Results
Blog
Memorial Day: NIFA Supports U.S. Military Community
May 27, 2022
USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) supports military members, veterans and military families through a variety of programs and services.
Blog
Mint Your Own Garden Gold
May 27, 2022
With support from USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and based at the nation’s Land-grant Institutions, Cooperative Extension offers a wealth of resources to help you turn waste into garden gold.
Blog
Cookbook App a Recipe for Success
May 27, 2022
A USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture-funded mobile app is helping food pantry clients gain confidence in preparing healthy meals.
Press Release
USDA NIFA Invests More Than $5M in Mitigating Antimicrobial Resistance Across the Food Chain
May 26, 2022
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) today announced an investment of more than $5 million to mitigate antimicrobial resistance across the food chain.
Blog
NIFA-Funded Research Strengthens Tools for Wildfire Management, Adaptation and Recovery
May 26, 2022
According to the USDA, more than 10 million acres have burned nationwide since 2015, causing billions of dollars in losses. Every year, USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) funds projects that reduce the risk of destructive wildfires and restore forest health while also developing novel approaches for growers and rural communities to adapt to the increasing threat.
Impact
University of Connecticut Supports Connecticut’s Greenhouse Industry – An Integral Part of Agriculture
May 26, 2022
Greenhouses in Connecticut represent over one third of the state’s vibrant $4.7 billion agricultural economy and are integral to the success of all agricultural businesses, according to a 2021 study by Farm Credit East. The total economic impact of the 583 greenhouse businesses in the state was $390 million in 2020.
Blog
National Wine Day: Growing Great Grapes
May 25, 2022
Grapes are the highest-value fruit crop grown in the U.S. To find the best grapes for U.S. growers and wine producers, researchers at Land-grant Universities across the country are testing the performance and resulting wine quality of different grape varieties, including traditional, lesser-known, and new varieties.
Blog
Celebrating 30 Years of SNAP-Ed
May 24, 2022
This month, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – Education (SNAP-Ed) celebrates 30 years of providing evidence-based nutrition education and obesity prevention interventions and projects for those eligible for SNAP benefits. Through complementary direct education, multi-level interventions, and community and public health approaches to improve nutritional health of historically underserved populations, this federally funded grant program has impacted lives for three decades.
Press Release
USDA NIFA Invests $25M in Meat and Poultry Agriculture Workforce Training
May 24, 2022
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) today announced an investment of $40 million, as part of the American Rescue Plan for meat and poultry agriculture workforce training.
Impact
Nanotechnology in Agriculture and Food Systems
May 24, 2022
Nanotechnology refers to the science and engineering of tiny objects between one and 100 nanometers (a nanometer is one billionth of a meter). Researchers and farmers need nanotechnology, such as nanoscale biosensors and nanoparticles, to get an inside look at and manipulate processes like the spread of pathogens.
Impact
Yes, Allergy Seasons Are Getting Worse. Blame Climate Change
May 23, 2022
If you live with seasonal allergies and feel like the pollen seasons feel longer and longer every year, you may be right. New research shows that pollen seasons start 20 days earlier, are 10 days longer, and feature 21% more pollen than in 1990—meaning more days of itchy, sneezy, drippy misery. Led by William Anderegg of the University of Utah School of Biological Sciences, the researchers found that human-caused climate change played a significant role in pollen season lengthening and a partial role in pollen amount increasing. Their research, funded in part by USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Blog
World Bee Day: May 20
May 20, 2022
There are over 20,000 known bee species in the world, and 4,000 of them are native to the United States, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. They range from the tiny (2 mm) and solitary Perdita minima, known as the world’s smallest bee, to kumquat-sized species of carpenter bees.
Impact
Horticulture Champion
May 19, 2022
Sue Barton’s role at the University of Delaware (UD) is the perfect embodiment of the University’s Land-grant mission. She teaches. She conducts research. And she takes UD’s knowledge to the public. Barton is both a professor in the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences and Cooperative Extension specialist of ornamental horticulture.
Blog
Planting for the Future
May 18, 2022
A name like Junior Master Gardeners evokes images of planting seeds with a hope for a bountiful harvest. But the bountiful harvest that Cooperative Extension educators want to achieve isn’t vegetables or fruits. Rather, the Junior Master Gardener® (JMG ®) program works to grow an even more important resource.
