NIFA Update, Oct. 11

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Oct. 11, 2017

Making a Difference

Red & Yellow beet
Slices of different colored beets show the presence of betalains, a class of yellow and red pigments unique to the wider beet family, the Caryophyllales. Photo Cred: Sarah Friedrich, University of Wisconsin

NIFA Funded Researchers Discover Evolutionary Stepping Stone to Beets 

Millions of years ago, the beets and their near and distant cousins hit upon a brand new red pigment and discarded the red used by the rest of the plant world. How this new red evolved, and why a plant that makes both kinds of red pigment has never been found, are questions that researchers puzzle over plant evolution. 

In this week's Oct. 9 journal, New Phytologist, University of Wisconsin-Madison professor of botany Hiroshi Maeda and his colleagues describe an ancient loosening up of a key biochemical pathway that set the stage for the ancestors of beets to develop their characteristic red pigment. Working with collaborators at the University of Michigan and the University of Cambridge, Maeda's team analyzed the genomes of dozens of plant families, some that made betalains and others that diverged before the new pigments had evolved.

The takeaway of this study, says Maeda, is that altering the production of raw materials like tyrosine opens up new avenues for producing the varied and useful compounds that make plants nature's premier chemists. For some unknown ancestor of beets and cacti, this flexibility in raw materials allowed it to discover a new kind of red that the world had not seen before, one that is still splashed across the plant world today. 

This work is supported in part by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship and the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative competitive grant (2015-67013-22955) from NIFA.

NIFA News

Listening sessions

Update to RSVP Deadlines for NIFA Stakeholder Listening Sessions

NIFA wants to hear from you about priorities and opportunities in agricultural! A series of four in-person listening sessions hosted in different regions across the country and submission of written comments will offer two ways to share your thoughts and ideas. Individuals wishing to attend in-person listening sessions must complete their RSVP via the input form

Session Locations and Dates:

  • Overland Park, Kansas (Oct. 19) at Marriott Kansas City Overland Park
  • Atlanta, Georgia (Oct. 26) at Atlanta Marriott Marquis
  • Sacramento, California (Nov. 2) at Westin Sacramento
  • Greenbelt, Maryland (Nov. 8) at Greenbelt Marriott 

RSVP Deadlines:

  • Overland Park, Kansas (Oct. 12) at Marriott Kansas City Overland Park
  • Atlanta, Georgia (Oct. 19) at Atlanta Marriott Marquis
  • Sacramento, California (Oct. 26) at Westin Sacramento
  • Greenbelt, Maryland (Nov. 1) at Greenbelt Marriott 

Regardless of attendance at in-person events, submissions of written comments will be accepted via the input form through Dec. 1.

Visit NIFA website for more information.

1890

Third Annual 1890’s Land-Grant Communications Summit

This year NIFA is hosting the Annual 1890’s Land-Grant Communications Summit. This is a two day event in which 1890 land-grant communications professionals share best practices, provide training, and present solutions for common obstacles faced when supporting the institutions.  

This year the summit is focusing on communicating the following topics:

  • Assist in impact story dissemination
  • Securing funding through communication efforts
  • A clear direction of NIFA's expectation of communication units
  • Learn to tackle and translate research into impact stories
  • Find resources communications are not budgeted

For the agenda or to register for the upcoming 1890 Land-Grant Communications Summit go online.

APLU

Hold the Date: New Administrators' Orientation 

This workshop is intended for individuals on the APLU Board on Agriculture Assembly (BAA) and their supporting administrators or faculty, USDA-NIFA employees and any others who would like to learn more about APLU, the Land-Grant University System, BAA, and NIFA. Information presented will be particularly useful to administrative heads, directors, associate/assistant directors, and NIFA national program leaders and administrators.  

When: Dec. 12 - Dec. 14
5 to 12 p.m, EST

Where: The Westin Alexandria
400 Courthouse Square
Alexandria, Virginia 22314 
(703) 253-8600 

4-H hall of famers

NIFA Retirees National 4-H Hall of Fame Inductees Honored 

Retired NIFA national program leaders leaders Nancy Valentine Harper and Tom Tate were inducted into the National 4-H Hall of Fame, Oct. 6, at the National 4-H Youth Conference Center in Chevy Chase.

Dr. Nancy Valentine Harper has been dedicated to 4-H ever since she began as a 9-year-old member in West Virginia. Harper served 24 years as a national program leader and provided leadership efforts for the Youth-at-Risk, Rural Youth Development, and After-School programs. She helped launch the National Center for Agricultural Literacy. All of the program efforts for which Nancy provided leadership over her 41 year career are still in place in a variety of forms and continues to make a difference in organizations, as well as in the lives of children, youth, families, and communities.

Tom Tate provided national leadership to 4-H leaders, staff, members, volunteers, and partner organizations at national, state, and local levels on integrating the latest information technology into their 4-H clubs, families, and communities. Through his innovation 4-H GIS, 4-H Tech Teams, 4-H Alert, Evacuate and Shelter mapping program, and partnerships with ESRI, National Geographic, and AARP were all developed.

Photo: Left to right: Lisa A. Lauxman, Division Director for Youth and 4-H, Nancy Valentine Harper, Tom Tate, Bonita Williams, national program leader for Vulnerable Populations Program, and James Kahler, national program leader for STEM and agricultural science and technology.

Events

Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program Grantsmanship Webinar

Dr. Paul Cotton, Dr. Jane Clary Loveless, Adriene Woodin, Susan Bowman, and Dr. Pascale C. Jean will present a webinar, “Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program Grantsmanship Webinar” Oct. 16, 2-4 p.m. EST. The webinar can be viewed via Adobe Connect, and in room 2311, NIFA Headquarters Waterfront Centre, Washington, DC. The webinar is part of the Institute of Food Safety and Nutrition Seminar Series.