Fantastic USDA Grant Award to the College of the Menominee Nation recognizes their Sustainable Agriculture Programing Capacity and Success

October 19, 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:Michaela Welch, [email protected], 715-799-6226, ext. 3153
College of Menominee Nation Awarded Funding
for Sustainable Use of Safe Hemp Ingredient Project
KESHENA, WI- The College of Menominee Nation (CMN), a 1994 Tribal Land Grant College, is
excited to announce it has been awarded a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)-Agriculture
and Food Research (AFRI) Sustainable Agriculture Systems (SAS) grant. This project is in
collaboration with other Land Grant Institutions-including Central State University (1890
Land-Grant), Kentucky State University (1890 Land-Grant), the University of Delaware (1862
Land-Grant), the University of Kentucky (1862 Land-Grant), and Mississippi State (1862
Land-Grant).
The award totals $10 million dollars over five years with CMN receiving $1,164,925.00 for the
first two years and the remaining $1,651,034.00 for years three, four, and five. The project titled,
“Sustainable Aquaculture Production of High Omega-3-Containing-Fish Using a Novel Feed
Additive (Hemp)” will increase CMN’s ability to develop and implement a research line that will
benefit students and faculty. In addition, the project will offer both an education and community
extension component that falls directly in line with CMN’s mission as a Land Grant Institution.
“This is a historic opportunity for the College of Menominee Nation as no Tribal College has
received a USDA-AFRI SAS grant prior to this,” according to Brian Kowalkowski, Dean of
Continuing Education at CMN. Kowalkowski added, “The uniqueness of bringing together such
a diverse group of institutions is also a step in a new direction, specifically working with Central
State University in Ohio, a Historically Black College and University (HBCU).” College of
Menominee Nation President, Christopher Caldwell has indicated his strong support for the
project and had this to say about the new partnerships, “Being able to work across state borders
as well as other Land Grant institutions is a great opportunity for our school and our community.”
For the past 27 years, CMN has held Land Grant status, as designated by the federal
government and not only takes its commitment to the Menominee people very seriously, but
also its responsibility as a Land Grant institution to provide for the educational, sustainable,
health, and economical needs of the communities it serves. This project will bring to the
Menominee Reservation and surrounding communities an opportunity to learn about both
aquaponics and aquaculture with training, workshops, and field days. A certificate program will
be established for interested community members, as well as the development of articulation

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