Strawberries for Thanksgiving Dinner
Researchers with the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment
Station at the University of New Hampshire have succeeded in quadrupling the
length of the Granite State’s strawberry growing season as part of a multi-year
research project that aims to benefit both growers and consumers.
New Hampshire’s strawberry season traditionally lasts only
four to six weeks. However, researchers working on the multi-state
TunnelBerries project were picking day-neutral strawberries in Durham last
November. Last year, experiment station researchers harvested strawberries
grown in low tunnels for 19 consecutive weeks from mid-July through the week of
Thanksgiving. They also found that the low tunnels significantly increased the
percentage of marketable fruit, from an average of about 70 percent to 83
percent.
Now in its second year, the TunnelBerries research project
is being conducted at the UNH Woodman Horticultural Research Farm in Durham, a
facility of the NH Agricultural Experiment Station. It is part of a larger,
multi-state USDA-funded initiative to optimize protected growing environments
for berry crops in the upper Midwest and Northeastern United States. UNH’s
component is focused on improving berry quality and the role day-neutral
varieties may play in extending the length of strawberry season in the
Northeast.
This work is supported by NH Ag Experiment Station, through joint NIFA funding under award 1006928. It is also funded through the NIFA Specialty Crop Research Initiative under Award Number 2014-51181-22380.
Don't Forget NIFA Awards Nominations Due
NIFA Partnership Awards Program
Nomination forms must be submitted by July 31. Specific instructions and other information regarding this awards program are in the 2017 NIFA Partnership Awards Criteria. Nominations must be submitted via the NIFA Partnership Awards Nomination Form.
Hall of Fame Awards
The NIFA Hall of Fame Nomination Form and NIFA Hall of Fame background and criteria are located on the NIFA website. Nominations must be emailed to Kimberly Whittet no later than Aug. 15.
 Perdue Applauds Selections for USDA Posts
Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue applauded President Trump's intent to nominate Dr. Sam Clovis for Under Secretary for Research Education, and Economics, as well as Ted McKinney for Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affair. Secretary Perdue issued the following statement.
“Dr. Clovis was one of the first people through the door at USDA in January
and has become a trusted advisor and steady hand as we continue to work for the
people of agriculture. He looks at every problem with a critical eye, relying
on sound science and data, and will be the facilitator and integrator we need.
Dr. Clovis has served this nation proudly since he was a very young man, and I
am happy he is continuing to serve.”
“For our new under secretary position emphasizing international trade, I have always said that I want someone who wakes up every morning asking how we can sell more American agricultural products in foreign markets. Ted McKinney is that person. His longstanding background in agriculture, economic development, and global issues will make him an unapologetic advocate for U.S. products in the world marketplace.”
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 New Interim President at Prairie View A&M University
Dr. Ruth J. Simmons was appointed Interim President at Prairie View A&M University, effective July 1.
Simmons was President of Brown University from 2001-2012. A French professor before entering university administration, Simmons held an appointment as a professor of Africana Studies at Brown University. She completed her Ph.D. in Romance Languages and literatures at Harvard, she served in various faculty and administrative roles at the University of South California, Princeton University, and Spelman College before becoming president of Smith College. At Smith, she launched a number of important academic initiatives, including an engineering program, the first at an American women’s college. She is a recipient of many honors, honorary degrees, and awards.
Her contact information is: Dr. Ruth J. Simmons, Interim President, Prairie View A&M University, P.O. Box 519 - M.S. 1001, Prairie View, TX 77446-0519, telephone: (936) 261-2111, fax: (936) 261-2115.
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 ERS Annual Report
A new Economic Research Service (ERS) annual report is now posted on the ERS website. The report provides specific accomplishments across the ERS program from the agricultural economy, global markets and trade, nutrition and food safety, resources and environment, and the rural economy. In addition, there’s an overview of how ERS adds value to the numbers through our integrated program of statistics, outlook, and research.
