Dr. King with Assemblywoman Michelle Hinchey at SUNY Cobleskill Monday
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COBLESKILL – State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. today visited SUNY Cobleskill to announce the launch of the SUNY Agritech Center to support New York’s farm workforce and promote the use of emerging technologies in agriculture. The SUNY Agritech Center, part of Chancellor King’s 2025 State of the University Policy Agenda, brings together key partners in state government, industry, and SUNY campuses focused on meeting current and future needs of the agriculture industry.
“The SUNY Agritech Center embodies SUNY’s important role supporting rural communities to be leaders in the agricultural economy,” said SUNY Chancellor King. “The launch of the SUNY Agritech Center builds on New York State’s ongoing work to address industry needs through education, workforce development, research, and more. I look forward to seeing our SUNY campuses work with state and local partners to lead innovation in this industry.”
SUNY has more than 7,500 students enrolled in agriculture and other related programs across New York State from Agribusiness Management to Equine Science, Environmental Science, Viticulture, Veterinary Science and Food Systems & Technology. Each year, some 1,400 students graduate from agriculture and related programs. Agricultural innovations in the SUNY system include climate protections like carbon sequestration and agrivoltaics research, robotic deployments, invasive species and pest control practices, and farm-based data collection and research.
The SUNY Agritech Center will continue to position New York State’s rural communities to lead in the modern agricultural-based economy by bringing together key partners in state government, industry, and SUNY campuses focused on meeting the needs of the agriculture industry in education, workforce development, career awareness, recruitment, research and applied research, entrepreneurship and innovation, and adoption of the next generation of technology.
SUNY Cobleskill President Marion Terenzio said, “The SUNY Agritech Center represents a strategic response to the defining challenges of our time: ensuring food security, advancing sustainable practices, and preparing the next generation of leaders who will advance these vital industries. In bringing together the expertise of SUNY campuses, state partners, and industry leaders, SUNY is creating new pathways for innovation that will strengthen New York's agricultural economy and position our graduates to create impactful change in communities across the state. We are honored to be a founding partner in the SUNY Agritech Center and to work alongside Chancellor King and our partners to advance the state’s agricultural interests.”
The groundwork to launch the SUNY Agritech Center began early in Chancellor King’s tenure through the convening of the first Agriculture Technology Workforce Summit at SUNY New Paltz in September 2023. Chancellor King and Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Senator Michelle Hinchey were joined by New York State Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon, New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets Commissioner Richard A. Ball, industry partners, SUNY campus presidents, SUNY students, and agriculture and technology experts to discuss climate change, emerging technology, and workforce needs.
This year's Agriculture Technology Summit was held at SUNY Cobleskill Ag & Tech, known for its immersive approach to learning, combining undergraduate research with hands-on application, and as a regional and state leader in advancing agriculture workforce development through its Institute for Rural Vitality. The Institute, designated as the Entrepreneurial Assistance Center for the Mohawk Valley by Empire State Development, has helped its business clients achieve more than $2 million in new revenue in the past 12 months through comprehensive business support and access to shared-use facilities on campus.
Earlier this year, SUNY Cobleskill received $176,000 in targeted investments from SUNY System Administration and the SUNY Construction Fund to strengthen their farm infrastructure and biosecurity protocols. Supporting its commitment to innovation in agriculture, SUNY Cobleskill has also partnered with Empire State Greenhouses to bring a 315,000-square-foot carbon-negative vertical grow facility to land adjacent to campus, slated to begin construction in 2026. Other industry partnerships are helping SUNY Cobleskill lead on research into patented waste-to-energy gasification technology and providing heavy equipment training aligned with New York State’s transformative shift toward electric vehicles.
The SUNY Agritech Center will continue efforts to support the current and future agriculture industry in areas such as cybersecurity, drones, precision farming, agrivoltaics, and waste management. Other SUNY campuses are also advancing agricultural research and workforce training. For example, the State University of New York at Buffalo is using artificial intelligence for the early detection of nutrient deficiencies, pests, and other problems, as well as optimizing LED lighting for indoor farming to enable fruits, vegetables, and other food products to be grown closer to where they will be sold to consumers, including communities with limited access to fresh food. Additionally, the State University of New York at Binghamton is using drones to monitor field health.
About the State University of New York
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state's only college of optometry, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.4 million students across its portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.16 billion in fiscal year 2024, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and one in three New Yorkers with a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit suny.edu.
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