NIFA Update - May 24, 2017

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May 25, 2017

Solving Agricultural Water Issues Through Community Engagement

Penn State

A group of institutions led by Penn State has received nearly $2.2 million for the first year of a planned four-year, $5 million project aimed at developing a model for engaging communities and stakeholders to ensure adequate supplies of good-quality water both for and from agriculture. Partners include the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service, Arizona State University, and the University of Nebraska Lincoln.

The project, funded by NIFA, will enable researchers to promote sustainable water for agriculture by developing a proven, flexible and transferable model of stakeholder engagement that transforms the way scientists, the Cooperative Extension System, agency officials, and engagement specialists approach critical water-availability issues.

This project will develop and implement an engagement model that works across differing hydrological and agricultural contexts in the United States. The model will be tested in three locations — Arizona, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania. Water availability, both in terms of adequate quantity and quality, for agriculture and from agriculture is a pressing issue in the United States and beyond. 

The project will examine basic questions about how engagement influences individual and collective capacity to address water-availability challenges, landscape-management behaviors and, ultimately, water quality and quantity outcomes. Read full press release.

NIFA News

Perdue

Statement from Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue on Proposed FY 2018 Budget

"President Trump promised he would realign government spending, attempt to eliminate duplication or redundancy, and see that all government agencies are efficiently delivering services to the taxpayers of America. And that’s exactly what we are going to do at USDA.

“Having been the governor of Georgia from 2003 to 2011 – not during the best economic times – we did what it took to get the job done, just like the people involved in every aspect of American agriculture do every single day. While the President’s budget fully funds nutrition programs, wildland fire suppression and food safety, and includes several new initiatives and increases for Rural Development, whatever form the final budget takes, it is my job as Secretary of Agriculture to manage and implement that plan, while still fulfilling the core mission of USDA,” said Secretary Perdue. 

Secretary Perdue sent a message to USDA staff regarding FY 2018 Budget. You can view video on YouTube. 

Explanatory Notes

2018 President’s Budget:
National Institute of Food and Agriculture Explanatory Notes

On May 23, the President formally sent his proposal for allocating resources to Congress through the annual budget request for the upcoming fiscal year. Accompanying the budget request are the Explanatory Notes. These notes are congressional budget justifications that explain the budget request in detail. The Explanatory Notes provide highlights on what the agency has accomplished using previous funds, a high level explanation about the purpose of each program, and the legal authority under which the agency is able to conduct each program.

NIFA 2018 Explanatory Notes
USDA Budget Congressional Justifications

NIFA Invests $2.5 Million in Commodity Board Projects to Support Ag Industry 

NIFA announced five grants totaling more than $2.5 million for agricultural research that is funded jointly with national or state commodity boards. The funding is made possible through NIFA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), which was authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill. 

“Our collaboration with commodity boards helps the U.S. agriculture industry thrive,” said NIFA Director Sonny Ramaswamy. “By responding to the needs of the U.S. agricultural sector, we are investing in research that will have a positive economic impact.”  

The projects include: 

  • The Agricultural Research Service, Southern Region, received a grant of $489,804, funded jointly with the National Peanut Board, to investigate peanut and tree nut allergies.
  • Oregon State University, Corvallis, received grant of $294,000, funded jointly with the Washington State Potato Commission, to improve data management tracking of potato early-dying disease.
  • Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, received a grant of $294,000, funded jointly with the National Peanut Board, to research drought tolerance in peanuts.
  • Iowa State University of Science and Technology, Ames, received a grant of $490,000, funded jointly with a consortia of the Iowa Corn Promotion Board, Illinois Corn Marketing Board, Minnesota Corn Research and Promotion Council, Nebraska Corn Board, and Kentucky Corn Promotion Council, to improve yield prediction models for next generation breeders.
  • Kansas State University, Manhattan, received a grant of $980,000, funded jointly with the Kansas Wheat Commission, to improve selection protocols to accelerate wheat quality.

    For more information on these projects go to NIFA website.

Sonny

The Agriculture/Food System: Global Status and Challenges that Impact Public Health 

Dr. Sonny Ramaswamy, Director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, presented “The Agriculture/Food System: Global Status and Challenges that Impact Public Health” at the American Society for Nutrition’s Scientific conference held April 21, in Chicago. The presentation was part of the Food Systems, Nutrition and Health in a Changing Environment: A Workshop to Build Connections to Address Global Priorities. The American Society for Nutrition, provides the best nutrition science to over 36 million people worldwide through research and practice. View the presentation

NERAOC

2018 National Extension and Research Administrators Conference

Michigan State University, in partnership with the Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College, will be hosting the 2018 National Extension and Research Administrators Conference (NERAOC), April 22-25, 2018, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Please bookmark the 2018 NERAOC website to reference as more information is released about the conference. As planning gets underway for the 2018 conference, the National Planning Committee is seeking your valuable input and ideas for potential sessions and speakers. Please go online and suggest topics using the session planning form. Topics will be accepted until June 18. If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact Erin Daly at (202) 315-8686 or Lisa Read (DePaolo) at (202) 731-1366.

News for You

Don Tyler

Don Tyler, Respected Soil Scientist Dies

Don Tyler, professor emeritus with the University of Tennessee Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science, passed away May 7. He was 66. 

Tyler retired in June 2016 following a nearly 40-year career with the UT Institute of Agriculture. He was an internationally recognized expert in the field of soil science. He traveled the world educating other scientists and agriculturists, and his work was featured in numerous books and scientific journals. Tyler devoted his life work to improving soil health in Tennessee and beyond, and is considered a pioneer of no-till farming. 

Professor Tyler was a project director or co-project director of 9 NIFA grants, which included: 5 Hatch and 2 McIntire-Stennis grants, 1 Special grant, and one Agriculture and Food Research Initiative grant for $14,850,000. NIFA honors his great work.

Photo Caption: Tyler standing in the oldest continuously no-tilled research plot in Tennessee. His research, particularly in no-till production, revolutionized farming. Photo by G. Rowsey, courtesy UTIA.

Grants and RFAs Announcements

Rural Health and Safety Education Competitive Grants Program

Request for Applications
Apply for Grant
Closing Date: Friday, June 30, 2017
Funding Opportunity Number: USDA-NIFA-RHSE-006360
Estimated Total Program Funding: $2,800,000 

Capacity Building Grants for Non-Land Grant Colleges of Agriculture Program

Request for Applications
Apply for Grant
Closing Date: Friday, September 15, 2017
Funding Opportunity Number: USDA-NIFA-NLGCA-006361
Estimated Total Program Funding: $4,700,000