Agriculture Secretary to visit area college

Sonny Perdue, the United States Secretary of Agriculture, will visit Central State University on Thursday as part of his “Back to our roots” tour.

The visit comes as China is threatening to impose a 25 percent tariff on soybean imports, which could greatly impact Ohio farmers.

Perdue has a background in farming and became the 31st agriculture secretary in April 2017. He previously served as the governor of Georgia from 2003 to 2011.

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The tour, which includes stops in Ohio, Michigan and Kentucky, was created to provide an outlet for local farmers, students, researchers, business owners and community leaders to voice their opinions and concerns.

While at CSU, Perdue will lead a student discussion on careers in the agricultural industry, according to the university. Perdue will also tour Central State’s campus and will meet with faculty and students to discuss ongoing research projects.

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In November, Central State added to its agricultural offerings when officials broke ground on a new botanical and community garden on campus. Work will began last year on the garden which will include a raised bed facility modeled after Rid-All green partnership’s gardens in Cleveland, according to the university.

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