Blog
University of Hawaiʻi Maui College Expands Aquaponics Training
May 18, 2022
At the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College, educators have launched the Adapting Precision Farming Technologies for Sustainable Aquaponics Systems
Announcement
The General Services Administration (GSA)/System for Award Management (SAM) is Experiencing Delays
May 17, 2022
The General Services Administration (GSA)/System for Award Management (SAM) is experiencing delays processing certain private entity registration information for new registrants, updates to existing entity registrations and annual renewals.
Blog
AgMIP Co-Founder Cynthia Rosenzweig Receives 2022 World Food Prize
May 17, 2022
Dr. Cynthia Rosenzweig, a senior research scientist and head of the Climate Impacts Group at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), has received the 2022 World Food Prize from the World Food Prize Foundation. According to the World Food Prize Foundation, the World Food Prize is a prestigious international award conceived as the "Nobel Prize for Food and Agriculture" with a mission to elevate innovations and inspire action to sustainably increase the quality, quantity and availability of food for all.
Blog
You Say Tomato, I Say Okay!
May 16, 2022
May is National Salad Month! Created by the Association for Dressing and Sauces in 1992, National Salad Month encourages people to incorporate more salads into their daily food regimen. 
Blog
May: Mental Health Awareness Month
May 16, 2022
Mental health is an often-overlooked challenge farmers face nationwide. Farmland loss and land access issues, rising production costs, plummeting farm incomes, climate change and, most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic are contributing to a mental health crisis within the farming community. Suicide rates among farmers and ranchers are well above the national average, while mental health services are less available and accessible in rural areas, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Blog
May 13 - National Apple Pie Day: Getting to the Core of NIFA-funded Apple Research
May 13, 2022
Apples are the most consumed fruit in the U.S., followed closely by oranges. In 2019, the average U.S. per person consumption of all forms of apples had increased to about 26.3 pounds. The per person consumption of apple juice and cider decreased to 12.6 pounds. The consumption of fresh market apples in 2019 accounted for 10 pounds, according to USDA’s Economic Research Service.
Impact
Hope to Dream: Mobile County SNAP-Ed Educator Facilitates Bed Donation
May 12, 2022
The suspense grew and grew one recent Saturday afternoon at Craighead Elementary School in Mobile, Alabama. Suspicions were eventually met with screams of joy as 75 third-grade students learned they were getting their own twin Sealy mattress, frame and bedding ensemble to be delivered to their home. The beds were donated to the students through a partnership with the Alabama Extension Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education department (SNAP-Ed), 1915 South, and Ashley Furniture’s Hope to Dream program.
Impact
Building Legacy Together: Our Communities’ Journey of Strength and Resilience
May 12, 2022
With support from USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Land-grant Universities in the Pacific Islands carry out innovative education, applied research and related community development programs that create stronger, more resilient Pacific Islander communities. Learn about the innovative research being conducted at the University of Guam.
Press Release
NIFA Invests Nearly $4M in Two New Centers of Excellence at 1890 Land-grant Institutions
May 11, 2022
NIFA announced today an investment of nearly $4 million for two new 1890 Centers of Excellence grants.
Blog
Utah Plant Pest Diagnostic Lab Wins NPDN’s Rotten Tuber Award for ‘Hazmat Team Called for Bee Excrement!’
May 11, 2022
The Utah Plant Pest Diagnostic Lab at Utah State University recently was awarded first place in the National Plant Diagnostic Network (NPDN)’s Rotten Tuber Awards for its submission, “Hazmat Team Called for Bee Excrement!” The Rotten Tuber Awards recognize unique samples that leave plant diagnosticians asking themselves, “What was this person thinking when they sent this sample?” 
Blog
National Plant Diagnostic Network Recognizes Outstanding Service, Lifetime Achievement
May 10, 2022
The National Plant Diagnostic Network (NPDN) recently recognized several members for outstanding service and lifetime achievement. The NPDN is an internationally respected consortium of plant diagnostic laboratories. It was established in 2002 by USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and the Office of Homeland Security to enhance agricultural biosecurity by detecting instances of biological attacks. 