For USDA, NIFA and our stakeholders, every day is National Ag Day. This week I invite you to pause and think about the power of the work we do, the value of the discoveries, education and outreach that come from our programs, and the benefits that people receive from your commitment.

One of the best things about our jobs in agriculture is the positive difference we can make for everyone who calls America home.

We spend a lot of working hours getting projects created, research and Extension programs completed, evaluations reviewed and reported, and classes taught to fuel our talent pipeline. Let’s not forget to take time to reflect on the lives we touch, the nourishment we help deliver, the resources we protect, and the environment we enhance for a better future.

In an announcement yesterday of an $11.5 million investment to help ensure America’s small and medium-sized farms become more profitable and improve the quality of life in American farm communities, Secretary Vilsack said this:

“Few groups are as resilient and as determined as American farm families ... USDA is committed to creating a fairer, more equitable system for farms of all sizes to compete and remain profitable … When American farmers have a chance to compete, they have a greater chance at succeeding.”

Thank you for your dedication and contribution to ensuring everyone in agriculture has the chance to succeed.

Dr. Carrie Castille
Director, National Institute of Food and Agriculture

Worker Safety and Dairy Operations

Dairy farms are getting larger with increasing herd sizes. Meanwhile, the total number of farms continues to decrease. More cows on a farm requires more workers on a farm. The more workers on a farm, the greater the risk of spreading the COVID-19 virus. That’s what we are trying to address. Our project, “COVID 19 in the U.S. dairy industry: development, delivery and evaluation of training resources for producers and workers” was funded by NIFA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative, part of the COVID-19 Rapid Response grant program. This project is primarily focused on conducting COVID-19 training for rural farming areas of three dairy-producing states. For more information, read this NIFA blog by guest author David Douphrate, PhD, Occupational Ergonomics and Safety, University of Texas School of Public Health..

Photo of father and son at dairy farm, courtesy of Getty Images

USDA Awards Over $11.5 Million to Help Small and Mid-Sized Farms on National Ag Day

Yesterday, the USDA announced a $11.5 million research investment to help ensure America’s small and medium-sized farms become more profitable and improve the quality of life in American farm communities. “Few groups are as resilient and as determined as American farm families,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “Under the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is committed to creating a fairer, more equitable system for farms of all sizes to compete and remain profitable. This investment in innovative research will give these family farms the tools they need to be more sustainable, profitable, and productive as they face agricultural and economic challenges. When American farmers have a chance to compete, they have a greater chance at succeeding.” USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded 24 grants to 20 universities and organizations through their Agriculture and Food Research Initiative program. For more information, read the USDA press release.

Image courtesy of Getty Images.

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:

Student Trainee (Biological Science) (GS 3-5)
Closing Date: 03/25/2021

Oversight Branch Chief (Supervisory Financial Specialist) (GS-14)
Closing Date: 03/29/2021

Butterfly Increase and Decline Related to Climate

Climate is likely the biggest driver of butterfly abundance change, according to a new study by University of Georgia (UGA) entomologists. The team of scientists examined abundance and biodiversity trends for North American butterflies over a period of 25 years using a unique citizen-science dataset that has recorded observations of over 8 million butterflies across 456 species, 503 sites, and nine ecoregions. They compared this with precipitation, temperature, and urban and agricultural land use. The mix of butterfly populations showed decreasing, stable, or increasing populations depending on location and species. Butterflies are ecologically important because they are pollinators, herbivores, and prey, making them useful indicators of changes in the environment. Partial funding for this research came from USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. For more information, read the UGA Today article.

A skipper butterfly at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia. Photo courtesy of Olivia Smith.

New Analysis Shows Potential for ‘Solar Canals’ in California  

University of California (UC) Santa Cruz researchers published a new study that suggests covering California’s 3,946-mile network of public water delivery canals with solar panels could be an economically feasible means of advancing both renewable energy and water conservation. The concept of “solar canals” has been gaining momentum globally as climate change increases the risk of drought in many regions. Solar panels can shade canals to help prevent water loss through evaporation, and some types of solar panels also work better over canals, because the cooler environment keeps them from overheating. The research is led by UC Water Director and UC Professor Roger Bales and supported by NRG Energy and USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. For more information read the UC Santa Cruz news article.  

California’s water canal. Photo courtesy of UC Santa Cruz.

Does Your Farm Have the Right Business Entity to Succeed?  

The University of Minnesota Extension and Southwest Minnesota Farm Business Management Association are pleased to invite you to attend a practical in-depth workshop on farm business entity structures. This four-hour workshop will cover these topics: types and characteristics of formal business entities; advantages and disadvantages of various formal business entities; formation, day-to-day operation, and taxation of various formal business entities. Join this free Zoom meeting on March 29 from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. CT. Pre-register for this workshop online by March 26, 2021. Funding for this project was provided by the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Webinar graphic courtesy of Adobe Stock.