The federal government has ordered Kansas State University to stop working on agricultural research grants valued at up to $137 million that was funded by the United State's now-defunct foreign aid agency.

K-State announced Friday that it will suspend the operation of two agricultural research labs next month. The Capital-Journal previously reported that the future of the federal funding was in doubt amid turmoil in President Donald Trump's administration.

"After more than a decade of innovation labs that have helped feed the world and improve global food systems in partnership with the U.S. federal government, Kansas State University will suspend the operation of its two current Feed the Future Innovation Labs on April 12," university officials said in a news release.

Feed the Future is part of the U.S. Agency for International Development, which was largely shuttered by the Department of Government Efficiency, the cost-cutting initiative led by Trump adviser Elon Musk.

K-State received stop-work orders in late January, which led to a pause in USAID grant-funded research.

"In late February, many stop-work orders became grant terminations, pausing or suspending various research on crop resilience and other projects," university officials said. "At K-State, students, scholars, post-doctoral fellows and some faculty connected to these projects are transitioning to other projects, and nine positions will be eliminated on April 12."

While the names of the specific programs don't show up on DOGE's website list of canceled grants , there are lines for unnamed USAID grants with corresponding dollar amounts that would match the two K-State labs.

The university told The Capital-Journal that "K-State is ready and able to resume these programs should the stop work orders be lifted or grants restored."

K-State awarded USAID-funded labs with funding of up to $137 million

USAID had awarded K-State with two significant investments in innovation labs for agricultural research, with at least $77 million and a potential for up to $137 million in funding.

The most recent, announced in November 2024 , was the Climate Resilient Sustainable Intensification Innovation Lab. The award was $50 million for five years, with a potential for a renewal for another five years and an additional $50 million.

At the time, K-State President Richard Linton called said "this international project represents one of the largest and most collaborative research grants in the history of K-State." Ernie Minton, dean of the College of Agriculture, said the research would "produce significant global impacts and greatly benefit Kansas by enhancing our knowledge of climate-resilient agricultural practices that improve productivity and sustainability."

Earlier, in October 2023 , was an announcement for the Climate Resilient Cereals Innovational Lab. The award was $22 million, with a potential ceiling of $37 million. That research was to advance breeding of four major world crops: wheat, sorghum, rice and millet.

It is unclear how much of the funding had been used before the project terminations.

The federal funding cuts also affect K-State grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service.

"While these specific programs are ceasing or pausing, K-State remains committed to advancing and enhancing global food systems and biosecurity and helping Kansas farmers overcome current and future challenges," Minton said Friday in a statement.

Congress previously supported Feed the Future

Feed the Future was started when the federal government launched a global food security initiative in 2010. In 2016, Congress put it into law with the Global Food Security Act.

The law has been reauthorized by Congress since then, most recently in December 2022 , as part of a larger bill on military spending. It appears that five of the six members of Kansas' congressional delegation voted for the final version of the legislation, and the one who voted against the final version had previously voted for a bill solely on reauthorizing the food programs.

With the Global Food Security Reauthorization Act of 2022, Congress provided for Feed the Future and its innovation labs through 2028.

While some in the Kansas congressional delegation have taken steps to counteract DOGE's apparent dismantling of Food for Peace , a different USAID program, they have not announced similar efforts to save Feed the Future from elimination.

K-State has history with USAID's Feed the Future

K-State has been awarded several innovation labs from USAID's Feed the Future since its inception.

The new sustainable intensification lab and its potential 10 years of funding was going to replace a previous sustainable intensification lab that K-State had managed for the prior 10 years.

"Since K-State opened its first Feed the Future Innovation Lab in 2013 , the labs and their researchers have been key players in building on the university's 160-year tradition of innovative agriculture research and helping feed the world by improving global food systems and resiliency," university officials said.

How foreign aid helped Kansas

K-State officials said in the news release that agricultural research as part of international aid was benefiting Kansas.

"Agricultural research not only supports U.S. crop production and sustainability but also helps improve food security by understanding social, political and environmental factors related to food production," university officials said. "In turn, Kansans benefit from lower food costs, increased yields, higher farm incomes and better nutrition."

The university touted a 2022 analysis from a K-State agricultural economist. It found that more than 40 years of investment in international agricultural research, every $1 invested provided a return of $8.52 in economic impact benefiting the U.S.

"This work and these people are assets to the university, state and the agricultural industry," Minton said.

The terminated research had been benefiting farmers, including in Kansas, by developing wheat and sorghum crop varieties for different conditions, such as drought. The university said the affected research had also protected food systems from pests and diseases , and advanced safety with better storage practices .

"K-State has proudly been a home for many international innovative agricultural research projects, including Feed the Future Innovation Labs, and university researchers continue to work with the federal government to provide scientific solutions and outcomes that impact not only Kansas but communities around the globe," K-State officials said.

Jason Alatidd is a Statehouse reporter for The Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached by email at [email protected]. Follow him on X @Jason_Alatidd .