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Making a Difference
The Perfect Recipe: Extension, College and Experiment Station
The Land-grant University System was created through the First and Second Morrill Acts. At its most basic level, the tripartite mission of the Land-grant University System is to teach, conduct research and provide service to communities. USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) supports the Land-grant mission in a variety of ways including both capacity and competitive funding.
Read more about how Auburn University, Alabama Extension and the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Stations are succeeding in their mission by tackling the three elements as an integrated whole rather than as separate parts.
Producers on a field day tour. Image courtesy of Alabama Extension.
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USDA, Cooperative Extension & APLU Award 2024 Top Honors in Extension Excellence and Diversity
USDA NIFA, Cooperative Extension and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) have announced the 2024 awards for Extension Excellence and Diversity. The awards recognize visionary leadership and diversity in educational programming. The awards were presented recently at the APLU Annual Meeting in Orlando, FL. Read more about the awards and this year’s recipients.
Star Award. Image courtesy of Adobe Stock.
Technical Assistance Webinar on NIFA Reporting Activities
The recording for the latest installment of NIFA’s Grant Applicant/Awardee Technical Assistance (GAATA) series is now available on the NIFA website. The November session covered NIFA reporting activities, where experts explained the differences between competitive and capacity reporting, and provided guidance on how to resolve common user issues in REEport and the NIFA Reporting System.
Upcoming NAAAN Webinar
The North American Agricultural Advisory Network (NAAAN) will take an in-depth look at how Canada’s Living Labs bring together farmers, scientists, innovators and leaders to collaboratively tackle some of agriculture’s biggest challenges. The webinar, CONVERSATION on NAAAN CONNECT on Canada’s Living Labs, will be Thursday, Dec.12 at noon EST.
The Living Labs are leading the way in sustainable farming solutions, focusing on critical issues like soil health, water quality and biodiversity. The webinar will explore this network of more than 1,000 active participants and 200+ innovation activities.
This session will be accessible in English, Spanish and French. Register here.
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NIFA Announces New Investments in Tribal Students and Higher Education
NIFA has announced an investment of $5 million for 15 projects to support Tribal students at Land-grant colleges and universities on their path to higher education. This announcement is part of NIFA’s New Beginning for Tribal Students (NBTS) Program that supports Land-grant colleges and universities.
NIFA Invests $14 Million to Further Food Safety Outreach and Defense
NIFA has announced a $14 million investment to support food safety research, outreach and workforce training. The investment for 12 projects to strengthen the safety of our nation’s food supply. NIFA is investing $4.5 million to support research under its Food Safety and Defense Program, which funds basic and applied research projects aimed at reducing food contamination risks by developing methods and procedures to identify, detect, enumerate, reduce and/or mitigate pathogens, allergens, physical hazards or heavy metals in foods. Additionally, NIFA is investing $9.6 million in 23 projects under its Food Safety Outreach Program, which provides customized food safety education, training and technical assistance for operators of small to mid-size farms and food processing facilities; veteran, beginning and underserved farmers and ranchers; and small-scale vegetable and fruit merchant wholesalers.
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New Illinois Study Explores Adoption of Robotic Weeding to Fight Superweeds
The evolution of superweeds with resistance to common herbicides is jeopardizing current weed management strategies. Agricultural robotics for mechanical weeding is an emerging technology that could potentially provide a solution. A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign looks at the types of farmers and fields more likely to adopt weeding robots and at what stage of resistance development.
The researchers examined the effect of two different types of weed management strategies that farmers could deploy. They also considered weed seed density, weed resistance level and economic thresholds that would trigger the adoption of robot weeding at the farm level. Read more about the Illinois researchers’ work.
New Illinois study explores adoption of robotic weeding to fight superweeds. Image courtesy of University of Illinois.
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Seize the Moment: Host the 2026 G20 MACS
The U.S. will host the G20 in 2026. USDA and Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR) are seeking a site host for the 2026 G20 Meeting of Agricultural Chief Scientists (G20 MACS). This is a fantastic opportunity to showcase your organization and contribute to global agricultural research. Please review the Request for Proposal (RFP) and share with relevant stakeholders. View a webinar at 1 p.m. EST, Monday, Nov. 25, to learn more about the process and how to submit a proposal.
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REEport Updates to Improve Public Access
USDA Departmental Regulation (DR) 1020-006 requires all peer-reviewed, scholarly publications and digital scientific research data assets arising from unclassified scientific research supported wholly or in part by the USDA be accessible to the public, to the extent practicable. For more information on these requirements, see the Public Access for NIFA-Funded Work webpage.
To comply with DR 1020-006, NIFA has made several updates to its Research, Extension, and Education Project Online Reporting Tool (REEport). REEport Annual Progress Reports and REEport Final Reports now include updates to two fields and six new fields.
See the REEport User Guide for more information. Contact the REEport Help Desk at Electronic@usda.gov with questions or concerns.
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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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