Smith-Lever Special Needs Grant Project Directors Visit NIFA
NIFA staff hosted the
Smith-Lever Special Needs Grant Project Directors’ meeting to increase
their awareness of our grant programs, post award management, performance
measures, evaluation, and information sharing. They reported on innovative,
education-based approaches that address wildfire preparedness, youth
preparedness, community decision-making and financial preparedness, and
capacity building for increasing community resiliency. These initiatives support
improving quality of life in communities across the United States. Christi
Collins, acting deputy director and operations branch chief of FEMA's
Individual and Community Preparedness Division presented the 2017 FEMA
Individual and Community Preparedness Division National Award to Ryan
Ackers, a Smith-Lever Special Needs Grants project director for MyPI National.
This award was for 1st place in the Outstanding Achievement in Youth
Preparedness Award Category.
Top photo: (l-r):
Beverly Samuel, William Hubbard, Timothy Prather, Zachary Kennedy, Allison
Davis, Ryan Ackers, Holly Campbell, and Sylvia
Montgomery. Bottom photo: (l-r) Beverly Samuel, William
Hoffman, Christi Collins, Ryan Ackers, Sylvia Montgomery, and Siva Sureshwaran.
 Gardening with
Class
Schoolyard Gardens Plant Seeds of Better Health and Active Learning.
It’s Wednesday morning and the kids at Crossroads School
and Vocational Center in St. Francis, Minnesota, are sitting attentively in class, knowing
what comes next if they do the work expected of them. “The Master Gardeners
come every Wednesday,” said Crossroads Principal Jay Powell. “The kids know
they’re coming.”
Powell’s students have significant challenges, including
some who are living at a nearby residential treatment center. Extension Master
Gardeners can get their hands dirty with the kids, teaching while not having to
be an authority figure. “Relationships are tough for these kids, so it’s neat
to see the bond as they work side by side in the planters,” said Powell.
The schoolyard garden is a place to advance the quest to
learn math, science, healthy living and more in an outdoor living laboratory.
Master Gardeners helped design the site in 2015, including multiple raised beds
and a deer-proof fence. Read
the full University of Minnesota article.
Image provided by University of Minnesota.
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 A Legacy of Service:
Henneman Looks Back on 37-Year Extension Career
Alice Henneman, a pioneer of food and nutrition education
programming, is will retire from Nebraska Extension on March 30. "I
can't believe how fast the time has gone," Henneman said. "I've been
honored to be in a role where I feel like every day I can do something to help
people lead a better life by sharing science-based information."
Henneman has been part of Nebraska Extension in Lancaster
County since 1980. For 12 years, she administered the Expanded Food and
Nutrition Education Program, which works with limited-resource individuals and
youth, before becoming a full-time educator working with the public in
food, nutrition and food safety. Read
the full University of Nebraska-Lincoln article.
Image: Alice Henneman is will retire from Nebraska Extension
on March 30. By Vicki Jedlicka.
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 Due to Inclement Weather the Supplemental and
Alternative Crops Program RFA Webinar is Canceled
A Supplemental and Alternative Crops Program (SACC) webinar is canceled
for March 21 at 2 p.m. EST. and is rescheduled to Monday March 26 at
2:30 EST. Staff will discuss the 2018 RFA and answer any
questions. SACC supports the development of canola as a viable
supplemental and alternative crop in the United States and significantly
increase crop production through developing superior germplasm,
improving cropping practices, and transferring knowledge to
producers. Applications for 2018 awards are due April 18.
If you have any
questions contact Caroline
Sherony
Canola
farmstead in Washington State, photo by Ron Nichols, NRCS
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NIFA Announces
Support for Agricultural Programs at Non-Land-Grant Colleges of Agriculture
NIFA announced the availability of funding to support research, education, and
outreach activities related to food, agriculture, natural resources, and human
sciences at non-land-grant colleges and universities. Funding is made through
NIFA’s Capacity Building Grants for Non-Land-Grant Colleges of Agriculture (NLGCA)
program, authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill.
NLGCA strengthens the capacity of institutions to develop infrastructure
to carry out and expand their activities: enhance the ability of NLGCA faculty
members to engage in agricultural professional development opportunities, and
increase the number, quality, and diversity of qualified graduates entering the
food and agriculture workforce. Read
the full request for applications announcement.
NIFA Invests in
Exploratory Research
NIFA awarded grants to support the initial development of innovative ideas in
agriculture and food production through the Exploratory Research Grants (ERG)
program. Funding is made possible through NIFA’s Agriculture and Food Research
Initiative (AFRI) program, authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill.
ERG fosters the creation of transformative innovations that address
plant and animal health and production, food safety and nutrition, bioenergy,
natural resources and environment, agriculture systems, technology,
agricultural economics and rural communities. AFRI is America’s flagship
competitive grants program for foundational and translational research,
education, and extension projects in the food and agricultural sciences. Read
the full award announcement.
NIFA Announces
Support for Capacity Building in Tribal Communities
NIFA announced support for community-driven projects and extension services for
tribal communities. Funding is made through NIFA’s Tribal Colleges Extension
Program (TCEP) (Capacity).
TCEP gives
reservation communities opportunities to enhance agricultural productivity,
community resilience, economic growth and youth development by extending the
reach of innovations in research and technology and enhancing informal, local
educational programming. The capacity program supports innovations in research
and technology, and the enhancement of educational programming. Previous
projects have addressed tribal youth development, increased food security,
financial literacy, optimization of agriculture production, and natural
resource conservation. Read
the full request for applications announcement.
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