Historically Black Land-Grant Universities Celebrate USDA Agreement as a 'Big Win' — and a Reassurance

Leaders of the nation's 19 historically Black land-grant universities are celebrating a formal agreement signed with the U.S. Department of Agriculture earlier this month — describing it as both a practical victory and an emotional reassurance that their institutions remain valued partners of the federal government, even as the broader higher education sector navigates one of its most turbulent periods of federal funding uncertainty in decades.

The Memorandum of Understanding signed March 5 between the USDA and the Council of 1890 University Presidents sustains and expands the federal partnership with these institutions — commonly known as the 1890 universities after the Second Morrill Act of 1890 that established them. The agreement serves as a primary vehicle to implement the policy objectives of Executive Order 14283, the White House Initiative to Promote Excellence and Innovation at HBCUs, signed by President Trump last spring.

Why the Agreement Matters — and Why It Was Needed

The USDA has signed similar memoranda with the 1890 institutions since the Reagan administration, typically at the start of each new administration. But this renewal carried particular weight given the turbulence of the past year.

Harry Williams, CEO of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, which represents public HBCUs, said the new MOU reassures university leaders that the Trump administration will continue to support and work with their institutions.

That reassurance was not without recent context. In early 2025, the USDA temporarily suspended the 1890 Scholars Program — which provides full tuition, fees, books, room and board for up to four years to students at 1890 institutions pursuing degrees in agriculture and related fields. The suspension triggered fierce backlash from lawmakers and higher education leaders. Within days the program was reinstated and applications were reopened. Agriculture Secretary Brooke L. Rollins subsequently praised the program in a January 2026 call for applications, calling it a priority of the Trump administration.

Felecia M. Nave, president and CEO of the 1890 Universities Foundation, said the MOU "builds on prior efforts while placing a stronger emphasis on ensuring that our work is not just symbolic, but truly actionable" — reaffirming the "critical role we play in advancing this administration's America First agenda, particularly through its recognition of the importance of agriculture to our nation's economic strength, food security, and long-term sustainability."

What the Agreement Commits To

The MOU ensures that 1890 institutions obtain equal opportunities for participation in federal programs. By aligning with the 2025 Executive Order, the partnership focuses on addressing barriers to accessing federal funding and strengthening these institutions through enhanced planning and development. The agreement ensures that 1890 universities are integrated into the USDA strategy to build a globally competitive agriculture production ecosystem.

Concretely, the agreement commits the USDA to three areas of action. First, it will explore opportunities for historically Black land-grant faculty and administrators to work within and contribute their expertise to the department. Second, it will continue its network of USDA liaisons on campuses — providing regional support and technical assistance to farmers, ranchers, and foresters across the 1890 land-grant system. Third, and perhaps most significantly, it re-establishes a task force of department officials and historically Black land-grant university presidents who will meet at least twice a year to discuss ways to strengthen the institutions and their historic missions.

Ericke S. Cage, president of West Virginia State University and chair of the Council of 1890 University Presidents, said the main advantage of the agreement is that it provides a "formalized platform" to "engage directly with the USDA" — a forum to "raise up issues that are of significance, of importance, to our 1890 institutions and to find alignment and opportunities within the priorities and funding resources that USDA currently has available." "So, I think that's the big win," Cage said.

The $13 Billion Underfunding Problem

The celebration over the MOU takes place against a backdrop of decades of structural inequity that the agreement alone cannot fix. In 2023, the secretaries of education and agriculture under President Biden concluded that 16 historically Black land-grant institutions had been underfunded by their states by a total of $13 billion over three decades — states being legally required to match federal grants for food and agriculture research to land-grant institutions dollar for dollar, but consistently failing to do so for their 1890 institutions.

The MOU announcement comes on the heels of a national observance of the 135th anniversary of the Second Morrill Act of 1890 — the landmark legislation that expanded America's land-grant system and secured the place of 19 HBCUs within a national network dedicated to teaching, research, and service for the public good.

Trump's executive order also committed to "encouraging states to provide the required state matching funds for 1890 Land-Grant Institutions." Williams said closing remaining funding gaps will be a "top" priority going forward, and hopes the newly re-established task force can help advocate for the IGNITE HBCU Excellence Act — legislation that would create a competitive grant process to fund upgrades to HBCU campus facilities and equipment, which lawmakers plan to revive after it failed to pass in 2022.

Infrastructure, AI, and the Future of Black Land-Grant Research

Cage said institutions like West Virginia State need more funds to devote to campus infrastructure at a time when they struggle with deferred maintenance backlogs but want to invest in new technology and research to support American agriculture. He specifically cited interest in research on how AI and cybersecurity measures could protect farmers' online operations — framing 1890 universities not as institutions playing catch-up but as institutions on the leading edge of the challenges facing American agriculture in the 21st century.

"We believe that our institutions are well positioned to help tackle the problem of global food insecurity," Cage said. More infrastructure funding would help "ensure that our researchers and our students are able to certainly work in best-in-class facilities, which will help us to drive innovations that we can deploy out in the field and help our farmers and our ranchers do the important work that they do."

The Broader Context: A Cautious Optimism

The MOU arrives at a moment when many HBCUs and minority-serving institutions are navigating significant federal funding disruptions. Several institutions have seen grants temporarily suspended over purported ties to DEI programs, and the Trump administration's sweeping executive orders on diversity, equity, and inclusion have created compliance uncertainty across the higher education landscape.

Cage acknowledged "some initial challenges" under the Trump administration — including some temporary disruptions to his institution's federal funds — but said the USDA has since proved a "supportive partner." "What I can say is that the department and the administration have been responsive to our concerns," he said, noting that new federal money flowed to HBCUs in the fall and his previously suspended funds were restored after conversations with department officials and lawmakers. "Are there areas where we want to see some more support? Sure. But I think, in general, it's been a pretty positive relationship."

That measured optimism — celebrating real progress while acknowledging real gaps — captures where the 1890 universities find themselves in March 2026. The MOU is a formal affirmation that these institutions, born from the injustice of segregation and charged with bringing agricultural education to Black Americans who were excluded from existing land-grant universities, remain central to the federal government's vision for American agriculture. Whether the task force and its twice-yearly meetings translate into the infrastructure investment, expanded scholarship opportunities, and restored state matching funds these institutions need will be the measure of whether that affirmation is more than symbolic.