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Editor: Kelly Sprute                                                                                            Feb. 7, 2019

NIFA 2018 Investments Provide Transformative Solutions to Pressing Challenges

Aerial vista, village and field. Image by GettyImages.

NIFA in 2018 made investments in research, education and extension projects that will result in transformative discoveries to address significant agricultural and rural challenges in the United States.

“NIFA’s extramural research, education and extension funding and collaborations with leading scientists and extension professionals have delivered innovative solutions to address the most pressing agricultural and rural challenges,” said NIFA Director Dr. J. Scott Angle. “NIFA’s continued strong collaboration with its grantees and partners helps American agriculture become more efficient and competitive, sustains natural resources and the environment, enhances the safety of our nation’s food supply and improves nutrition,” added Angle.

Angle highlighted several NIFA-funded projects in a number of areas that are representative of the crucial work that grantees have accomplished. Read the full NIFA announcement.

NIFA News

Due to the Lapse in Appropriations, the Closing Date has Been Extended on the Following Funding Opportunities.

New application deadlines: 

• Military Veterans Competitive Grants Program, Feb. 11, at 5 p.m. EST.
• Food and Agricultural Sciences National Needs Graduate and Postgraduate Fellowship (NNF) Grants Program, Feb. 12, at 5 p.m. EST.
• Biotechnology Risk Assessment Research Grants Program (BRAG) is Feb. 27, at 5 p.m. EST. NOTE: This Request for Applications (RFA) also has been updated to match requirements based on the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018.

You may submit your application or make updates to your application by visiting Grants.gov.

News for You

New Building to Rise at S.C. State; $2.7 Million Facility for Community Classes South Carolina State University broke ground on a $2.7 million building designed to help it take services into the Orangeburg area and surrounding communities. The new 1890 Research and Extension Community Center will be used for community classes, as well as office space. The 13,750-square-foot building is scheduled to open in April 2019, 1890 Research and Extension Director Delbert Foster said. The construction site is located behind the present 1890 building on Goff Avenue. The building is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture 1890 Facility Grant Program. Read the full News Press story. Photo: South Carolina State University officials and board members, along with kids from the Smart Academy youth program, break ground for a new 1890 Research and Extension Community Center. By Christopher Huff

eXtension Trains 41 New Innovation Facilitators

eXtension's Impact Collaborative held its Innovation Facilitator Training recently in Atlanta, Georgia. Forty-one Cooperative Extension professionals representing 28 institutions completed initial learning and application of the Impact Collaborative methodology. Their skills will help them lead innovation skill-building experiences at state or institutional events and at the national Impact Collaborative Summits. Upon completion of the training, eXtension will work directly with its trained Facilitators and institutional leadership teams to design a local event that helps project and program teams find innovative ways to advance local impact. Read more the full eXtension article.

Ogallala aquifer focused in txH2O Magazine What does our project do? Who do we work with? What impact do we hope to have? These questions and more are covered in the Fall 2018 txH2O magazine.This issue highlights the Ogallala aquifer region, describing the work of our USDA-NIFA funded project team and that of our colleagues from the USDA-ARS funded Ogallala Aquifer Program.

USDA Messages

USDA Launches High-Speed Broadband e-Connectivity Resource Guide Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Anne Hazlett announced the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has launched a new toolkit to help support the deployment of high-speed broadband e-Connectivity in rural communities. The e-Connectivity Toolkit features 27 USDA programs that support broadband deployment. The easy-to-use resource is a simple guide that allows customers to identify their type of e-Connectivity project and locate resources the federal government offers for planning, equipment, construction, research and other e-Connectivity projects. Resources such as grants, loans and technical assistance are available from multiple Mission Areas at USDA, including Rural Development, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Forest Service. Read the full USDA press release.

Canadian, Mexican Agriculture Leaders to Take Part in USDA’s 2019 Outlook Forum The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that the agriculture leaders of Canada and Mexico will speak at USDA’s 95th Agricultural Outlook Forum, held Feb. 21-22, 2019, at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel in Arlington, Virginia. Minister Lawrence MacAulay of Canada and Secretary Victor Villalobos Arambula of Mexico will join U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue for the forum’s keynote address on February 21. The plenary session will mark the first time the three ministers have spoken jointly at a public forum since the signing of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement in November 2018. Read the full USDA press release.

NIFA’s mission is to invest in and advance agricultural research, education, and extension that solve societal challenges. NIFA’s investments in transformative science directly support the long-term prosperity and global preeminence of U.S. agriculture. Keep informed about NIFA, USDA, our land-grant and non-land-grant universities, and stakeholders with the NIFA Update. Read past issues online, sign up for email updates or follow us on Twitter @USDA_NIFA, #NIFAImpacts.

If you wish to submit a news item or information, send an email to NIFAUpdate.

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