Source: The Cornell Daily Sun
Cornell University’s $60 million settlement with the Trump administration includes a distinctive requirement: a $30 million investment in agricultural research over three years, in addition to a $30 million payment to the federal government. The agreement ends civil rights investigations and restores $250 million in previously frozen federal research funding. Cornell alone will determine how the agricultural funds are allocated, though details remain undecided.
The investment must support programs that lower production costs and improve farming efficiency, with an emphasis on AI, robotics, and digital agriculture. Cornell is developing an Office of the Vice Provost for Research program to manage disbursement. Potential beneficiaries include the Cornell Institute for Digital Agriculture, the Cornell Agricultural Systems Testbed and Demonstration Site, and the AI for Agriculture Testbed. Faculty leaders emphasize the need for infrastructure, personnel, and technological innovation, highlighting Cornell’s global leadership in digital agriculture research.