Extension Pioneer: Percy Hunter Stone

Percy Hunter Stone was an African American pioneer in the Cooperative Extension Service, and we honor his achievements during Black History Month 2023.  Stone, Georgia’s first Black 4-H state leader in the era of segregation, was inducted into the National 4-H Hall of Fame last fall. Stone led the organization formerly known as the Negro 4-H Club. He was recognized for his unwavering dedication to creating equal opportunities for all 4-H’ers. Read more about Stone, his work and his achievements.

Portrait of Percy Hunter Stone.  Image courtesy of University of Georgia

NIFA Leadership Visits Florida Research Center

A NIFA leadership group recently visited the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center. Led by Acting NIFA Directory Dr. Dionne Toombs, the group saw first-hand the research being conducted by UF/IFAS citrus scientists and supported with NIFA funding. NIFA support, primarily through the Emergency Citrus Disease Research and Extension program, has funded multiple projects advancing knowledge about fighting Huanglongbing, also known as citrus greening. Read more.

UF/IFAS citrus breeders explain how they are breeding disease-tolerant citrus varieties that taste great. Photo courtesy of University of Florida

USDA 1890 National Scholar Program Recipient Reflects on Experience at NIFA

The USDA 1890 National Scholar Program, a partnership between USDA and the 1890 Land-grant Universities, aims to encourage students at 1890 Institutions to pursue food and agriculture career paths. Recipients receive academic aid and the potential opportunity for work experience at USDA. Diallo Patterson, a recent recipient of the 1890 National Scholar Program, shares a brief overview of his time spent working for USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. 

Photo courtesy of Diallo Patterson

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Impacts of NIFA-funded research and Extension programs on our Blog page.

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Children Youth and Families at Risk Sustainable Community Projects Technical Assistance Webinar

On Feb. 28 from 6-7 p.m. EST, NIFA's Children Youth and Families at Risk Sustainable Community Projects team will host a technical assistance webinar to discuss how to use NIFA resources and prepare a competitive application, adhering to Fiscal Year 2023 Request for Applications guidelines. Register.

NIFA Webinar Graphic

GusNIP Nutrition Incentive RFA Webinars

In March, NIFA, the USDA Food and Nutrition Service and NTAE Center staff for the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) will host webinars for applicants interested in applying to the GusNIP Nutrition Incentive Program. The webinars will focus on the Fiscal Year 2023 GusNIP Nutrition Incentive Program Request for Applications, covering general program guidelines, matching guidelines, SNAP/NAP policy, GusNIP NTAE Center’s Nutrition Incentive Hub free one-on-one support, and the required core firm-level and participant-level metrics. An evening timeframe is slated to accommodate applicants from insular areas. Registration is required.

• General Webinar: Monday, March 6, 2:30-4:30 p.m. EST - Register
• Insular Areas Webinar: Thursday, March 16, 4:30-6:30 p.m. EDT - Register

GusNIP NTAE RFA Webinars

In March, NIFA staff for the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) will host webinars for applicants interested in applying to the GusNIP Nutrition Incentive Program Training, Technical Assistance, Evaluation and Information Centers (NTAE) competitive program. An evening timeframe is slated to accommodate applicants from insular areas. Registration is required.

• General Webinar: Friday, March 10, 3-4 p.m. EST - Register
• Insular Areas Webinar: Tuesday, March 21, 5-6 p.m. EDT - Register

Live FAQ Session: Veterinary Services Grant Program

NIFA program staff will host a live FAQ session about the Veterinary Services Grant Program (VSGP) March 15 from 2 to 3 p.m. EDT. The goals of the VSGP are to support food animal veterinary medicine through Education, Extension, and Training funds for accredited schools and organizations and through Rural Practice Enhancement funds for veterinary clinics that provide services in veterinary shortage situation areas. 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. 

National 4-H Conference Registration Open

Registration is now open for the 2023 National 4-H Conference in Washington, D.C. Bringing hundreds of 4-H’ers to the nation’s capital each spring, National 4-H Conference is the flagship youth development opportunity of USDA. From April 14-19, the nationally recognized event is developing the next generation of leaders alongside more federal partners than ever before. Experience unparalleled discovery, learning, professional development and networking with 4-H’ers from around the world. The event features roundtable sessions, Youth Career Fair exhibitions, live “cool job” panels, community service, special events, assemblies and much more. Learn more and register online.

2023 National 4-H Conference “Join Us” graphic.

Harvesting Light to Grow Food and Clean Energy Together

People are increasingly trying to grow both food and clean energy on the same land to help meet the challenges of climate change, drought and a growing global population that just topped 8 billion. This effort includes agrivoltaics, in which crops are grown under the shade of solar panels, ideally with less water. Now scientists from the University of California, Davis, are investigating how to better harvest the sun — and its optimal light spectrum — to make agrivoltaic systems more efficient in arid agricultural regions like California. Learn more about this NIFA-supported research here.

Solar panels emit a red light over tomato plants growing in a research field in 2022. Image courtesy of University of California, Davis

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.

Career opportunity NIFA graphic.

On Feb. 23, NIFA National Program Leader John Erickson will be speaking at #AgOutlook23 in a session titled, "Ag Biotech - New Horizons: Broad industry perspective on Executive Order Advancing Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Innovation." Learn more: https://bit.ly/AgOut23

NIFA graphic