College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech

What College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech does

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) is a constituent academic college of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), a public land-grant university chartered in 1872 and headquartered in Blacksburg, Virginia. CALS delivers a unified portfolio of undergraduate and graduate academic programs, agricultural and life sciences research, and statewide Extension outreach. Its core operational pillars are the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station (VAES), which conducts research through 11 Agricultural Research and Extension Centers (ARECs); Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE), operating 107 local offices across the Commonwealth; and Virginia 4-H, a youth development program serving over 188,000 members through clubs, camps, and six educational centers. The college also runs CALS Global, including the Alliance to Advance Climate-Smart Agriculture (an $80 million USDA-funded program enrolling 1,300+ farms) and the Global Agricultural Productivity (GAP) Report with 20,000+ readers worldwide.

CALS's underlying technology base consists of state-of-the-art laboratories, production facilities, the Hahn Horticultural Garden, and a network of field research centers, supplemented by research applications of computer vision, audio machine learning, and predictive analytics. The Online Master of Agricultural and Life Sciences (OMALS) program extends the academic offering globally on a self-serve/online basis. The college does not sell a discrete product; rather, it operates the standard land-grant revenue stack comprising state appropriations and federal Smith-Lever Extension funds, tuition and fees (set by Virginia Tech and the Commonwealth), competitive research grants from USDA, NIH, and NSF, and philanthropic giving from alumni, friends, and partners. Customer segments span current and prospective students, Virginia residents and producers served through Extension, 4-H youth, alumni donors, agribusiness industry partners, and government agencies.

Distribution is geographically diversified across the Virginia Tech main campus in Blacksburg, 11 ARECs, 107 Extension offices, six 4-H centers, and the OMALS online channel, with a global layer added through CALS Global. GTM is community-led: knowledge dissemination occurs through field days, Extension programming, alumni engagement events, and youth development pipelines that feed undergraduate enrollment and industry hiring. The college is not a separately incorporated entity; it is an administrative division of Virginia Tech, governed ultimately by the Commonwealth of Virginia through the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors.

Name

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech

Legal name

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Website

https://cals.vt.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1872

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech is a public land-grant college delivering undergraduate and graduate education, agricultural research through 11 centers, and statewide Cooperative Extension via 107 offices and 188,000+ 4-H youth members across Virginia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education - Agricultural and Life Sciences

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131), Technical and Trade Schools (6115)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Polytechnic & Applied Sciences Universities (EDAHAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Crop, Soil & Agronomy Technician Training (EDAOAOAF), Science Camps & Field Programs (Nature, Space, Marine, Geology) (EDAMABAB)

Keywords

• Agricultural higher education
• Cooperative extension services
• Agricultural research programs
• Youth development programs
• Life sciences graduate programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Blacksburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Revenue from undergraduate and graduate student tuition as part of Virginia Tech's land-grant university system
2. Research Grants and Funding: Federal and state funding from agencies including USDA, NIH, NSF, and Department of Agriculture for agricultural research, food safety, climate-smart agriculture, and youth development programs
3. Philanthropic Giving: Donations from alumni, friends, and partners supporting scholarships, programs, facilities (Hahn Horticultural Garden), 4-H camps, and the VCE Emergency Fund
4. Virginia Cooperative Extension Services: Extension programming funded through state appropriations and federal Smith-Lever funds for agricultural outreach, family consumer sciences, and community development

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech provides undergraduate and graduate academic programs in agricultural and life sciences, conducts applied research through the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station and 11 Agricultural Research and Extension Centers, and delivers statewide educational outreach via Virginia Cooperative Extension's 107 local offices and the Virginia 4-H youth development program. It also offers the fully online OMALS master's degree and international programs through CALS Global.

