WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) ) – a senior member of the Senate Agriculture Committee – announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has awarded The Ohio State University (OSU) two grants to support rural economic growth. NIFA awarded $494,547 to OSU to support an agricultural economics program and $384,913 to improve economic productivity and sustainability through its Small and Medium-sized Farm program.

“Ohio State is home to some of the nation’s leading agricultural researchers,” Brown said. “These federal resources will allow OSU to help create economic security for Ohio’s rural communities and family farms through research and education.”

Brown is the first Ohioan to serve on the Senate Agriculture Committee in more than 40 years. In 2014, he was part of the Senate Farm Bill Conference Committee that successfully negotiated a five-year farm bill that had been stalled for more than three years. Brown supported a strong Rural Development title in the 2014 Farm Bill to encourage economic development in rural communities.

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