Investing in U.S. Food Supply Chain Resiliency

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, shutdowns caused the U.S. food supply system to face a sudden shift from food consumed away from home to food consumed at home. At the same time, our food processing system was hit with a supply-side shock: A sudden labor shortage emerged due to the COVID-19 virus, forcing processing plant closures and reduced operating capacity.

Closures and slowdowns in packing and processing plants caused a backlog of millions of animals that were ready for harvest, while shifts in demand for pork, beef, eggs, and dairy created shortages at the retail level and excess supply in other areas of the supply chain. Companies that distribute and transport meat, eggs, and dairy operated below capacity due to high absenteeism among workers. The shift in consumption and supply prompted retailers to increase prices and ration supplies to avoid stock-outs. For more information, read this NIFA blog by guest author, University of Missouri Associate Professor Dr. Keri L. Jacobs, PhD, Agricultural and Applied Economics.

Photo of consumer selecting meat at the supermarket, courtesy of Getty Images.

NIFA Invests Over $14.3M for Ag Workforce Training and Rural Economic Development

NIFA recently awarded $9.44 million in funding for 19 Agricultural Workforce Training grants, and 12 awards totaling $4.88 million for rural economic development projects. These grants are part of NIFA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative. The Agricultural Workforce training grants will provide community, technical or junior college students the skills and tools necessary to secure industry-accepted credentials to join the workforce.

“Community colleges provide significant workforce development nationwide,” said NIFA Director Dr. Carrie Castille. “These awards will help students earn a two-year degree or an industry-accepted credential that will create better job opportunities and fuel the talent pipeline needed in the food and agricultural sector.” For more information, read the NIFA press release.

Farming instructor with apprentice in agricultural field. Courtesy of Adobe Stock.

NIFA Invests Over $9.5M for Food, Nutrition, and Human Health Promotion

NIFA recently awarded $5.82 million for 13 grants to enhance food and human health; and $3.72 million for seven grants to improve healthy eating habits that support the prevention of chronic disease. These grants are awarded through the USDA-NIFA Agriculture and Food Research Initiative.

“Health, and the role food plays in our overall well-being, is one of our nation’s leading issues,” said NIFA Director Dr. Carrie Castille. “Proper nutrition is the key to solving a range of problems from curbing chronic disease, student achievement, worker productivity, and economic development – whether in rural or urban America. This investment in critical research will have widespread impact on the future health of the population.” For more information, read the NIFA press release.

Scientist looks at food genetic sequence on laptop. Courtesy of Adobe Stock.

USDA Invests More Than $330 Million in Specialty Crops Grants, Incentives to Purchase Fruits and Vegetables, and Help for Cotton Producers

The USDA recently announced the availability of more than $330 million to help agricultural producers and organizations in the food supply chain recover from the financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding announced today is part of USDA’s Pandemic Assistance for Producers initiative launched in March, and includes $169.9 million for the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, the availability of $75 million for Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program [GusNIP; formerly known as Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive (FINI)] grantees and approximately $80 million in payments to domestic users of upland and extra-long staple cotton. This funding will aid in developing new markets for U.S. agricultural products, expand the specialty crop food sector, and incent the purchase of fruits and vegetables by low-income consumers. USDA also informed dairy producers and processors today about ongoing plans for the Dairy Donation Program as established in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. For more information, read the USDA press release.

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:

Social Science Specialist (National Program Leader) (GS 13-14)
Closing Date: 05/03/2021

Grant to Advance Ag Robot Research  

In the not-too-distant future, unmanned robots might be seen in the fields planting seeds and applying chemicals in just the right amounts. A new $452,783 grant from USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture will fund research on these robots, known as Unmanned Ground Vehicles, or UGVs. One challenge the University of Nebraska-Lincoln team will focus on will be developing practical strategies to automatically refill UGV tanks when they run low on seeds, and other inputs. Researchers are considering the use of aerial robots to accomplish this task. For more information, read this University of Nebraska article.

University of Nebraska’s Santosh Pitla is working on a new approach for refilling Unmanned Ground Vehicle seed tanks using aerial robots. Image courtesy of University Communications by Greg Nathan.

Collaborative Team Earns Grant to Continue Research for Pain Management Patch for Cattle

A University of Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station animal scientist and two University of Arkansas chemical engineers earned a $500,000 grant to continue research in pain management for cattle during routine procedures. University of Arkansas researchers: Professor Jeremy G. Powell, Assistant Professor Jorge Almodovar, and Associate Professor Lauren F. Greenlee received the grant from USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The four-year grant supports continued research to evaluate a chitosan-based, biodegradable microneedle patch developed by the research team to deliver meloxicam for pain relief to cattle undergoing routine procedures. For more information, read the University of Arkansas article.

From left: Lauren F. Greenlee, Jorge Almodovar and Jeremy G. Powell. Image courtesy of the University of Arkansas.

Learn About the Best Varieties of Seedless Table Grapes to Grow in New Hampshire

New England vineyards and growers may soon be adding seedless table grapes to their crop rotation. Researchers from the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station in the UNH College of Life Sciences and Agriculture studied winter hardiness in eight varieties of seedless grapes planted in May 2015, and they found promising results. Select varieties showed favorable yield size, fruit quality, and disease resistance characteristics, opening up new possibilities for growers to explore additional markets. These findings were supported by the NH Agricultural Experiment Station through joint funding from USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and the state of New Hampshire. For more information, watch the University of New Hampshire video.

Grape image courtesy of the University of New Hampshire.