U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Under Secretary Scott Hutchins announced today that the NIFA has invested $77.8 million in research that will focus on sustaining a more abundant, nutritious, and accessible food supply.

“Investing in high-value research that promotes sustainably intensified agricultural practices, while addressing climate adaptation and limited resources, ensures long-term agricultural productivity and profitability and provides unprecedented opportunities for American farmers and producers,” said Hutchins, who leads USDA’s Research, Education and Economics mission area. “USDA continues to support our nation’s farmers through investments that help strengthen our rural communities.”

As part of this funding investment, eight land-grant universities will lead projects aimed at integrating sustainable agricultural approaches covering the entire food production system. Read the full Sustainable Agriculture Systems program press release.

U.S. and Tunisian Scientists Partner in Research to Address Water Issues

Dr. Ali Mirchi of Oklahoma State University, is collaborating with researchers from Tunisia under the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Partnerships to Enhance Engagement in Research (PEER) program.  PEER funds scientists from developing countries to partner with U.S. scientists who already have a grant from the U.S. government on topics relevant to both countries. The PEER project in Tunisia and the NIFA-funded Water for Agriculture Coordinated Agricultural Project led by UTEP share a number of critical water challenges:

1. a growing population and agricultural demand for water in an area of limited water resources;
2. need for water users to improve management and water use efficiency;
3. groundwater decline; and
4. increasing salinity of groundwater resources.

“Our NIFA-funded project in the Middle Rio Grande can offer the PEER project the benefits of experience and knowledge gained in modeling approaches to address these daunting challenges”, according to Dr. Bill Hargrove, project Principal Investigator, at UTEP.  Read about the PEER project in Tunisia and other USAID-funded PEER projects involving NIFA.  

Photo Above: Dr. Ali Mirchi (center) with Tunisian colleagues visiting a groundwater well outside Tunis, Tunisia.

Solicitation of Veterinary Shortage Situation Nominations for the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program

Federal Register published on Aug. 30, a notice entitled "Solicitation of Veterinary Shortage Situation Nominations for the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP).” 

NIFA is soliciting nominations of veterinary service shortage situations for the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program for fiscal years (FY) 2020-2022, as authorized under the National Veterinary Medical Services Act. This notice initiates the nomination period for FY 2020 and prescribes the procedures and criteria to be used by eligible nominating officials (State, Insular Area, DC and Federal Lands) to nominate veterinary shortage situations for fiscal years 2020-2022. Each year all eligible nominating officials may submit nominations, up to the maximum indicated for each entity in this notice. NIFA is conducting this solicitation of veterinary shortage situation nominations under an approved information collection (OMB Control Number 0524-0050).  

Shortage situation nominations must be submitted between the first Monday in October and the second Monday in November in each relevant fiscal year. Read the full Federal Register notice.