Expanding Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Program
Recent grant awards to State Agriculture Departments are the latest steps in building upon a network designed to aid ag producers dealing with stresses. USDA’s Rod Bain talks with National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s National Science Liaison Brent Elrod about how regional leads are working to assist farmers and ranchers with stress assistance. For more information, listen to this USDA broadcast.
NIFA's Brent Elrod.
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NIFA Supports Produce Farmers and Food Security in Hispanic and Latino Communities
Farming for Life brings together stakeholders from various sectors of the Santa Barbara food system. The main goals of the program are to create community partnership to improve food security, lessen the medical and financial burden associated with Type 2 Diabetes, and improve market access for Hispanic and Latino produce farmers and the next generation of farmers. Primary healthcare providers refer patients to the Farming for Life Program where participants receive local produce procured and distributed through social service organizations. An outcome of the program is to increase participants’ produce consumption, thereby allowing them to manage diabetes or reduce their risk of getting the disease. Farming for Life participants increase vegetable consumption; experience weight loss and lower blood pressure; and self-report an improvement in sleep, mood, and pain, and a reduction in food waste. Funding for Farming for Life was provided in part by the NIFA’s Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program. To learn more online about Farming for Life, read their latest publications.
Selling fruits and vegetables at a farmers market, courtesy of Adobe Stock.
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Teamwork Seen as Key to Improving Western Water Supply Situation
Efforts to increase drought resiliency and water use efficiency in the West are getting a boost. USDA’s Gary Crawford talks with USDA Meteorologist Brad Rippey and Western Regional Conservationist with USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service Astor Boozer on how USDA is creating partnership opportunities to address the water supply. For more information, listen to this USDA broadcast.
Grapevines in Califonia's drought, courtesy of Adobe Stock.
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Scientists to Study Benefits of Feeding Dairy Cows Seaweeds
Most people are unlikely to associate seaweed with dairy production. But University of New Hampshire (UNH) scientists will be working to change that, sharing two grants totaling nearly $13 million to investigate supplementation of dairy cow diets with seaweed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve milk quality and animal health. New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station researchers André Brito and Alexandra Contosta will lead the UNH-portion of both projects. UNH has been awarded funds by NIFA’s Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative and Sustainable Agriculture Systems Program. For more information, read the UNH newsroom article.
Scientist are investigating supplementation of dairy cow diets with seaweed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Image courtesy of UNH.
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Anglers Need Tailored Messaging to Inspire Action on Invasive Species
Once aquatic invasive species establish, they typically refuse to budge. That’s why it’s critical to prevent invasive quagga mussels, Eurasian watermilfoil, and other bad actors from getting established in the first place. Lakeside education campaigns discourage anglers from transporting aquatic hitchhikers between lakes, but new research from the University of Illinois and Cornell University shows those campaigns are less effective than they could be. According to the study, the key could be tailoring messaging in accordance with anglers’ value systems and risk perceptions. This project was funded by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission and USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. For more information, read the University of Illinois ACES News article.
Fisherman fishing on a riverbank, courtesy of Getty Images.
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Time to Submit Northeast SARE Farmer Grant Proposals
Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education’s (SARE) Farmer Grant Program is currently accepting proposals for the 2022 grant cycle. Proposals are due online by 5 p.m. (ET) on November 16, for projects starting next spring. Funded projects, which are now capped at $30,000, will be announced in late February 2022. For more information and instructions on how to apply go online to Northeast SARE.
Rural Autumn Vermont farm, courtesy of Getty Images.
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Stress Assistance for Farmers and Ranchers
States are getting additional backing as they work to help farmers and ranchers deal with the stresses of the job. USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) recently announced an investment of nearly $25 million for 50 grants supporting the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network, by way of State Departments of Agriculture projects. NIFA’s Brent Elrod says the state of Georgia plans to put its grant money into multiple projects. “The Georgia Department of Agriculture has started the Georgia Farmer Healthy Mindset and really looking to address outreach and awareness and provide support to increase farmers’ financial literacy so that they can ensure that the bottom line is supported as they move forward in supporting their own operation,” said Elrod. In Alabama, a $500K grant will fund mental health outreach programs. Florida’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ $500K grant will help increase awareness about mental health challenges, help train suicide prevention specialists, and help 4-H students learn to identify emotional stress in their communities. For more information, read the Southeast Regional Ag article.
