NIFA Celebrates Disability Pride Month
This year we commemorate 32 years since the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed by Congress In 1990. This civil rights law prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities and ensures a level playing field by providing reasonable accommodations and requiring accessibility to be built into all resources funded with public dollars.
What is a Schedule A?
If you're an individual with a disability, you can apply and compete for any job for which you are eligible and meet the qualifications, but you also may be eligible for a special hiring authority. The federal government hires each person using a hiring authority (the term comes from the federal regulation that describes it). Federal agencies can use the Schedule A Hiring Authority to hire an individual with a disability.
Disability Pride Month graphic, courtesy of NIFA.
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Technology Transforming Forest Management
Forests are not necessarily top of the mind when people think of Indiana. Forested area covers only about 20% of Indiana. But Purdue University researchers are working to ensure the state’s forests are prepared to withstand the challenges of climate change.
National Forest Week graphic, courtesy of NIFA.
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NIFA Invests $4.5M in Animal Nutrition, Growth and Lactation
NIFA has invested $4.5 million as part of seven projects under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative - Animal Nutrition, Growth and Lactation Program. The program promotes innovative work in cellular, molecular, genomic and whole-animal aspects of nutrition, growth and lactation.
The FY 2021 awardees: University of Missouri ($640,000); University of Florida ($640,000); Cornell University ($640,000); Pennsylvania State University ($650,000); Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University ($640,000 and $650,000); and North Dakota State University ($650,000).
FY22 1890 Capacity Building Grants Program RFA Webinar
NIFA is hosting a webinar July 14 at noon EDT about the 1890 Capacity Building Grant Request for Applications (RFA). This webinar will discuss details of the RFA and any changes made to the program this fiscal year. 1890 CBG is intended to strengthen teaching, research and Extension programs in the food and agricultural sciences by building the institutional capacities of the 1890 Land-grant Institutions, including Tuskegee University, West Virginia State University and Central State University.
Webinar graphic, courtesy of NIFA.
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Bioproduct Pilot Program Informational Webinar
NIFA is holding an informational webinar July 14 at 3 p.m. EDT for the Bioproduct Pilot Program. This new program, authorized under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, will invest approximately $10 million to study the benefits of using materials derived from covered agricultural commodities in construction and consumer products. This informational webinar will touch on the information contained within the Request for Applications. Attendees will also have an opportunity to ask questions. Visit the NIFA program page for more information and a link to the informational webinar.
EFNEP: A Model of Cooperation and Collaboration, Resulting in Improved Nutritional Health and Well-Being of Families with Limited Financial Resources
The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) is the nation’s first nutrition education program for low-income populations and remains at the forefront of nutrition education efforts to reduce nutrition insecurity of low-income families and youths today. This webinar on July 19 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. EDT will provide an in-depth overview of the program, including how cooperation and collaboration has been essential to the program’s more than half century success.
AFRI Special Topics: Meat and Poultry Processing - Agricultural Workforce Training
NIFA will host a webinar July 21 at 1 p.m. EDT for those interested in the Meat and Poultry Processing-Agricultural Workforce Training grant program. The program is being offered through the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Education and Workforce Development Request for Applications. For eligibility and more information, please consult the RFA ahead of time. Safe and resilient meat and poultry supply chains require a trained, credentialed, and diverse workforce with the right skills at the right location. To contribute to the pipeline of well-trained workers and support safe workplaces with fair wages, this program seeks to support the development, expansion and standardization of meat and poultry processing training programs at community, junior and technical colleges.
NIFA Reporting System Monthly Webinar
NIFA's Planning, Accountability and Reporting Staff (PARS) will host its monthly webinar July 21 at 1 p.m. EDT to provide information to users of the NIFA Reporting System, or NRS. At this meeting, PARS team members will provide an update on the Plan of Work Template, discuss Critical Issues Management and answer user questions. Registration Not Required. Join the webinar here.
Professional Development for Agricultural Literacy Grant Program Webinar
NIFA will host an informational webinar July 28 at 1 p.m. EDT for those interested in the Professional Development for Agricultural Literacy (PDAL) grant program. PDAL is being offered through the AFRI Education and Workforce Development Request for Applications. The program area seeks to increase the number of K-14 educational professionals trained in the food and agricultural sciences.
USDA Invests More Than $14M to Support Agricultural Workforce Training for Historically Underserved Communities to Bolster U.S. Meat and Poultry Sector Resilience
USDA has announced an additional investment of more than $14 million to support agricultural workforce training in historically underserved communities that will increase the resilience of the U.S. meat and poultry processing sector. This investment is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s ongoing efforts through the American Rescue Plan to strengthen the nation’s food supply chain by promoting fair and competitive agricultural markets. Funding is available through NIFA’s Request for Applications process to eligible universities. Eligible applicants include qualified Centers of Excellence at 1890 Land-grant Universities, 1994 Land-grant Tribal Colleges, Hispanic-serving institutions, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian institutions, and participants in the Resident Instruction Grants Program for Institutions of Higher Education in Insular Areas. Complete information on this funding opportunity can be found on the NIFA website. The deadline to submit applications is 5 p.m. EDT on Monday, August 29.
A poultry farm family, courtesy of Getty Images.
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USDA Makes It Easier for American Farmers to Grow Food, Ease Burdens for American Families
The Biden-Harris Administration has announced additional steps it’s taking to support U.S. farmers in their work to stabilize food prices and feed Americans and the world amidst continuing challenges such as the pandemic, supply chain disruptions, and the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. USDA is reducing the economic risk of raising two crops on the same land in one year, making it easier for U.S. farmers to grow food in America, increase food supply, and lower food costs for American families. This action is part of a broader set of commitments made earlier this year by President Joe Biden and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to increase domestic food production amid potential global food shortages related to the invasion of Ukraine.
USDA Partners with 27 States and Territories to Issue Child Food Benefits for Summer
USDA, in partnership with states and territories across the country, is working with urgency to provide food benefits for the summer months to eligible children. As of July 8, 27 states and territories, including Puerto Rico, are set up to provide these benefits to an estimated 13 million children.
University of Minnesota Releases ‘MN-Rothsay’ Wheat
The University of Minnesota has released a new hard red spring wheat variety called MN-Rothsay. MN-Rothsay features a good combination of yield, protein, and disease resistance and exceptional straw strength. “MN-Rothsay has straw strength comparable to Linkert but has about 10% higher grain yield,” says Jim Anderson, University of Minnesota wheat breeder in the Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics. “The exceptional straw strength of Linkert was largely responsible for its five-year reign from 2016-2020 as the most popular variety in the state. We expect MN-Rothsay’s higher grain yields, which are comparable or higher than other popular varieties, and improved disease resistance compared to Linkert will be attractive to growers and increase wheat productivity.”
MN-Rothsay, a new hard red spring wheat. Photo courtesy of the University of Minnesota.
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Midwestern Farmer Feedback Requested to Guide $10M Resilient Agriculture Project
The Diverse Corn Belt project is seeking farmer input through focus groups and in-field research. This is a multidisciplinary project exploring alternative crops, longer rotations, and integrating livestock and perennials that could help increase resilience in Midwest agriculture. The project's 30 partners are exploring diversification at the farm, market and landscape levels that can broaden new opportunities for Indiana, Illinois and Iowa farmers and rural communities, according to Dr. Linda S. Prokopy of Purdue University, who is leading the five-year, $10 million project. The team will conduct research, Extension and modeling in all three states.
Diverse Corn Belt project graphic, courtesy of Purdue University.
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SDSU Researchers Working to Fill in Educational Gaps for Rural Students
In the United States, roughly one-sixth of all K-12 students attend rural school districts. These students face many challenges and are often hampered by both a lack of funding and resources. Two South Dakota State University (SDSU) researchers have begun working to help “fill in the gaps” that rural students might be missing in their education. The idea came from hearing conversations parents were having regarding their children’s education. “Parents will say, ‘Why aren’t you learning this in school? Why aren’t they teaching this in school?’” said Amber Letcher, an SDSU associate professor. “It stemmed from there.”
A lesson from the LaunchSkills Curriculum, courtesy of South Dakota State University.
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Intermountain Farm and Ranch: Beware the Cereal Grass Aphid
According to recently published research led by University of Idaho scientists, grain farmers in the Pacific Northwest should be cognizant of a relative newcomer to the region’s pest scene that seems to thrive with fewer hot days than other aphid species require. Cereal grass aphid, native to the United Kingdom, was first detected in wheat in the Pacific Northwest in 2011 and may be capitalizing on climate change to strike wheat fields early in their development, when plants are most susceptible to damage and diseases spread by aphids.
Left, a colony of winged and wingless aphids on a wheat leaf, and, right, one mature wingless (aptera) individual and two winged (alatae) females.
Photo courtesy of the University of Idaho.
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Congratulations to the 2022 National in Excellence about Teaching in Agriculture winners! NIFA is a proud supporter of the Agriculture in the Classroom program, which cultivates an understanding and appreciation of the food & fiber system that we all rely on every day.
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Meet David Wagner
David serves as a program specialist in NIFA's Institute of Youth, Family and Community, Division of Community and Education. “What drew me to NIFA is a recognition that as global population grows and the planet warms, food scarcity and inequality will worsen. At NIFA, I’m able to support research and workforce development that will be critical to solving these problems.”- David
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