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Editor: Lori Tyler Gula, Ph.D. March 30, 2022
Making a Difference
Thanks to the development and adoption of specialized computational tools, the past several years have seen major advancements in the breeding of “polyploid plants” — plants with more than two sets of chromosomes in their cells. Polyploid specialty crops, which include roses, many turfgrasses and food crops such as blackberries, potatoes and sweet potatoes, have an annual value of more than $9 billion in the U.S. and many times that value globally. David Byrne, a Texas A&M AgriLife Research rose breeder and geneticist who also serves as a professor in the Department of Horticultural Sciences, is the director of a four-year, NIFA grant-funded project to create and improve software for polyploid genetic analysis.
David Byrne, Texas A&M AgriLife Research rose breeder and geneticist, is director of a grant-funded project that is a “game changer” for polyploid plant breeding. Credit; Sam Craft/Texas A&M AgriLife Communications
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In celebration of Women’s History Month, USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is highlighting leading women who are helping advance agriculture-related sciences. Get to know Dr. Lorrene Ritchie, inaugural director of the Nutrition Policy Institute and Cooperative Extension Nutrition Specialist in the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. |
 Important Update for Grants, Cooperative Agreements, Indemnity, Contracts and Procurement Awards Recipients
NIFA would like to make all recipients of grant, cooperative agreement, indemnity, contract and procurement awards aware of an important change to streamline entity identification and validation processes. By April 4, 2022, the federal government will stop using the Dun & Bradstreet Numbering System (DUNS) that uniquely identifies entities in the System for Award Management (SAM). Moving forward, you will need to have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) created in SAM.gov. The General Services Administration is implementing this change to make it easier and less burdensome for entities to do business with the federal government.
 NIFA Seeks Hall of Fame and Partnership Award Nominees
Inductees into the NIFA Hall of Fame have worked, coordinated or supported activities exemplifying NIFA’s excellence in any combination of research, education and Extension approaches on local, regional, national or international levels. Inductees have also demonstrated a measurable and positive impact on the lives of citizens and NIFA's mission to invest in and advance agricultural research, education and Extension to solve societal challenges. Nominations will be evaluated based on three weighted areas: measurable impact on NIFA; synergy of research, education and/or Extension; and endorsements/letters of support. Nominations must consist of a completed nomination form and up to three endorsements/letters of support. To learn more, visit the NIFA Hall of Fame Awards website.
NIFA also invites Land-grant Universities, cooperating institutions and organizations supported by NIFA to submit nominations for the 2022 NIFA Partnership Awards Program. Nominations can be submitted for individuals or teams of up to 20 members. Complete details, instructions and the form are found on the NIFA Partnership Award webpage.
Winning nominations will be recognized at the NIFA Day of Appreciation in either June or July. Nominations must be emailed to Kelly (Michael) Sprute at kelly.sprute@usda.gov no later than April 1. Please include "Award Nomination Submission" in the email subject line.
NIFA Reporting System Update
As NIFA partners work to enter results in NIFA Reporting System (NRS) by April 1 and prepare to complete the annual report of accomplishments by May 2, there is a lot more activity in the NRS. The agency is seeing an increase in issues with login, and many are tied to eAuthentication. NIFA is aware of this issue and is communicating with the USDA Office of the Chief Information Officer on ways to mitigate this. If partners encounter issues, please consider the following options:
NIFA Career Opportunities
We are hiring! NIFA recruits a diverse group of talented, creative and motivated professionals who are invested in shaping the future of food and agricultural science. We offer a variety of benefits and services to our employees that focus on work-life balance, career enhancement, and health and well-being.
NIFA has career opportunities in a variety of scientific disciplines covering engineering, food science, forestry, education, animal and crop sciences, and many other agriculture-related disciplines. NIFA job openings are listed on USAJobs.gov. Current NIFA job openings are for Kansas City, Missouri, or a location negotiable after selection, unless otherwise noted below.
Social Science Specialist (GS 13-14) (Three vacancies.) Closing Date: April 8. View the job announcement.
Biological Science Specialist (GS 13-14) (Three vacancies.) Closing Date: April 8. View the job announcement.
Career Opportunities graphic, courtesy of NIFA
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Statement by Secretary Vilsack on the President’s Fiscal Year 2023 Budget
“The President’s budget provides USDA with the tools needed to support a vibrant, revitalized and prosperous rural America,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “It contains transformational investments that will help rural communities build resilience to the climate crisis, increase landscape resiliency to the impacts of climate change, create more and better markets for our hardworking producers, bolster access to healthy and affordable nutrition for families, help connect all Americans to high-speed, affordable, and reliable internet, strengthen USDA’s efforts to build equitable systems and programming, and position the United States to be a leader in agricultural research. It will also help many of USDA’s agencies rebuild capacity after years of staff losses, strengthening the Department so we can better perform our duties and serve the American people. This budget proposal is a statement of intent that underscores President Biden’s commitment to the success of rural Americans and their communities.”
