NDSCS Agriculture Program Receives $500K Donation from Kosel Patterson
January 10, 2024
WAHPETON, N.D. — The agriculture program at North Dakota State School of Science is receiving another large boost as Linda Kosel Patterson committed $500,000 to the school’s agriculture lab.
In late December, the Yaggie family donated $1 million that will be used towards the school’s renovation of its agricultural center, which will now be known as the “Yaggie Family Agriculture Center.”
The donation from Kosel Patterson will be used to create the “Kosel Family Agriculture Lab,” which the school said will be “a state-of-the-art ag technology experience for current and future students,” and it will be a pillar of the remodeled and updated agriculture center.
Kosel Patterson’s history of support for NDSCS is longstanding. In May 2017, Kosel Patterson and Mary Kosel, Linda’s mother, facilitated the use of nearly 95 acres of farmland for the NDSCS Alumni Foundation. This gift created the Kosel Family Agriculture Land Lab used by all NDSCS agriculture programs.
The land lab has been pivotal in doubling the NDSCS ag program’s student enrollment and has enabled the introduction of new associate degrees in precision agronomy and precision agriculture technology, a release from NDSCS said.
The Kosel family’s legacy in agriculture and education began with Richard and Mary Kosel, who started farming north of Wahpeton in 1947. Their lifelong commitment to agriculture and education, along with their daughter Linda, has played a pivotal role in shaping the future of agricultural education at NDSCS, school officials said in a statement.
“Linda’s gift towards the Kosel Family Agriculture Lab will have a positive, significant impact on farming families across the tri-state area for generations,” executive director of the NDSCS Alumni Foundation Kim Nelson said in a statement. “Her generosity is a testament to her dedication to NDSCS and our students, equipping them with advanced tools, equipment, and technologies essential for innovative and comprehensive agricultural education.”