Worried young farmer, courtesy of Getty Images.
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USDA NIFA Food Safety Outreach Program FY 2022 Funding Opportunity and Webinar
In FY 2022, the Food Safety Outreach Program (FSOP) is expanding upon the FY 2015 national infrastructure established by USDA-NIFA and FDA-CFSAN (National Food Safety Training, Education, Extension, Outreach, and Technical Assistance Competitive Grants Program). The program focuses on the delivery of customized training for owners and operators of small to mid-sized farms, beginning farmers, socially disadvantaged farmers, small processors, and small fresh fruit and vegetable merchant wholesalers. Eligibility is quite broad, including Cooperative Extension, non-governmental organizations, community-based organizations, federal, state, local and tribal agencies, and institutions of higher education. Because the size and capabilities of eligible applicants vary widely, projects will be awarded at two levels in FY 2022. NIFA staff will provide an overview of the Food Safety Outreach Program and the Request for Application process on November 12 at 1:30 p.m. CT. For more information and to register in advance, go to the FSOP webinar announcement.
Webinar graphic, courtesy of Adobe Stock.
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MCSFR & RREA Administrative Meeting
The 2021 McIntire-Stennis Cooperative Forestry Research (MCSFR) and the Renewable Resources Extension Act (RREA) programs will hold two events to identify opportunities, discuss challenges, and collaborate in addressing the sustainability of forest and rangeland resources through research, education, and extension strategies. This first meeting November 15 at 12 p.m. (CT), intends to connect MCSFR Administrative Technical Representatives and RREA Project Directors through a series of talks, breakout groups, webinars, and guest speakers to learn about the latest changes in the reporting system, financial and administrative management of the programs. For more information, go to the MSCFR and RREA webinar announcement.
Applying for Agriculture Business Innovation Center at an HBCU Institution
The FY 2021 Consolidated Appropriations Act, Section 766 authorized NIFA to issue a competitive grant to support the establishment of an Agriculture Business Innovation Center at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU). The Agriculture Business Innovation Center serves as a technical assistance hub to enhance agriculture-based business development opportunities. NIFA staff will provide an overview of the Agriculture Business Innovation Center at an HBCU Institution program and the Request for Application process, November 16, at 1:30 p.m. CT. For more information, go to the ABIC webinar announcement.
NIFA Invests $2.6 M in Potato Research
NIFA recently awarded four Potato Research grants as part of their Special Research Grants program. The Potato Breeding Research awards support potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) research that focuses on the development and testing of superior commercial potato varieties using classical breeding and advanced molecular and biotechnological approaches. This research will help improve potato quality and increase resistance to pests and diseases, leading to commercial variety development and transfer of superior materials to growers.
NIFA Invests $2.8M in Rural Food Animal Veterinary Medicine Across the U.S.
NIFA recently announced 17 Veterinary Service Grants Program (VSGP) awards, seven Education, Extension, and Training (EET) grants and 10 Rural Practice Enhancement (RPE) grants to help mitigate food animal veterinary service shortages in the United States. The goals of the VSGP are to support food animal veterinary medicine through education, extension, and training (EET) funds for accredited schools and organizations and through rural practice enhancement (RPE) funds for veterinary clinics that provide services in veterinary shortage situations. This program is designed to support education and extension activities that will enable veterinarians, veterinary students, and veterinary technicians gain specialized food animal skills and practices. The 2014 Farm Bill authorized the establishment of the VSGP as a companion to the Veterinary Medical Loan Repayment Program to incentivize service in veterinary shortage situations. Ultimately, VSGP will bolster the capacity of private veterinary practitioners to provide food animal medicine in rural veterinarian shortage locations.
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