CoBank contributes $100,000 to Davis College at WVU

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. —A $100,000 gift from CoBank will help bring West Virginia University’s new Agricultural Sciences Building to its full potential.
The new building will be the centerpiece of WVU’s Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design. Two rooms in the new Agricultural Sciences Building will bear the company’s name.

Computer lab

The CoBank Computer Laboratory will be located on the ground floor and provide computing resources for students in the Davis College. A conference room on the fifth floor administrative level will be named the CoBank Administrative Conference Room.

Based in Denver, CoBank provides loans and other financial services to agricultural cooperatives, rural infrastructure providers and other rural businesses in all 50 states.

Supporting rural America

With approximately $98 billion in assets, the bank also serves as the funding bank for Farm Credit associations serving more than 70,000 farmers and ranchers around the country.

“Our mission to support the U.S. rural economy creates a natural affinity with institutions like WVU that are educating the next generation of leaders in rural America,” said Bob Engel, CoBank’s chief executive officer. “We’re delighted to be supporting this important project and look forward to seeing the research and educational benefits it delivers in the years ahead.”

Demand fund

CoBank’s gift will create what is known as a demand fund, which will provide discretionary funds to support construction, equipment, salaries, scholarships, research, student scholarships, student salaries, and other opportunities for Davis College.

Engel noted that longtime CoBank board member Jim Kinsey has been a strong supporter for the new ag sciences building. Kinsey, a cattle entrepreneur from Taylor County, W.Va., has served on the CoBank board since 2001. He is also a former director for Farm Credit of the Virginias and is widely known for representing West Virginia on boards and committees for the National Beef Cattle Association and Cattlemen’s Beef Board.