Nomination of Senator Pat Roberts for Meritorious Service to CARET Award

from State University CARET members: Connie Pelton Kays, Julie Voelker, and Donnie Young

It is our honor to nominate Kansas Senator Pat Roberts for the newly established Meritorious Service Award to the Council of Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching (CARET) and the land-grant university system.

Kansas Senator Pat Roberts will be retiring at the end of this year when his term is complete. He has served as a Senator from Kansas since 1997, and prior to that he was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1981 to 1997. He currently serves as Chair of the United State Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. He truly has made significant contributions to the national support for and understanding of the land-grant university's system's agricultural research, Extension, and teaching programs.

He has been an instrumental advocate of agricultural research during his 40 years of Congress, and he is the only individual in the history of the committees to serve as Chair of both the House and Senate Ag Committees. During that time, he has been involved with EIGHT Farm Bills, as follows:

1. Agriculture and Food Act of 1981 2. Food Security Act of 1985 3. Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trace Act of 1990 4. Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 5. Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 6. Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 7. Agricultural Act of 2014 8. 2018 United States farm bill

Through his leadership, Senator Roberts:

- Assisted Kansas State and other land-grants in gaining federal research investments: o Led the effort to establish the Biosecurity Research Institute (BRI) at Kansas- State o Led the effort to establish the first BSL-4 facility in the U.S. capable of housing cattle and other large livestock, National Agro-and Bio-Defense Facility (NBAF): - Built a strong history of support for agricultural research: o In the 2018 Farm Bill: ▪ Supported research facilities and equipment improvements in the through extending Land-Grant University formula funds, including the Hatch Act, Smith-Lever, McIntire Stennis, and Evans-Allen. ▪ Increased mandatory funding in the Research title of the 2018 Farm Bill during a tight budget environment. ▪ Strengthened Cooperative Extension efforts aimed at helping farmers, at- risk youth, and others who benefit from various community-based initiatives o In the 2014 Farm Bill: ▪ Led the effort to establish the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR), which so far has awarded just over $26,000,000 in grants to land-grant institutions. ▪ Supported the research title’s increase in mandatory spending and the amended competitive grant authority o In the 2008 Farm Bill: ▪ Supported the creation of the Research, Extension, and Education Office (REEO) in Office of the Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics, and the designation of the Under Secretary as the Chief Scientist of USDA. ▪ Supported the establishment of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)

Additionally, Senator Roberts has contributed to the national security of our country through his time as chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee during the , a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and as the most senior Marine in Congress.

It is our pleasure to nominate a very deserving, Senator Pat Roberts, for your consideration of this prestigious award.