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Reminder: NAREEE Advisory Board Nominations Due July 31
The National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics (NAREEE) Advisory Board is seeking nominations to fill nine vacancies.
The Board is composed of 25 members, each representing a specific area of expertise or affiliation as required in the Farm Bill. Members serve staggered appointments so that every year at least one-third of the members’ term will expire. The nine vacant member categories are:
- Category B. Farm Cooperatives
- Category D. Plant Commodity Producer
- Category E. National Aquaculture Association
- Category H. National Food Science Association
- Category J. National Nutritional Science Society
- Category K. 1862 Land Grant Colleges and Universities
- Category V. National Forestry Group
- Category W. National Conservation or Natural Resource Group
- Category Y. National Social Science Association
In addition, the REE Advisory Board Office is seeking nominations to fill three positions on the Specialty Crop Committee, three positions on the National Genetic Resources Advisory Council, and three positions on the Citrus Disease Subcommittee.
The Federal Register Notice contains detailed nomination instructions and describes the nomination process, and contacts for more information. Nomination packages should include a nomination letter, an AD-755, and a current Curriculum Vitae (or resume/bio), which must be received, or postmarked by July 31. Letters of Support are encouraged. Nominations are open to all regardless of race, color, sex, national origin, age, mental or physical handicap, marital status, or sexual orientation. All nominees will be vetted before selection.
Proceedings Showcase Best Practices for Sustaining Public Plant Breeding
How can public plant
breeding programs reap royalties and research investments while keeping their
cultivars in the public domain? This is one of the challenges addressed at the
Intellectual Property Rights for Public Plant Breeding Summit, the proceedings of which were
released by the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s College of
Agricultural and Life Sciences. The two-day event was held in conjunction
with the National Association of Plant Breeders' annual meeting in Raleigh, NC, in the fall of 2016, providing participants an opportunity to identify best practices and
effective models for intellectual property rights (IPR) used by plant breeders
in the public sector.
 Save the Date for Aug. 8 Town Hall
The
public and the scientific community are invited to participate in person or online in a Town Hall meeting as part of the National Academies
Study on Science Breakthroughs 2030: A Strategy for Food and Agricultural
Research on Aug. 8th in the National Academy of Sciences
Auditorium in Washington DC. Online and
in person feedback on the presentations and panel discussions will help the
committee focus its search for breakthroughs research. Public submissions to IdeaBuzz
will also be spotlighted at the Town Hall. Register for the Town Hall here!
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 Ag Committee Farm Bill Listening Sessions
Three Farm Bill Listening Sessions are schedule for Texas, Minnesota, and California.
Monday, July 31, 1 p.m. Angelo State University, San Angelo, Texas. On Monday, July 31, House Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway (TX-11) and members of the committee will be joined by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue for a Farm Bill Listening Session, “Conversations in the Field” at Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas.
Thursday, Aug. 3, 9:30 a.m. Farmfest, Gilfillan Estates, Morgan, Minnesota
Saturday, Aug. 5 9 a.m., Modesto, California
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Aug. 8: NIFA Extends Deadline Seeking Commodity Boards Research Topics
NIFA is extending the deadline for eligible national and
state commodity boards and marketing orders to propose topics for research
under its FY 2018 Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) competitive
grants program.
Commodity boards will now
have until Aug. 8, 5 p.m. (instead of July 25) to submit topics that
relate to established priority areas of AFRI for consideration in the FY 2018
AFRI program.
A Federal Register Notice
entitled "Solicitation of Commodity Board Topics and Contribution
of Funding Under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive
Grants Program," published May 26, solicits topics from
eligible commodity board entities (federal and state-level commodity boards, as
defined in the notice). Proposed topics may be chosen for inclusion under
a specific program area priority of an AFRI Request for Applications (RFA).
This is the third year
that NIFA has implemented the 2014 Farm Bill commodity board provision, which
is enhancing collaboration between the agency and commodity groups as well as
leveraging additional funds for critical research in areas of common interest.
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