[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 193 (Monday, November 17, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1074]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    HONORING THE CONNECTICUT AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION ON THE 
                   OCCASION OF ITS 150TH ANNIVERSARY

                                  _____
                                 

                          HON. ROSA L. DeLAURO

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, November 17, 2025

  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, in 1875, Samuel Johnson, a Yale University 
educated agricultural chemist, founded the Connecticut Agricultural 
Experiment Station, the first of its kind in the United States. 
Agriculture has always been an important economic driver in Connecticut 
and Dr. Johson sought to create a space for the purpose of promoting 
agriculture by scientific investigation and experiments. The Ag 
Station, as we affectionately call it, began its work in the area of 
consumer protection with the analysis of agricultural feeds and 
fertilizers. Today, that work has expanded into a number of fields of 
study and industry.
  Perhaps I am a bit biased, as the Ag Station is a former neighbor of 
mine, but I have always been fascinated by both the unique architecture 
of its buildings as well as the research that is conducted throughout 
its historic halls. In fact, due to its preeminence as the first of its 
kind in the United States, the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment 
Station was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964. Should you 
have the chance to tour the Station, you will find lab facilities 
filled with all kinds of invasive species--insects like beetles, 
mosquitoes, and ticks as well as aquatic plants like hydrilla, water 
fern, and Carolina fanwort. And should you be in Connecticut during the 
first week of August, you can join the Ag Station's team for their 
Annual Plant Science Day at Lockwood Farm. It is a wonderful showcase 
of the staffs incredible work.
  The Ag Station has made tremendous contributions not only to 
agriculture but to the fields of health, forestry, and plant science as 
well. From researching methods to combat tick-borne illnesses like Lyme 
Disease and the West Nile Virus to identifying invasive plant, animal, 
and insect species like Hydrilla and the Emerald Ash Borer to providing 
analytical data in food safety and vector-borne illness, the critical 
work done at the Ag Experiment Station not only impacts our local 
communities, but those across the nation. The commitment, dedication, 
knowledge and expertise of its staff have made a real difference in the 
lives of millions.
  Today, as this unique and important agency marks its 150th 
Anniversary, I am honored to have this opportunity to extend my thanks 
and appreciation to the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station and 
its team of scientists and researchers for their extraordinary work. 
Over the course of its one-hundred-fifty-year history, it has changed 
and expanded its work, but, at its heart, the Ag Station continues its 
mission to promote agriculture. Over the course of my tenure in 
Congress, I have been so proud to work with them in leveraging federal 
resources to improve the quality of life for Americans throughout the 
country. My heartfelt congratulations to this extraordinary 
organization and, as we say in Italian, ``C'ent Anni!''

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