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Making a Difference
Nevada Researcher Aims to Improve Sorghum Hybrids for Dairy Cattle Feed
USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) recognizes the need for the continuing development of new plant cultivars to meet the growing challenges posed by climate change and the growing global population.
The Plant Breeding for Agricultural Production program area priority in NIFA's Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) supports these goals by providing funding for fundamental, innovative breeding research across a wide variety of agronomic and specialty crops as well as wild relatives and timber species relevant to U.S. agriculture. With AFRI support, one researcher at the University of Nevada, Reno has made an important breakthrough related to grain sorghum. Read more about this research.
University of Nevada, Reno researcher Dr. Melinda Yerka standing in a grain sorghum field. Image courtesy of the University of Nevada, Reno.
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Helpful Hints to Understanding NIFA’s Funding Opportunities
New to NIFA funding opportunities? Or maybe you’ve been a NIFA grant recipient before. Either way, NIFA has online resources available for potential applicants to our programs. As the extramural research funding agency at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, NIFA has about 70 grant programs that advance agricultural research, education and Cooperative Extension to solve societal challenges.
Read more to learn about the resources available on the NIFA website.
Hands on keyboard. Image courtesy of Adobe Stock.
The Year of the Periodical Cicadas
Depending on where you live, this spring you might hear a constant buzzing chorus from a particular insect—the periodical cicadas are emerging.
A rare dual brood emergence of cicadas is happening this spring, and it will not happen for another 221 years, according to entomologists. These insects can create sounds that often hit 90-100 decibels, which is louder than a hair dryer.
This year’s dual event will feature brood XIII, which emerges every 17 years and includes sections of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin, and brood XIX, which includes Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
Extension professionals in the affected states are doing their part to educate people about the noisy insects. Read more about their efforts.
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Milk to The Rescue for Diabetics? Illinois Project Creates First Insulin-Producing Cow
An unassuming brown bovine from the south of Brazil has made history as the first transgenic cow capable of producing human insulin in her milk.
The advancement, led by researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the Universidade de São Paulo, could herald a new era in insulin production, one day eliminating drug scarcity and high costs for people living with diabetes.
Illinois animal sciences professor Dr. Matt Wheeler is the lead author on a new Biotechnology Journal study describing the development of the insulin-producing cow, a proof-of-concept achievement that could be scaled up after additional testing and FDA approval.
Conservatively, Wheeler says if a cow could make 1 gram of insulin per liter and a typical Holstein makes 40 to 50 liters per day, that’s a lot of insulin. Especially since the typical unit of insulin equals 0.0347 milligrams.
Read more about this work that is supported in part by NIFA's Multistate Research Fund.
First insulin-producing cow. Image courtesy of the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
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USDA Invests in Clean Energy and Fertilizer Production to Strengthen American Farms and Businesses
USDA has announced it is investing $124 million in renewable energy and fertilizer production projects in 44 states to lower energy costs, generate new income and create jobs for U.S. farmers, ranchers, agricultural producers and rural small businesses. Read more about this investment and the projects funded.
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Demystifying the Panel Review Process for Grant Funding
Have you ever wondered how funding decisions are made? Do you have questions about serving on a Peer Review Panel and helping to make funding decision? If the answer to any of these questions is “yes,” register to attend the Grant Applicant/Awardee Technical Assistance session slated for May 2 at 12 p.m. EDT. You can submit questions now to have answered during the webinar.
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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 X (formerly 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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