|
Making A Difference
 Green beans, courtesy of Adobe Stock.
Growing Hawaiʻi’s New Farmers
Hawaiʻi imports about 85-90% of its food, making it vulnerable to food supply disruptions. Additionally, the state struggles with an aging farmer population and lack of farm labor. As USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) celebrates Asian American and Native Hawaiʻian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month, NIFA is proud to support the University of Hawaiʻi as it grows the state’s next generation of farmers. Learn more about GoFarm Hawaiʻi here.
|
|
News from NIFA
NIFA Honors Veterans and Military Service Members on Memorial Day and Every Day
NIFA supports military members, veterans and their families through work initiatives and a variety of programs and services. In May, NIFA honors Memorial Day and Mental Health Awareness Month by offering webinars and through veteran-centric grant programs. Many veterans are finding healing and success through cultivating new careers in growing and supplying food and contributing to increased food security nationwide. Learn more about how NIFA supports veterans.
NIFA Memorial Day graphic.
|
|
Nominations Sought for the 2023 Seaman A. Knapp Lecture
NIFA and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) sponsor a lecture presented at the APLU annual meeting. The lecture series honors three men who helped create the Land-grant University system: Seaman A. Knapp for Extension; William Henry Hatch for research; and Justin Smith Morrill for whom the Morrill Act creating the Land-grant University system is named. This year, the lecture series honors Knapp.
NIFA and APLU are looking for a dynamic speaker, who can provoke discussion among meeting participants, with an insightful lecture to be given prior to the virtual APLU annual meeting in November in Seattle, Washington. While the groups seek recommendations from those within the Land-grant University system, nominations are encouraged from all sources.
Recommendations should be submitted online on or before July 31.
Seaman A. Knapp, courtesy of the USDA’s National Agricultural Library.
Read More:
Impacts of NIFA-funded research and Extension programs on our Blog page.
|
|
|
Award Announcements
NIFA Invests $12 Million to Improve Plant Production
NIFA will support 22 projects with almost $12 million for research to improve plant production, which is critical to the sustainability and competitiveness of U.S. agriculture. Future improvements to production systems require a better understanding of interrelated factors affecting agricultural plants and their nutritional quality, water- and nutrient-use efficiency, and resilience to climate variability. The program supports research that addresses these needs at the molecular, cellular, biochemical and whole-organism levels.
Awardees:Auburn University; Clemson University; Dartmouth College; Duke University; Marquette University; Montana State University; Penn State; Purdue University; South Dakota State University; Texas Tech University; University of Florida (two awards); University of Idaho; University of Massachusetts Amherst; University of Minnesota Duluth; University of Minnesota Twin Cities (two awards); University of Missouri–Columbia; University of Nevada, Reno; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; USDA's Agricultural Research Service; and Washington State University.
NIFA Invests $6.2 Million to Advance Agricultural Biosecurity
NIFA has awarded $6.2 million to 12 projects focused on increasing the national capacity to prevent, rapidly detect and respond to biological threats to the U.S. agriculture and food supply. Supported projects are aimed at increasing agricultural biosecurity at the regional and national levels and across the public and private sectors.
Awardees: BioStone Animal Health, LLC; Iowa State University; Oregon State University; Purdue University; Rochester Institute of Technology; University of Maryland; University of Florida; University of Georgia; University of Wisconsin–Madison; University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa; USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service; and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
NIFA to Invest $12.7 Million in Sustainable Agroecosystems Efforts
NIFA has award $12.7 million to 26 projects focused on improving ecosystem health and production output in managed systems — like croplands, forests and rangelands — currently under stress or at risk from climate change, pests, pathogens, invasive plants and increased environmental pressures. Projects will advance new approaches that significantly increase ecosystem health and resilience, particularly in response to climate change, along with the output or value of more than one ecosystem service.
Awardees: Clemson University; Colorado State University (3 awards); Indiana University; Iowa State University; Louisiana State University; Montana State University; The Ohio State University; Penn State; Rocky Mountain Research Station, USDA Forest Service; Stanford University; Texas A&M AgriLife Research; University of Arizona; University of Arkansas; University of California, Berkeley; University of California, Davis; University of Colorado Boulder; University of Florida; University of Idaho; University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; University of Kansas; University of Maine (2 awards); University of Nebraska-Lincoln; University of Vermont; University of Wisconsin–Madison; and West Virginia University.
|
|
NIFA webinar graphic.
|
|
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.
|
|
|
Impact of NIFA-Funded Research and Outreach
Not Just for Sleep: Melatonin Awakens MSU Scientists to its Health Benefits for Cattle
Those needing extra sleep often reach for a bottle of melatonin, but Mississippi State University (MSU) scientists are discovering a host of other proven and potential health benefits for cattle who receive the supplement.
MSU faculty and students in the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences and the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station are making intriguing discoveries about the functions of melatonin in the bovine body and how this hormone can help support cattle health. Learn more about their research here.
Beef cattle, courtesy of Adobe Stock.
|
|
|
News from USDA
Office of Science and Technology Policy Hosting Listening Sessions
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy is seeking input from undergraduate students, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows from a diverse range of backgrounds and disciplines, as well as those involved in training and capacity building, including librarians, educators and administrators. The virtual listening sessions are open to the public.
Open Science Possibilities for Equitable Participation and Access: Perspectives from Early Career Researchers at Emerging Research Institutions on Monday, June 5, at 1 p.m. EDT
-
Who: The public, including undergraduates, graduate students and postdoctoral researchers from emerging research institutions, including Minority Serving Institutions, Tribal Colleges and Universities, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, community colleges, and primarily undergraduate institutions.
Open Science Possibilities for Career Advancement: Perspectives from Early Career Researchers on Opportunities and Challenges in Career Progression and Trajectory on Tuesday, June 6, at 3 p.m. EDT
-
Who: The public, including undergraduates, graduate students and postdoctoral researchers
Open Science Possibilities for Training and Capacity Building: Perspectives from the Early Career Researcher-Supporting Community on Monday, June 12 at 1 p.m. EDT
-
Who: The public, including trainers, librarians, college and university administrators or any other staff supporting the early career researcher community in capacity building for open science
USDA graphic symbol.
|
USDA Foreign Ag Service Accepting FY2023 Scientific Cooperation Research Program Proposals
USDA’s Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS) is now accepting proposals for the FY2023 Scientific Cooperation Research Program (SCRP). FAS recommends institutions of higher education, specifically, the U.S. Land-grant Colleges and Universities collaborate on these limited opportunities. Applications are due by July 7 and should be by submitted via ezFedGrants.
SCRP supports FAS’s strategic goals by mobilizing the scientific communities’ accumulated knowledge and technologies through the funding of joint research, Extension and education projects. These projects are between U.S. researchers and researchers from selected emerging market economies, last up to two years, and address such as agricultural trade and market access, animal and plant health, biotechnology, food safety and security, climate smart agriculture and sustainable natural resource management. Direct questions or requests for additional information to Chris Biles and Nicola Sakhleh Fellowship Programs, Global Programs.
|
|
Tweet of the Week
Hawaii imports about 85-90% of its food, making it vulnerable to food supply disruptions. The @ctahrces100 recognized the need to develop new farmers focused on commercial production and aid existing farms to increase yield and profitability.
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
