WHEREAS, the year 2011 marked the 125th anniversary of the creation of the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia General Assembly established the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station (VAES) on March 1, 1886, in anticipation of the Federal Hatch Act of 1887; and

WHEREAS, the Hatch Act allocated federal funds to the State Agricultural Experiment Stations as part of the land-grant higher education system, and the agricultural experiment stations were charged with conducting research and experiments bearing directly on the agricultural industry; and

WHEREAS, the mission of VAES is to perform basic and applied research on agricultural, environmental, natural, and community resource issues related to the future needs of Virginia, the region, the nation, and the world; and

WHEREAS, VAES was established at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg and includes research laboratories and agricultural facilities on and around the campus and a network of 11 Agricultural Research and Extension Centers located at various sites around the state, where agricultural innovations are tested in real world applications and provide resources for local producers as well as extension agents; and

WHEREAS, VAES supports research programs in a wide range of disciplines in projects located at Virginia Tech and across the Commonwealth, in cooperation with the Virginia Cooperative Extension, USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and other state and federal agencies; and

WHEREAS, VAES performs research and outreach in areas ranging from livestock management to ornamentals, field crops, wine production, seafood safety, biofuels, and human health; and

WHEREAS, VAES is responsible for innovations including preferred seed varieties of soybeans, wheat, and barley, new tobacco production efficiencies, disease detection improvement for peanuts and other crops, new information on beef production, new wine production information, and many other important agricultural advances; and

WHEREAS, VAES serves the needs of Virginia's animal, plant, and seafood industries; fosters conservation of natural resources; and benefits consumers and all citizens of the state in rural, urban, and suburban communities; and

WHEREAS, the partnership between VAES and the Virginia Cooperative Extension creates a highly effective means for communicating and teaching new techniques with lasting impact in local communities; and

WHEREAS, this research and support of the agricultural industry has led to sustained growth in Virginia's agricultural and natural resource industries; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly commend the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station on the occasion of its 125th anniversary; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station as an expression of the General Assembly's congratulations and gratitude for the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station's contributions to agriculture in the Commonwealth.