would also go to
purchasing “tractors, tools, and equipment” a “feed lot trough covering,” and a
small ruminant barn.
According to a funding
request submitted by FAMU, “The services to the citizens will include
consultations on technical matters on sustainable agriculture, food security,
food safety, and business management; seminars, workshops, and training
sessions for students, local farmers, and residents; field and site visits, and
demonstrations of new technology..”
FAMU received the 3,800 acre Brooksville site from the U.S.
Department of Agriculture following a transfer agreement that was signed in
2014. The university is considering building a solar
farm on the site and also using some of the land for industrial
hemp.