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Making A Difference
 Pregnant woman selecting produce. Image courtesy of Adobe stock.
NIFA and USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service Partner to Invest in a Strong and Diverse WIC Workforce
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded a cooperative agreement to Regents of the University of Minnesota to support the development of the public health workforce in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, commonly known as WIC. This cooperative agreement is part of a joint initiative between USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) intended to improve the health of WIC participants by increasing the diversity and cultural competency of the WIC workforce and promoting culturally responsive care.
“NIFA works to equip the current and future nutrition workforce with the knowledge and skills needed to address emerging challenges through our connections to the Land-grant University System,” said NIFA Director Dr. Manjit Misra. “We are excited to partner with our FNS colleagues and Regents of the University of Minnesota to both strengthen and diversify the WIC workforce.”
WIC is a powerful public health program administered by FNS. The program provides nutritious foods, nutrition education, breastfeeding promotion and support, and referrals to health care and other important services to moms, babies and young children. These benefits are proven to help improve health outcomes and diet quality during critical life stages. Read more about this effort.
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News from NIFA
UC Davis Releases 5 Strawberry Varieties Resistant to Deadly Fungal Disease
The University of California, Davis, has released five new strawberry varieties that are resistant to the soilborne disease Fusarium wilt, have high yields and improved fruit quality. The breeding research was supported by a $6.2 million Specialty Crop Research Initiative grant from NIFA.
Fusarium wilt didn’t present much of a danger to strawberry crops until after the fumigant methyl bromide was phased out of use in the United States in 2005. But the pathogen had always been in the soil, and cases of wilt appeared a year later and increased over time, leading to concerns that a Fusarium wilt pandemic could destroy the crop in California.
Learn more about the impact these cultivars are expected to have on California’s strawberry production.
UC Eclipse cultivar in hoop house. Image courtesy of UC Davis.
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Award Announcements
NIFA Invests $7.1 Million in Critical Agricultural Research and Extension
NIFA is investing more than $7 million in 24 Critical Agricultural Research and Extension program projects. The Critical Agricultural Research and Extension program area priority within the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) supports projects that involve high-quality research and highly effective extension practices to quickly implement new knowledge and/or practices that improve aspects of the agriculture industry and food production system. It is a cross-cutting program, which means it addresses two or more of the six AFRI priority areas.
USDA Invests $300K in Response to Extreme Weather Events Across the U.S.
NIFA has funded — through the Rapid Response to Extreme Weather Events Across Food and Agriculture Systems program — a Louisiana State University project related to a tornado outbreak and high wind event. Rapid responses to extreme weather events are critical to maintaining a secure, accessible, safe, nutritious, affordable and abundant food supply. Innovative Extension and applied research efforts are needed to alleviate the impacts of extreme weather and disasters across the food and agricultural system.
The Rapid Response to Extreme Weather Events program, funded through the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), is designed to rapidly deploy strategies and fill knowledge and information gaps to protect the nation’s food and agricultural supply chains — from production through consumption — during and after extreme weather and disasters.
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Impact of NIFA-Funded Research and Outreach
Oklahoma Land-grant Universities Coming Together: A Multi-Cultural Showcase
The Oklahoma Coming Together Cohort consists of the Extension departments from Langston University, Oklahoma State University and College of Muscogee Nation. The showcase was created to provide opportunities for people to learn about other cultures, build relationships and bring awareness to diversity, equity and inclusion.
Learn more about the Coming Together initiative in Oklahoma.
Oklahoma Coming Together Multi-Cultural Showcase participants. Image courtesy of Langston University.
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USDA News
USDA Introduces Geospatial Data Product to Show Crop Rotation Patterns
USDA has unveiled a geospatial product called Crop Sequence Boundaries (CSB) that offers public access to national-scale visual crop rotation data for the first time. The new tool was developed by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) and Economic Research Service (ERS), two of the department’s statistical scientific research agencies.
CSB incorporates technological advances in satellite imagery and high-performance cloud computing with Google Earth Engine. It is one of several tools that NASS and its partners have developed over the years to support agricultural analyses and to make data more accessible and valuable to the public.
Learn more about this new tool.
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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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