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From the Director
Most of my career I have studied the science of seeds. Seeds are the foundation of life. They grow when they are planted in fertile soil and are well nurtured.
Over the past few weeks, I have been getting settled into the new environment where I have been planted as the director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. This agency is fertile ground, rich in enthusiasm, ideas and will power to serve our partners and stakeholders while producing agricultural innovation for the future.
I am so encouraged that NIFA stakeholders have extended such a warm welcome and are eager to meet. I look forward to beginning to meet with you very soon. I appreciate your patience while I first get acclimated and establish strong roots in my new role and with NIFA.
NIFA’s Stakeholder Affairs Officer Josh Stull will be back on duty with the agency soon and we will work together to accommodate meeting with as many of you as possible.
Dr. Manjit Misra
Director, National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Photo by Amy Vinchattle Photography,
courtesy of the Iowa State University.
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Making A Difference
Two farmers stand in a field of alfalfa, courtesy of Adobe Stock.
Land-grant Universities Support the ‘Queen of Forages’
Globally considered the “Queen of Forages,” alfalfa is the third most valuable field crop in the United States, with an estimated economic value of $8.7 billion a year, according to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistical Service. The United States grows about 23 million acres of alfalfa each year.
With funding from NIFA, Land-grant Universities are conducting research on the important forage as well as supporting the nation’s alfalfa industry through Cooperative Extension programs. Learn more about some of these projects, including those funded through NIFA’s Alfalfa Seed and Alfalfa Forage System Program.
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News from NIFA
Nominations Sought for the 2023 Seaman A. Knapp Lecture
Each year USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) joins with the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) to sponsor a lecture presented at the APLU annual meeting. The lecture honors one of the three most important historical figures of the Land-grant University system: William Henry Hatch for research; Seaman A. Knapp for Extension; and Justin Smith Morrill for whom the Morrill Act creating the Land-grant University system is named.
This year NIFA and APLU are seeking nominations to honor Seaman A. Knapp, the father of the Cooperative Extension concept. In 1906, Knapp initiated the county-agent plan and to promote the plan, organized boys’ cotton and corn growing clubs, followed by a girls’ corn and poultry club in 1910. These organizations were the forerunners of the modern 4-H Clubs. In today’s rapidly changing world, Cooperative Extension continues to evolve to meet the shifting local, national and global needs of the people it serves.
NIFA and APLU are looking for a dynamic speaker, who can provoke discussion among meeting participants, with an insightful topic for the formal lecture to be presented prior to the virtual APLU annual meeting in November 12-14, Seattle, Washington. While the groups seek recommendations from those within the Land-grant University system, nominations are encouraged from all sources.
Recommendations should include the name of the nominee, title, address, telephone number, email address and proposed topic. Recommendations should be submitted electronically online by July 31. A committee will review submissions and select a speaker.
Seaman A. Knapp, courtesy of the USDA’s National Agricultural Library
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Artificial Intelligence Accountability Policy Request for Comment
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) hereby requests comments on Artificial Intelligence (AI) system accountability measures and policies. This request focuses on self-regulatory, regulatory and other measures and policies that are designed to provide reliable evidence to external stakeholders—that is, to provide assurance—that AI systems are legal, effective, ethical, safe and otherwise trustworthy. NTIA will rely on these comments, along with other public engagements on this topic, to draft and issue a report on AI accountability policy development, focusing especially on the AI assurance ecosystem.
As our food, fiber and forestry systems rely on AI in many ways, from data analysis to robotic and drone controls, we encourage stakeholders in the research, education and Extension areas to comment on this topic.
National Telecommunications and Information Administration graphic logo.
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Award Announcements
NIFA Invests $26.7 Million to Further Research into Pests and Beneficial Species
NIFA is funding 68 projects through its Pests and Beneficial Species in Agricultural Production Systems program within the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative. Funded projects aim to advance knowledge of invasive or established plant pests and associated beneficial species leading to innovative and biologically based strategies to manage pests. Learn more about grant recipients and funded projects here.
NIFA Announces Almost $6.7 Million Investment in AFRI Foundational Knowledge of Plant Products Program
NIFA has awarded $6.7 million to 11 projects as part of AFRI’s Foundational Knowledge of Plant Products Program. The AFRI Foundational Knowledge of Plant Products (A1103) program supports projects to study the synthesis of plant-derived, high-value chemicals and ingredients for use in foods, pharmaceuticals, and other natural products. The intent of this program is for results to be translated into development of varieties that help create or meet emerging and future markets and contribute towards long-term demand for new agriculturally based industrial and food products.
Awardees: Agricultural Research Service; Cornell University; Ohio State University; Texas Tech University; University of Florida; University of Maryland; University of Tennessee; Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Washington State University; and West Virginia University
NIFA and Commodity Boards Announce $5.3 Million in Joint Funding
NIFA and various commodity boards recently announced the joint funding of 17 projects with a total investment of $5.3 million. These projects seek to improve crop production efficiency and advance solutions to critically important problems in U.S. agriculture to increase farmer profitability and sustainability. These grants are part of NIFA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI A1811).
Awardees: Hudson Alpha Institute for Biotechnology; North Carolina State University; Ohio State University (3 awards); Texas A&M AgriLife Research; Texas Tech University (2 awards); UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine; University of California Los Angeles; University of Georgia; University of North Texas; and University of Wisconsin
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NIFA webinar graphic.
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Application Deadlines
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.
NIFA Career Opportunities graphic.
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Impact of NIFA-Funded Research and Outreach
Study Finds Carrying Pollen Heats Up Bumble Bees, Raising New Climate Change Questions
A new study from North Carolina State University finds carrying pollen is a workout that significantly increases the body temperature of bumble bees. This new understanding of active bumble bee body temperatures raises questions about how these species will be impacted by a warmer world due to climate change. Learn more about this recently published research.
Bumble bee on flower. Photo courtesy of Malia Naumchik.
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News from USDA
USDA Funds 36 Projects Aimed at Connecting Families to WIC through Partnership with FRAC as part of Investing in America Agenda
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), through a cooperative agreement with USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) and the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), has awarded $16 million in subgrants funding from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 to 36 projects aimed at testing innovative outreach strategies to increase participation and equity in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, known as WIC. The WIC Community Innovation and Outreach Project, or WIC CIAO, subgrantees include WIC state and local agencies and community-based organizations, including four subgrants led by tribal nations or entities. Read more about these projects here.
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The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is committed to ensuring that its programs and services are accessible to all individuals, including individuals with disabilities and individuals with limited English proficiency. If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in any NIFA event, please contact the appropriate Program staff no later than 10 days prior to the event. To find Program staff by event, please visit the NIFA Calendar of Events. NIFA Language access services, such as interpretation or translation of vital information, will be provided free of charge to limited English proficient individuals upon request. If you need interpretation or translation services please visit NIFA language services or contact Lois Tuttle, Equal Opportunity Specialist, at Lois.Tuttle@usda.gov or (443) 386-9488 no later than 10 days prior to the event.
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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