MANHATTAN (AP) – U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says that construction of the National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility near Kansas State University is important for agriculture and the nation’s security.

After a Landon Lecture Tuesday, Vilsack said having the proposed $650 million research facility was important. And he said it needed to be located in the Midwest near agriculture production.

Vilsack used his nearly hour-long Landon Lecture to discuss how agriculture helps provide greater economic and energy independence for the U.S.

Vilsack planned to attend the afternoon dedication of the U.S. Agriculture Department’s modernized Center for Grain and Animal Health Research near the Kansas State campus.

The Landon Lecture series is named for former Kansas Gov. Alf Landon, the 1936 Republican presidential nominee.