USDA Radio: Actuality: 4-H Significance to Members Now and the Future
NIFA Director Dr. Carrie Castille talks about her 4-H experiences, and describes what the program provides to members now and going forward.
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Research Helps Improve Models That Predict Climate Effects of Wildfire Emissions
Aerosols carried in wildfire smoke plumes that are hundreds of hours old can still affect climate, according to new research from the University of California, Davis. The NIFA-supported research suggests that wildfire emissions even 10 days old can affect the properties of aerosols — suspended liquid or particles that are key to cloud formation. This research helps fill in a knowledge gap and can inform future predictions about the climate and atmospheric effects of wildfire over the lifetime of aerosols, particularly in rural or pristine areas with relatively clean air.
UC Davis Professor Qi Zhang tunes a laser vaporizer on the Soot Particle Aerosol Mass Spectrometer at Mount Bachelor Observatory to optimize detection for black carbon-containing particles. Credit: Christopher Niedek/UC Davis
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The G.O.A.T of Goats
Matt Syrotiak ‘25 may only be in his first year at the University of Connecticut, but he’s already got a lot of kids to support. In fact, he’s about to welcome 26 new members to his family this May. These kids won’t need diapers or onesies since they’re goats, but Syrotiak knows that they will still require constant attention and care in their early days of life and beyond. Learn more about how Syrotiak turned a love for goats into a life of community service with UConn 4-H, the youth development program of UConn Extension, which is supported by NIFA.
Matt Syrotiak '25 with one of his beloved goats. Credit: UConn.
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Iowa State Research on Swine Sire Fertility has Implications for Cattle, Humans
Sire infertility is a problem for the reproductive performance of swine, despite the greater attention that has long been given to the female side of the equation. “We know that 25% of the boar herd has less than 80% conception rates, which is considered unacceptable by industry,” said Karl Kerns, assistant professor of animal science at Iowa State University. Kerns is leading a new five-year grant from NIFA to support research on boar sperm capacitation -- the biological pathways that support spermatozoa’s ability to fertilize.
Assistant Professor Karl Kerns with THUNDER epifluorescent microscope in his lab. Credit: Whitney Baxter/Iowa State University
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April 25: Live FAQ Session: Rapid Response to Extreme Weather Events Across Food and Agriculture Systems The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Rapid Response to Extreme Weather Events Across Food and Agricultural Systems (A1712) program area priority is designed to rapidly identify and implement strategies to protect the nation’s food and agricultural supply chains and the people who support them during and after extreme weather events. Join NIFA at 3:30 p.m. EDT to learn more about this program area priority and meet our team during a live FAQ event.
April 27: Save the Date: NIFA Stakeholder Listening Session
NIFA will conduct a virtual listening session at 4 p.m. EDT to seek stakeholder input on future priorities for NIFA research, education and Extension programs. As a stakeholder, customer or partner, you are invited to contribute your expert opinion on how federal investments can best address current needs and challenges facing U.S. agriculture. Information about registration will be forthcoming.
April 28: Listening Session: Bioproduct Pilot Program
NIFA invites the public to participate in a virtual listening session at 2 p.m. EDT for the Bioproduct Pilot Program. This new program, authorized under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, will invest $5 million for each of FY2022 and FY2023 to study the benefits of using materials derived from covered agricultural commodities in construction and consumer products. This virtual listening session is part of the program’s public comment period, which closes at 5 p.m. EDT May 5. Members of the public can provide input through the listening session or via email to bioproductpilotprogram@usda.gov. Comments received will be used to help shape the program’s Request for Applications. Visit the NIFA program page for more information and a link to the virtual listening session.
Webinar graphic, courtesy of Adobe Stock.
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NIFA Invests Nearly $10M in Food Safety and Defense
NIFA has invested nearly $10 million in 21 food safety and defense projects. The AFRI Food Safety and Defense program supports research to reduce the risk of contamination of foods. This includes pre- and postharvest processes and technologies that reduce microbial pathogens as well as nonmicrobial food safety risks. It also includes development of methods for measuring pathogens, especially methods that avoid the need for enrichment.
Texas Researchers Study Groundwater Recharge, Thicketization
Scientists from Texas A&M University are researching how changes in land use and the encroachment of woody plant thickets are dramatically reducing groundwater recharge. The three-year project funded by NIFA has broad implications related to water availability and land stewardship in Texas.
Texas A&M University geoscience undergraduate student Chelsea Parada sets up a neutron probe for soil moisture measurements. Credit: Shishir Basant/Texas A&M AgriLife
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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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