Photo of Professor Carmen Licon (center) and the Fresno State Creamery via Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology Facebook page.

A $19 million grant to Fresno State will help advance the university’s ag program.

The Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology received $18.75 million from the State of California as part of the government’s 2022-23 budget.

The money will go toward:

— Replacing aging farm equipment with more “climate-smart” upgrades

— Automating irrigation systems

— Investing in energy-efficient systems at the winery, dairy and meat science lab

—Greenhouse facility upgrades at the plant sciences program

— Reducing the environmental footprint of animal units

California legislators had earmarked $75 million to farm on California State University campuses.

At Fresno State, more than 1,900 students are in academic programs directly tied to agriculture, working directly on the 1,000-acre University Agricultural Laboratory.

“The food and agriculture sectors are crucial to the future stability of our region, state and nation. Educating students and building resilience in these sectors is critical to the success of farmers and others in these sectors,” said Dennis Nef, dean of the college. “This investment by Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state legislature in climate-smart agriculture will benefit future generations by providing students entering the workforce with skills that will enable them to tackle the environmental challenges that face us and ensure the health of land, water and air resources into the future.”