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Editor: Lori Tyler Gula, Ph.D. August 3, 2022
USDA and contract workers conduct cleaning and disinfection as loads leave a premises. USDA photo by Mike Milleson.
Building a Network to Enhance Collaboration for Agricultural Biosecurity
Agricultural biosecurity is vital to maintain sustainability in the U.S. food and agriculture industry against threats from pests and diseases. NIFA engages in many programs, working groups and networks — in both plant and animal systems that support the tactical sciences for agricultural biosecurity mission — by identifying and preparing for the entry, outbreak or spread of both diseases and pests. More specifically, these programs involve plant and animal health, antibiotic resistance, food safety, education for disaster response and others.
In 2018, NIFA funded the Tactical Sciences Coordination Network, managed by Kansas State University, which focuses on bringing agricultural biosecurity-related programs together. This network works to identify the challenges, shared ideas and opportunities for collaboration that elevate nutritional security, early detection and rapid response, and agricultural biosecurity.
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Protecting the Environment via Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry
A healthy environment is a foundation for a stable and healthy human society. On World Nature Conservation Day, learn about how NIFA-supported research and Extension at Land-grant Universities are helping conserve and protect the environment and natural resources via climate-smart agriculture and forestry.
World Nature Conservation Day graphic, courtesy of NIFA.
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Agricultural Workforce Training Grant Program Webinar
USDA NIFA is inviting the public to join an informational webinar Aug. 4 at 1 p.m. EDT for the Agricultural Workforce Training grant program. The Agriculture Workforce Training grant program (AWT) is being offered through the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Education and Workforce Development RFA. The AWT program area seeks to develop a workforce ready for the field as well as industry jobs in the food and agricultural sector. For eligibility and more information, please consult the RFA ahead of time.
Webinar graphic, courtesy of NIFA.
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Hispanic-Serving Institution Education Grants Program Webinar
NIFA invites the public to join an informational webinar Aug. 9 at 12:30 EDT for the Hispanic-Serving Institution Education Grants Program to fund the Workforce Development in Meat and Poultry Processing Centers of Excellence.
Preventing Cancer One Bite at a Time: USDA Day of Action
Join us Aug. 10 for USDA’s Day of Action to learn the latest science on food and nutrition, and healthy eating habits you can use to reduce the risk of cancer and chronic disease. This series of conversations is designed to support you, your family, friends and your community to live more healthful lives.
- Virtual Roundtable on Cutting-edge Nutrition Research and Science (10 – 11:30 a.m. EDT)
Purpose: Showcase the latest and best agriculture and nutrition science for preventing cancer and leading a healthy life free from chronic disease.
- Virtual Roundtable on Integrating Best Practices and Engaging with USDA Programs (2 – 3:30 p.m. EDT)
Purpose: Showcase USDA and partner programs and best practices that increase community adoption of healthy eating and lifestyles, both of which have been shown to prevent cancer.
To attend this event, please register in advance. You will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. Closed captioning and American Sign Language interpretation will be available.
Cancer Moonshot Preventing Cancer graphic, courtesy of USDA.
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Live FAQ Session: Rapid Response to Extreme Weather Events Across Food and Agriculture Systems
Applicants interested the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Rapid Response to Extreme Weather Events Across Food and Agricultural Systems program area priority are invited to attend a live FAQ event Sept. 14 at 3 p.m. EDT to learn more about the program area priority and meet the NIFA team. The AFRI Rapid Response to Extreme Weather Events Across Food and Agricultural Systems 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.
A storm over a cornfield, courtesy of Adobe Stock.
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Biden-Harris Administration Announces $401 Million for High-Speed Internet Access in Rural Areas
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced that the department is investing $401 million to provide access to high-speed internet for 31,000 rural residents and businesses in 11 states, part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to investing in rural infrastructure and affordable high-speed internet for all. This announcement includes a group of investments from the ReConnect Program, and an award funded through USDA’s Telecommunications Infrastructure Loan and Loan Guarantee program.
Fiber optic cables connected to an optic port, and network cables connected to ethernet ports, courtesy of Adobe Stock.
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Diesel Nut’ Development Brings Texas A&M AgriLife, Chevron Together
Peanut oil powered the world’s first diesel engine when it was premiered by Rudolf Diesel at the World Exposition in Paris in 1900. Now, a collaboration between Chevron and Texas A&M AgriLife is reviving the use of peanuts as a renewable feedstock for diesel fuel with a lower carbon intensity. Carbon intensity is the energy expended to produce a product, including production inputs such as water, pesticide and fertilizer, and how much net carbon that process adds to the atmosphere. Lower carbon intensity is important in developing sustainable climate-smart agricultural practices. The NIFA-supported five-year, multimillion-dollar project will be multipronged and include estimating economic feasibility, advancing existing high-oil peanut germplasm and developing new, low-input peanut lines for the renewable diesel industry.
John Cason, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Research peanut breeder, will lead the collaboration between Texas A&M AgriLife and Chevron to develop a “diesel nut” line of peanuts. Photo courtesy of Texas A&M AgriLife’s Sam Craft.
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Bulldog Garden of North Alabama
National gardening associations around the country report that home gardening is on the rise. In fact, 18.3 million new gardens were established during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. With support from NIFA, staff from the Alabama Cooperative Extension System at Alabama A&M University (AAMU) aspire to continue that trend by educating audiences about gardening at the new Bulldog Garden in north Alabama. Located on the grounds of the Agribition Center in Huntsville, the Bulldog Garden’s primary role is to serve as a demonstration site for urban agricultural programs, such as STEM in the Garden for educators.
The Bulldog Garden demonstration site, courtesy of the AAMU Agribition Center.
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Breeding Edible and Ornamental Strawberries for New England
With over 700,000 pounds produced and $2.3 million in farm sales, strawberries are an important crop for New Hampshire farmers. But improving the cultivated strawberry through breeding is particularly challenging. Cultivated strawberries have four times as many chromosome sets as humans, animals and most other crops, which significantly increases its genomic complexity. Researchers with the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) are untangling the plant's genetic structure to enable scientists to more quickly and effectively develop cultivated strawberry varieties that help New England farmers be more resilient and successful.
UNH researchers are breeding many different-hued strawberry flowers, courtesy of UNH.
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Peanut Burrower Bug Poses Complex Problem for Georgia Producers
The peanut burrower bug is a tricky pest for Georgia’s peanut producers. Not only is an infestation invisible in a field from above the ground, damage done by the bugs’ piercing mouth parts can only be detected after peanuts are harvested and sent for processing, resulting in unexpected revenue loss. Working with University of Georgia Cooperative Extension agents, researchers in UGA’s Peanut Entomology Program are working to monitor peanut producers’ fields for the primarily subterranean bugs along with new methods of control.
The peanut burrower bug, which looks a lot like a science fiction creation, is a tricky pest for Georgia’s peanut growers. Illustration courtesy of the University of Georgia’s Jay B. Bauer.
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The USDA SBIR/STTR programs focus on transforming scientific discovery into products and services with commercial potential and/or societal benefit.
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To celebrate National Georgia Day on Aug. 3, NIFA is highlighting the innovative NIFA-funded research conducted by the University of Georgia. In the following interview with Laura Perry Johnson, associate dean at UGA Cooperative Extension, get to know more about the state’s history, the agriculture challenges it's working to combat and more!
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NIFA’s mission is to invest in and advance agricultural research, education, and Extension that solves 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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