NIFA News
NIFA Seeks Commodity Board Input
Through July 25, NIFA encourages commodity boards to
submit topics for the 2018 grant cycle.
The 2014 Farm
Bill allows commodity boards to submit topics that relate to priority areas of
the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI). AFRI priority areas include plant
health and production and plant products; animal health and production and
animal products; food safety, nutrition, and health; bioenergy, natural
resources, and environment; agriculture systems and technology; and agriculture
economics and rural communities. The process helps ensure stakeholder input in
establishing research focus areas.
Learn more about this work in a recent article by FeedNavigator.
 NIFA Listening Session ─ National Monitoring Plan for Native Bees
NIFA has scheduled a
public listening session to "...discuss a strategy to monitor native bees
in the United States...." The session will address: Why a national
monitoring plan for native bees is important; What kind of information/data are
needed; and How would the information be used..." Public Notice was
published in the June 5 Federal Register.
The Pollinator Health
Working Group and NIFA are co-hosting the session scheduled for Wed., June 28,
from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. EDT. Anyone interested may submit written comments to Andrew Clark by July 6. The meeting will be in
the South Building Café Conference Center A-C, 1400 Independence Ave., SW,
Washington, DC. If you wish to attend the event, you must RSVP no later
than June 19 to Andrew Clark. In-person attendance is limited
to the first 100 registered individuals. Here is link to the NIFA’s website with the Webinar details.
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ezFedGrants Webinar Training for Users
NIFA is now using ezFedGrants for capacity
grant agreements. For capacity grant
applicants and grantees who want to learn more, the USDA Office of the Chief
Financial Officer is hosting a series of webinars to help navigate the
ezFedGrants system.
Upcoming webinars dates are June 20, 22,
and 27 and will be held between 10 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. EDT. Each day will feature individual one-hour sessions on the
following topics:
- how to access ezFedGrants,
- how to manage applications, and
- how to submit claims and reports.
Each of the webinars will be offered three times across the three days to facilitate
external user access. To register
for the webinars, email ezFedGrants@cfo.usda.gov for
an invitation.
Sign up for the USDA’s ezFedGrants newsletter to learn about ezFedGrants updates, training
opportunities, and more.
Competitive Grants Workshop Link
On May 25, NIFA held a two-part informational webinar on competitive funding
opportunities. The webinar was a part of the Competitive Funding
Opportunity Workshops (CFOW). The recordings of the webinar and
information to request the webinar slides can be accessed here.
NIFA Funding Opportunity Workshop at ASPB
NIFA, along with the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), will hold a funding
opportunity workshop at the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) annual
meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii on June 26.
Dr. Liang-Shiou Lin, NIFA national program leader in the Division of Plant Systems-Production, will discuss NIFA’s funding opportunities related to plant sciences. He will also attend the Primarily Undergraduate Institutions networking
workshop to offer advice on resources and funding opportunities available from
NIFA for these institutions. Agnes Hong, NIFA program specialist in the Division of Plant Systems-Production, will staff a
joint outreach booth with NSF and DOE during the meeting. They will also attend
the Developing International Collaboration workshop to provide information on
NIFA’s international activities.
 Interim VP for Extension/Outreach and Director of Cooperative Extension at Iowa State University
Dr. John D. Lawrence, is the Interim Vice President for Extension and Outreach and Director of Cooperative Extension at Iowa State University, as of May. ISU is currently in the process of searching for a new president, with plans to have someone in place by late fall. The search for the permanent VP for Extension and Outreach will follow. Dr. Lawrence can be reached at:
2150 Beardshear Hall, Ames, Iowa 50011-2046; Phone: (515) 294 5390 Fax: (515) 294-4715
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 New CAST President-Elect Announced
The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) recently elected Gab Middleton, DVM, as the President-Elect for 2017-2018. Dr. Middleton has been involved with CAST since 2014 as the board representative for the American Association of Bovine Practitioners. He also serves as the vice chair for the Animal
Agriculture and Environmental Issues Work Group and the task force board
liaison for the forthcoming publication titled Social and Economic Impact of Misinformation in Agriculture. Middleton will assume his responsibilities as President-Elect at the conclusion of CAST's fall
board meeting in October.
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 Senate Hearing Scheduled
The Senate Agriculture Committee has announced a Farm Bill hearing for June 15. It will be live webcast, beginning at 9:30 a.m.
Witnesses include: Panel 1: Dr. Ann Bartuska, Acting REE Under Secretary, Research, Education & Economics; Dr. Sonny Ramaswamy, Director, NIFA; Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young, Administrator, ARS; and, Dr. Sally Rockey, Exec. Director, Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research. Panel 2: Dr. John Floros, Dean and Director, College of Ag and K-State Research and Extension, Kansas State University; Mr. Gary McMurray, Div. Chief, Food Processing Technology Division, Georgia Tech Research Institute; Dr. Kerry Hartman, Academic Dean and Sciences Chair, Environmental Sciences, Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College; and Mr. Steve Wellman, Farmer, Wellman Farms Inc., Syracuse, Nebraska. Here is URL to live link.
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House Ag Committee Announces Farm Bill Listening Session
“The Next Farm Bill, Conversations in the Field,” a committee listening session will take place in Gainesville, Florida on June 24.
Ahead of the next farm bill, House Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway and Ranking Member Collin Peterson announced the first of several committee activities across the country intended to stimulate conversation and gather input from farmers, ranchers, and stakeholders. Upon announcement of the listening session, the chairman and ranking member stated they are looking forward to these events, and to help them get a better idea of how these programs are actually working, which will be beneficial as they look to potential changes in the next bill. They are encourage farmers, ranchers, and other stakeholders to join them.
USDA Announces More Than $9 Million to Address Critical Water Resources Issues
 NIFA announced 14 grants totaling
more than $9 million to help solve critical water problems in rural and
agricultural watersheds across the United States. The grants are funded through
the Water for Agriculture Challenge Area of the Agriculture and Food Research
Initiative, authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill. Read the full release.
Caption: Flooding and water damage
in the Park and Tongue River Watersheds located in Cavalier, Pembina, and
Cavalaier counties in North Dakota on Thursday, May 23, 2013. Credit: USDA photo by Keith Weston
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