Product overview

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech is a land-grant academic institution offering a unified portfolio of educational, research, and outreach services. The core offerings include academic degree programs (undergraduate and graduate), the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station research network, Virginia Cooperative Extension with 107 local offices, and Virginia 4-H youth development serving 188,000+ members. These programs are supported by 11 Agricultural Research and Extension Centers across Virginia and delivered through both in-person and online modalities including the Online Master of Agricultural and Life Sciences (OMALS) program. CALS Global programs extend the college's reach internationally through climate-smart agriculture initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station (VAES) Research enterprise conducting agricultural and life sciences research across Virginia through 11 Agricultural Research and Extension Centers, serving faculty researchers, graduate students, and Virginia's agricultural industry.
• Virginia Cooperative Extension Outreach program with 107 local extension offices providing education and resources in agricultural, family consumer sciences, and community development to Virginia communities.
• Virginia 4-H Youth Development Youth development program serving more than 188,000 members through clubs, camps, and educational programs across six 4-H educational centers, targeting Virginia youth and families.
• Agricultural Research and Extension Centers (ARECs) Network of 11 research centers conducting field research and demonstrating agricultural innovations across Virginia's diverse agricultural regions.
• Academic Programs Undergraduate and graduate degree programs across agricultural sciences, life sciences, food science, biochemistry, entomology, animal sciences, plant and environmental sciences, and human nutrition.
• Online Master of Agricultural and Life Sciences (OMALS) Fully online graduate degree program offering advanced education in agricultural and life sciences for working professionals globally.
• CALS Global Programs International agricultural programs including the Alliance to Advance Climate-Smart Agriculture and the Global Agricultural Productivity Initiative, serving global partners and farmers across multiple states and countries.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,300+ farms enrolled in first year of $80M climate-smart agriculture program
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 January 2025Primary federal partner providing funding for agricultural research, climate-smart agriculture programs, food safety initiatives, and Extension services. The Alliance to Advance Climate-Smart Agriculture is an $80 million USDA-funded project — the largest grant in Virginia Tech's history — supporting 1,300+ farms across four states.
• National Institutes of Health (NIH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal research funding partner supporting neuroscience research on memory, PTSD, obesity, and brain health conducted by School of Animal Sciences and School of Neuroscience researchers.
• National Science Foundation (NSF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch funding partner supporting various projects including agricultural research, bat disease studies, and diversity in STEM education initiatives.
• Virginia Sheep Producers AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry partnership supporting the Virginia Performance Tested Ram Lamb Sale, the nation's longest continuously running ram performance program. The association's Seedstock Council works closely with Virginia Tech on sheep industry improvement.
• Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner on animal health research, breeding soundness exams for ram test programs, and joint educational programming in animal sciences.
• Virginia Cooperative ExtensioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe college's primary outreach arm with 107 local offices, 11 ARECs, and six 4-H educational centers delivering educational programming across Virginia.
• Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer ServicesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency partner for agricultural regulation, invasive species management (including spotted lanternfly), and agricultural policy.
• Claude Moore Charitable FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhilanthropic partner supporting Virginia 4-H to expand hands-on life science education opportunities and health science career pathways for youth.
• Hardywood Park Craft BreweryminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIndustry partner supporting student scholarships through proceeds from sales of award-winning beers created through partnership with Virginia Tech's food science program.
• Lynchburg Humane SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner for shelter cat training course allowing students to help cats gain skills and find adoptive homes.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences: Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences is a direct peer land-grant college with Penn State Extension serving Pennsylvania communities — comparable structure and scope of academic, research, and extension programming.
• NC State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences: NC State's CALS is a direct peer — a public land-grant college of agriculture and life sciences with extension, research stations, and undergraduate/graduate programs covering the same core disciplines (animal sciences, plant sciences, food science, biochemistry). Both serve as the primary agricultural college within their state university system.
• Ohio State College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences: Ohio State's CFAES is a direct peer land-grant college with Ohio State University Extension and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center — a closely aligned institution with similar academic, research, and extension portfolio.
• Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences: Texas A&M's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is a direct peer at a fellow land-grant institution, offering comparable undergraduate/graduate education, AgriLife Extension, and Texas A&M AgriLife Research with similar land-grant mission and federal/state funding structure.
• UC Davis College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences: UC Davis CAES is a direct peer land-grant agricultural college with UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) providing extension services — comparable academic, research, and outreach offerings focused on agriculture and life sciences.
• Michigan State College of Agriculture and Natural Resources: Michigan State's CANR is a direct peer land-grant college offering agricultural education, MSU Extension, and the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station with a comparable three-part land-grant mission and federal funding structure.
• Iowa State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences: Iowa State's CALS is a direct peer land-grant college offering the same combination of agricultural and life sciences academic programs, Extension services, and agricultural experiment station research. Comparable in mission, structure, and federal funding reliance.
• Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences: Cornell's CALS is a direct peer — a premier agricultural and life sciences college with land-grant responsibilities via Cornell Cooperative Extension and the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, sharing Virginia Tech's dual focus on agriculture and life sciences.
• University of Florida IFAS: UF/IFAS is a direct peer — a public land-grant agricultural sciences unit combining the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Florida Cooperative Extension, and the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station, mirroring CALS's three-part mission of teaching, research, and extension.
• Purdue College of Agriculture: Purdue Agriculture is a direct peer — a top-ranked public land-grant agricultural college offering undergraduate/graduate programs, Purdue Extension, and the Indiana Agricultural Experiment Station with comparable research and outreach scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/VTCals
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/VirginiaTech
• Facebookfacebook.com/VTcals
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/college-of-agriculture-and-life-sciences-at-virginia-tech
• Instagraminstagram.com/vtcals

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech