Seeking Nominations for the 2022 William Henry Hatch Lecture

Each year NIFA joins with the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) to sponsor a lecture presented at the APLU Annual Meeting. NIFA and APLU are seeking nominations for the prestigious Hatch Lecture. The lecture commemorates the efforts of William H. Hatch, congressman from Missouri who championed the Agricultural Experiment Station Founding Bill which became law in 1887, and to celebrate the accomplishments of the Experiment Station System created by the Hatch Act.

We are seeking an insightful topic and a dynamic, discussion-provoking speaker who can prepare a formal lecture to be presented at the APLU Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado, November 6 – 8. While we seek recommendations from those within the Land-grant University System, we also would encourage you to share this memorandum with colleagues outside of the research, education and Extension system, including stakeholders, foundations, public interest groups or international organizations. Nominations are encouraged from all sources.

Recommendations should include the name of the nominee, title, address, telephone number, email address and topic that could be discussed. Please submit your potential topic and/or presenter on or before July 29. Recommendations should be forwarded electronically to Davida Tengey. A committee will review submissions and narrow the scope of the recommendations to make a final decision.

Congressman William H. Hatch

Wild Blueberries—The Maine Event

Love the juicy pop of flavor in wild blueberries?  Thank growers in Maine. Maine is the leading producer of lowbush, or wild, blueberries. Lowbush blueberries are native to northern New England and Atlantic Canada. Almost 500 farmers manage 36,000 acres of commercial wild blueberry land in Maine. The University of Maine Wild Blueberry Extension Program is working to reach both organic and conventional wild blueberry producers with ways to improve the shelf life and quality of their harvests as part of NIFA’s effort to create more and better markets for producers and consumers.

National Blueberry Month graphic, courtesy of NIFA.

We All Scream for Ice Cream Day

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! Each year, the third Sunday in July is designated National Ice Cream Day. It is a commemoration dating back to 1984, when President Ronald Reagan declared the first such day. At NIFA, we certainly believe National Ice Cream Day is worth celebrating! The agency is proud to support research that serves the U.S. dairy industry and creates more and better market opportunities for producers and consumers.

National Ice Cream Day, courtesy of NIFA.

Make Your Summer Picnics Shine

Grab your picnic basket – July is National Picnic Month! Picnics are a perfect way to combine outdoor activity, healthy eating and time spent together with family and friends. Extension and research efforts supported by NIFA that create more and better markets for producers and consumers and tackle food and nutrition insecurity and safety can help your family picnic become a favorite summer activity.

National Picnic Month graphic, courtesy of NIFA.

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 - 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 to create more and better market opportunities.

Webinar graphic, courtesy of NIFA.

Alarms Sounding about Rapidly Disappearing Farmland

A new report is sounding the alarm about farmland that is disappearing at a worrisome rate.

Disability Pride Month: Restoring Hope, Renewing Productivity with Doug VerHoeven

Funded by NIFA, AgrAbility brings together Cooperative Extension units and nonprofit disability organizations to educate and assist agricultural workers with disabilities, like Doug VerHoeven and their families. This is part of NIFA’s commitment to advancing racial justice, equity and opportunity.

Farmer Doug VerHoeven, courtesy of National AgrAbility.

Producers Grow Business Knowledge Through UGA's Master Agri-Manager Program

Since launching Silo Springs Ranch in 2020, Audrey Gravelle and her husband have jumped many hurdles associated with starting a farm. They’ve found a meat processor, formed a limited liability company and marketed the finished product — in this case, grass-fed and finished cattle processed locally and sold directly to customers in Georgia. Starting a farm or agribusiness is more complicated than often realized — and comes with plenty of risk. Launched in November 2021 to address the business management-related areas of risk, the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Master Agri-manager Program helps participants think strategically about their farming and agribusiness operations, which supports NIFA’s goal of creating more and better markets for producers and consumers.

Cattle graze in a field at Silo Springs Ranch, a grass-fed and finished cattle operation in Culloden, Georgia. Photo courtesy of Silo Springs Ranch and the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension.

New Research Identifies the Needs and Tools to Help Urban Farmers Succeed

The needs of commercial urban agriculture operations in Florida have been relatively unknown, which led The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researchers to dig deeper. A newly published study explains the most common challenges these farmers face and opportunities that could help them thrive, which aligns with NIFA’s priority to create more and better markets for producers and consumers.

A garden on a city rooftop, courtesy of Adobe Stock.

FeedLot: Increasing Marbling in Beef Without Increasing Overall Fatness

The desire to find the juiciest piece of beef, be it a steak or ribs or roast, isn’t limited to just the restaurant and how it is seasoned or cooked. It starts well before that. It begins when the cattle are still alive, still being raised and fed, and how and what they are fed. The more ranchers can increase the marbling in beef cattle, the better the beef and the higher the price it can fetch at auction or when it is sold. But increasing the marbling in beef is a tricky undertaking with numerous factors in play. Researchers at Texas Tech University hope to unlock one of those secrets to beef marbling without making the cattle fatter and unhealthy with funding from NIFA that creates more and better markets for producers and consumers.

A beef steak, courtesy of Texas Tech University.

Iowa State University plant breeders and researchers are working to develop a new crop suited for the plant-based protein market. The first step is developing new varieties of mung bean, a new crop here in the U.S. that advances NIFA’s priority to create more and better markets for producers and consumers.

Meet Meghan Killen

Meghan joined the NIFA Equal Opportunity team as an Administrative Officer.

"I have been a government employee for several years, my most recent position was Public Affairs Administrative Assistant with USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service for Texas. While working in this role, I was the Earth Team Volunteer Coordinator and was able to work with volunteers across the state with all abilities. As a disabled veteran as well as a mom to a disabled child, equal opportunity is near and dear to me. Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights is an inclusive environment that promotes training and mentoring for all employees, regardless of disabilities. NIFA has given me the chance to combine my experience (admin) with my desire to see inclusion, regardless of the disability," Killen said.

NIFA is committed to advancing racial justice, equity and opportunity, and making USDA a great place to work for everyone.