With a $1 million gift to the Kansas State University Agriculture Innovation Initiative, Cargill continues to accelerate the university’s efforts to advance global food security solutions through interdisciplinary research, infrastructure expansion and industry collaboration. The recent donation places K-State within 5% of the initiative’s $210 million goal.
The gift also surpasses $10 million in Cargill’s lifetime giving to the university — a philanthropic milestone for the company.
“Cargill and Kansas State University are united in their commitment to nourish our planet’s rapidly growing population,” said Scott Eilert, senior director of responsible sourcing for Cargill’s global food business. “We choose to invest in the Agriculture Innovation Initiative because its novel design brings academia and industry together in a quest to help farmers and ranchers produce more food with less impact. It’s a modern approach to a modern challenge.”
Led by the College of Agriculture, the Agriculture Innovation Initiative is an investment to leverage K-State’s core strengths in new and exciting ways for food and agriculture. Four new or renovated facilities — the Global Center for Grain and Food Innovation, the Agronomy Research and Innovation Center, the Bilbrey Family Event Center, and Call and Weber halls — will build teams and partnerships to enhance the learning experience, generate groundbreaking discoveries and promote positive collaboration approaches across the K-State community.
“I would like to thank Cargill for its ongoing support of the College of Agriculture at K-State and this specific investment in the Agriculture Innovation Initiative,” said Dan Moser, interim Eldon Gideon Dean of the College of Agriculture. “We greatly value Cargill as a strong, long-standing partner of the university and the college, with a lifetime giving landmark of $10 million. The College of Agriculture consistently ranks among the leading university agricultural programs nationally, and this donation will help sustain the exceptional K-State student experience and research excellence while creating positive economic, community and societal impacts.”
“The Agricultural Innovation Initiative, launched in 2022, addresses a nearly 15-year need to modernize K-State’s agricultural infrastructure,” said Kansas State University President Richard Linton. “The results will soon be reflected in enhanced student experiences, improved recruitment of students and faculty, increased local economic activity and stronger research outcomes. Most importantly, we’ll shift toward more collaborative, interdisciplinary exploration and industry partnerships. This transformative project — made possible through combined contributions from the state of Kansas, private donors and partners like Cargill — will allow us to do good not only for Kansas, but for the world.”
As Kansas State University’s strategic partner for philanthropy, the KSU Foundation inspires and guides philanthropy toward university priorities to boldly advance K-State. Visit www.ksufoundation.org/impact/category/release for more information.
