Number of AFRI FY 2024 Commodity Board Co-Funding Topics Breaks Record; Expands Focus on Nutrition

The topics — published in a modification to the Fiscal Year 2024 AFRI Foundational and Applied Science Request for Applications under the program area priority A1811 AFRI Commodity Board Co-funding Topics — are the highest number of co-funded research topics AFRI has ever received from commodity boards. 

“This year’s commodity board topics will help us further discovery within the six farm bill priority areas that form the basis for our AFRI programs,” said NIFA Director Dr. Manjit Misra. “The research being solicited through these topics also promises to have a strong economic impact on their commodity boards’ respective industries and U.S. agriculture as a whole.” 

In addition to the number of topics, also notable this year is an expanded focus on Food Safety, Nutrition and Health. Most of the topics in previous years focused on Plant Health and Production and Plant Products research areas.  

The 10 participating boards are: 

• National Pork Board 
• National Peanut Board 
• Dairy Management, Inc. 
• American Egg Board 
• USA Dry Pea and Lentil 
• United Soybean Board 
• United Sorghum Checkoff Program 
• California Walnut Commission 
• The Cotton Board 
• California Prune Board 

NIFA staff attributed this year’s greater number of topics to an expanded outreach effort in issuing a call for topics to the nation’s commodity boards. Working with the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service and the USDA Food and Nutrition Service, NIFA cast a wider net in inviting topics from eligible commodity boards that can participate in the program. 

The maximum award amounts for each topic area are determined by the commodity board proposing the co-funding topic. The commodity board and AFRI each contribute roughly half of the budget. Normally only one proposal per topic is funded, but additional proposals that meet NIFA’s rigorous peer review criteria may be funded if monies are available.  

All applications to the A1811 AFRI Commodity Board Co-funding Topics are due on August 1, 2024.