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Editor: Kelly Sprute December 9, 2020
Making a Difference
 Nebraska's Jinliang Yang (left), Gen Xu. Photo courtesy of University of Nebraska's Craig Chandler.
Team IDs Differences in Gene-Related Activity Between Ancient, Modern Corn
Roughly 9,000 years ago, Native American farmers in southern Mexico began domesticating teosinte, the wild ancestor of modern corn. Whereas the ancient teosinte plant produces hundreds of slender, thumb-length ears with no more than a dozen rock-hard kernels, a foot-long ear of modern maize can boast more than 500 chewable ones.
Those differences, and many others, manifested from differences in genetic code. New research led by the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Jinliang Yang has begun to reveal how activating and deactivating genes, rather than swapping them out or rewriting them, may also have directed the evolution of maize.
The researchers received support from USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, the National Science Foundation and the NIH’s National Institute of General Medical Sciences. For more information, read the University of Nebraska article.
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Employment Outlook is Promising for New College Graduates in Agriculture
A new report, released today by USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and Purdue University, shows a strong job demand for new college graduates with degrees in agricultural programs. U.S. college graduates can expect approximately 59,400 job opportunities annually between 2020 and 2025. This reflects a 2.6 percent growth from the previous five years. Employer demand will exceed the supply of available graduates with a bachelor’s degree or higher in agriculture-related fields.
“Future development of our complex global food system requires the brightest minds from a wide range of backgrounds, cultures and disciplines working together to solve the challenges before us,” said NIFA Acting Director Parag Chitnis. “This report shows that students across America who are studying food, agriculture and related sciences to take on these challenges have made a sound career choice and will graduate into a strong and growing job market in the years ahead.” For more information, read the NIFA press release.
Illustration of woman next to pie chart, courtesy of Purdue University.
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An Improved and Streamlined Customer Experience
Now more than ever, people expect to have a good experience when interacting with companies or organizations. Whether the interaction stems from a question, the desire to provide feedback, or an inquiry about services, a good customer experience is built on good customer service. In its simplest form, customer experience works to understand the entire end-to-end experience in order to enhance each interaction, better understand a customer’s needs, and leverage learnings to improve service. USDA’s AskUSDA Contact Center program has set out to do just that by acting as the “one front door” for USDA questions, providing an enhanced experience when reaching out to the department. For more information, read the USDA blog.
USDA’s AskUSDA graphic.
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NIFA Career Opportunities
We are hiring! Remember to check out NIFA's Career Opportunities webpage, where there is a direct link to all open positions. You can also explore NIFA jobs at the USAjobs.gov website. Current openings in Kansas City, Missouri:
Deputy Director, (ES 00)
Closing Date: 1/06/2021
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Exploring Ways to Help Those Who Help Others in the Wake of Natural Disasters
Nebraska Extension employees have a wide array of tools with which to help communities after natural disasters such as wildfires, tornadoes and other severe weather events. But the resources and tools they have to address their own emotional well-being after such disasters are far fewer. Holly Hatton-Bowers, assistant professor of Child, Youth and Family Studies, is the program director of a national project funded by USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, “Reach Out for Wellness,” focused on identifying ways to support the wellness of Extension employees following a natural disaster. She and her team are developing an online platform to help the broader Extension community learn practical coping strategies and access their wellness. For more information, read the University of Nebraska-Lincoln article.
Nebraska Extension and volunteers. Photo by Jason Wessendorf, Verdigre Eagle.
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Bringing Back a Tasty Old Friend
Washington State University (WSU) Extension is working to revitalize a true native that’s never really gotten a time to shine. Inchelium Red garlic, native to Inchelium, Washington, is the oldest strain of garlic grown in North America. WSU’s Colville Reservation Extension Office, the first Tribal Extension office in Washington, hosted two socially distanced workshops about the native garlic this fall. “There’s something to be said for growing your own food that’s originally from where you live,” said Linda McLean, Extension Office director. “We want to teach people how simple it is to plant, grow, and harvest and see more people grow it for their own personal use.” This work is supported by a grant from USDA-NIFA’s Federally Recognized Tribal Extension Program. For more information, read the WSU Insider article.
An attendee receives her Inchelium Red garlic bulb. Image courtesy of WSU.
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USDA SBIR Program Awards $1.1Million in Engineering Plant Production and Protection Grants to Small Businesses
NIFA recently awarded 11 grants under the Engineering Plant Production and Protection topic area of USDA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. SBIR is a highly competitive program that encourages domestic small businesses to enhance crop production in both conventional and organic systems by creating and commercializing engineering technologies that enhance system efficiency and profitability and that protect crops from pests and pathogens in economically and environmentally sound ways.
NIFA Invests $1 Million in Biomass Feedstocks Power Generation System
Isolated communities must achieve power generation resiliency to maintain their life-giving infrastructure after natural disasters, as they are often the last to receive relief and to have their utilities restored. NIFA recently announced an AFRI – Sustainable Biomass Feedstock Systems grant that will develop a scalable, transportable, and flexible off-grid power generation system to improve isolated rural and island communities vulnerable to natural disasters. This grant is part of NIFA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative.
Rural Health and Safety Education Competitive Grants Program
 Image of child holding heart, courtesy of Getty Images.
The Rural Health and Safety Education Competitive Grants (RHSE) Program supports quality of life in rural communities across the United States by addressing the relationship between rural prosperity and rural health and safety in the context of food, agriculture, natural resources, and human sciences. RHSE proposals are expected to be community-based outreach education programs, through the human science extension outreach, that provide individuals and families with good health information so participants can take a more responsible role in managing their health. The RHSE Program addresses the needs of rural Americans by providing individual and family health education programs. For more information, read the RHSE funding opportunity.
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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 university partners, and stakeholders with the NIFA Update. Read past issues online, sign up for email updates or follow us on Twitter @USDA_NIFA, #NIFAImpacts or LinkedIn @usda-nifa.
If you wish to submit a news item or information, send an email to NIFAUpdate.
USDA is an equal opportunity lender, provider, and employer.
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