Making a Difference

USDA Invests Funds to Support Hispanic-serving Institutions, Students on the Road to Educational Success

USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced recently an investment of $15.5 million in the Hispanic-serving Institutions (HSI) Education Grants Program.

The Hispanic-serving Institutions Education Grants Program promotes and strengthens the ability of HSIs to carry out higher education programs in the food and agricultural sciences. The nation’s 572 HSIs educate more than 5 million students every year and over 3 million are Hispanic.

This program aligns with USDA’s efforts to cultivate the next generation of food and agricultural professionals and build the workforce of the future by providing academic support and career opportunities to enhance and increase access for Hispanic and underrepresented students.

Learn more about the program and the 25 projects at 21 different HSIs being funded.

Hispanic family celebrating graduation. Image courtesy of Getty Images.

News from NIFA

AgrAbility: Helping Overcome the Odds

For more than 30 years, the AgrAbility Program, supported by USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, has helped to empower individuals with disabilities to keep doing what they love. AgrAbility’s efforts have helped enhance quality of life, not only for individuals, but also for families and communities. 

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, data gathered from 2019 indicate that the agricultural sector is still the most dangerous in America with 573 fatalities, or an equivalent of 23.1 deaths per 100,000 workers.

Over the years, AgrAbility has provided direct, on-site services to more than 13,600 farmers and their families. Read more and learn from two program participants how the program has helped them stay on the farm.

AgrAbility participant using a lift to reach tractor cab. Image courtesy of National AgrAbility Project.

In Case You Missed It

ASAP System Available on November 10

The Automated Standard Application for Payments (ASAP) system will be available on Friday, November 10, to draw down funds, make payment requests and view accounts. ASAP is an electronic application that federal agencies use to quickly and securely transfer money to recipient organizations.

Upcoming Training Opportunities for NIFA Awardees: Reporting Intellectual Property Generated with NIFA Funding on iEdison

NIFA award recipients are encouraged to attend a three-part training on the new iEdison system beginning November 15. iEdison is the online reporting system used by NIFA recipients of federal funding agreements to report subject inventions to the agency under the Bayh-Dole Act requirements. NIFA awardees have specific requirements for invention reporting, which are contained in the NIFA agency’s terms and conditions, a copy of which can be provided upon request.

Learn more about the training. For additional information, contact Libby Bernal, Biological Science Specialist–Data Analyst, at Libia.Bernal@usda.gov

• November 2, 2:30 p.m. EDT: Rapid Response to Extreme Weather Events Across Food and Agriculture Systems
• November 6, 3:30 p.m. EST: NIFA Food and Nutrition Security Webinar Series: Promoting Youth Voice
• November 8, 3 p.m. EST: NIFA Nutrition Security Webinar: Promoting Indigenous Food Sovereignty
• November 8, 4 p.m. EST: Technical Assistance Webinar: Specialty Crop Research Initiative 2024 Request for Pre-Applications
• November 15, 1:30 p.m. EST: Promoting Health & Wellness Through Head Start Partnerships
• November 16, 2:30 p.m. EST: 2024 National 4-H Conference Information Session
• December 6, 3 p.m. EST: Transdisciplinary Approaches: The Science of Team Science

NIFA Graphic.

Impact of NIFA-Funded Research and Outreach

Climate Change to Drive Surge in Insects That Attack Almonds, Peaches, Walnuts

As a result of climate change, California farms are expected to face a surge in agricultural pests, which poses a threat to the state’s specialty crops industry. Populations of three major insect pests – codling moth, peach twig borer and oriental fruit moth — are projected to increase mainly due to rising temperatures, according to a study recently published in the journal “Science of the Total Environment” by a team of researchers at University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources and the U.S. Department of Agriculture California Climate Hub.

Climate change can lead to shifts in the timing of seasons, including warmer winters, earlier springs and hotter summers, and these conditions can disrupt the natural life cycles of pests. Read more about this NIFA-supported research.

Oriental fruit moth is a major pest of peaches. Image by Jack Kelly Clark and courtesy of University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources.

News from USDA

USDA Appoints New Members to Food Safety Advisory Committee

USDA announced the appointment of 21 new members and nine returning members to the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods. The purpose of the committee is to provide impartial scientific advice and recommendations to federal food safety agencies that assures the safety of foods.

Members of the committee are chosen based on their expertise in microbiology, risk assessment, epidemiology, public health, food science and other relevant disciplines. More than a third of the committee represent Land-grant Institutions. Learn more about the important work of the committee.

X Post of the Week

A team of University of Maryland researchers have sequenced the complete genome for einkorn wheat, the world’s first domesticated crop. The info will help identify genetic traits like tolerance to diseases, drought & heat, and re-introduce those traits to modern bread wheat.