Matt Lee, vice president and dean for agriculture at LSU, presented the LSU AgCenter’s statewide work and strategic plan to the House Agriculture Committee on April 30. Lee emphasized research, extension, plant‑variety development and workforce training as the core drivers of the university’s contributions to Louisiana agriculture.

Lee outlined how the LSU AgCenter’s research expenditures—recently reported at about $106.9 million—translate into economic value for the state. Citing a USDA multiplier, he estimated that roughly $454 million in AgCenter research over five years produced an estimated $9 billion in economic value through higher yields, new varieties, improved disease management and other technology transfer. Lee highlighted several concrete examples: LSU‑developed sugarcane varieties covering a significant share of the state’s acreage and accounting for nearly $972 million in annual economic value for growers, and LSU rice varieties covering about 62% of state acreage and creating roughly $400 million in annual value. He credited long‑running variety programs and station work (rice in Crowley; Dean Lee Research Station in Alexandria and other experiment stations) with raising yields and helping farmers manage pest and disease threats.

Lee described the AgCenter’s extension reach—roughly 1.4 million education contacts in the last year—and youth, workforce and entrepreneurship programs that feed the state’s talent pipeline, including 4‑H, FFA and industry‑certification efforts that provided about 3,500 industry certifications in the last year. He noted a statewide youth reach of more than 117,000 youth and widespread participation in Farm to School programs, and he announced fundraising and recent one‑time legislative investments (about $15 million) that helped laboratory and facility upgrades. Lee also highlighted a recent $20 million digital agriculture grant and emerging proposals to compete for National Science Foundation disaster‑resilience funding.

The presentation framed LSU AgCenter as a statewide resource for applied agricultural science—plant improvement, pest diagnostics, extension outreach and workforce development—and Lee urged continued legislative support for facilities, research personnel and targeted investments that amplify the center’s economic and community benefits. Committee members thanked Lee and noted the AgCenter’s importance to local growers and the state’s broader economy; no committee votes followed the presentation.