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Tackling the U.S. Food Animal Veterinarian Shortage: NIFA’s Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program
Food animal veterinarians are critical to maintaining a healthy, secure, and safe food supply. Today, there is a critical shortage of food animal veterinarians in both private and public practice, particularly in rural communities in…
Impact
Bees Interrupted
Michigan is home to 465 bee species, and each one plays a role in the states’ ecosystems. Photo of honey bee, courtesy of Getty Images. Michigan is home to 465 bee species, and each one plays a role in the states’ ecosystems. During…
Blog
The “Caminos: Thesis Competition” Program
The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) supports cutting-edge discoveries from research laboratories to farms, classrooms, and communities. The “Caminos: Thesis Competition” program helped prepare young Hispanic scholars…
Impact
Cheap, User-Friendly Smartphone App Predicts Vineyard Yields
Taking a photo of grapes in vineyard. Image courtesy of Getty Images. Cornell University engineers and plant scientists have teamed up to develop a low-cost system that allows grape growers to predict their yields much earlier in the…
Press Release
NIFA Invests $14.5M in Economics, Markets, Trade, Environmental and Natural Resources
Large wheel irrigation system on western farm; image courtesy of Getty Images KANSAS CITY, Mo., May 19, 2021 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) invested $14.5 million in…
Press Release
NIFA Invests Over $2.3M for Small Business Innovation Research
A bee gathers pollen from a blueberry bush, courtesy of Getty Images. KANSAS CITY, Mo., May 18, 2021 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced today an investment…
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Helpful Hints for New Investigators
Do you have questions about how to apply for a grant as a New Investigator? This handy guide provides answers.
Impact
CRISPR/Cas Technology Could Enable Early Diagnosis of Devastating Citrus Disease
CRISPR/Cas Technology Could Enable Early Diagnosis of Devastating Citrus Disease. Image of citrus greening, a disease that causes green, misshapen, and bitter citrus fruit; courtesy of USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service…
Press Release
USDA Awards $5.76 Million in Support of Four Centers of Excellence at 1890 Institutions
KANSAS CITY, Mo., May 12, 2021 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced today an investment of $5.76 million for four 1890 Centers of Excellence grants to 1890 land…
Press Release
USDA-NIFA, CDC and Cooperative Extension Team Up for Vaccine Education in Rural America
KANSAS CITY, Mo., May 12, 2021 – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently provided $9.95 million in funding to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to support an…
Blog
New SARE Video Centers on Social Sustainability
SARE’s new “Social Sustainability” animation addresses the importance of human resilience, success and fulfillment in sustainable agriculture. The fourth episode in SARE’s “What is Sustainable Agriculture?” series introduces key…
Impact
Scientists Make Wheat Gene Discovery
Oklahoma State University Professor Liuling Yan. Photo courtesy of Todd Johnson, OSU Agricultural Communications Services. A gene discovery in a wheat variety developed at Oklahoma State University (OSU) could mean larger yields for…
Press Release
NIFA Invests $17.2M for Ag Education and Workforce Development
Woman operating drone over agricultural field, courtesy of Adobe Stock. KANSAS CITY, Mo., May 5, 2021 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced today an investment of …
Press Release
NIFA Invests Over $8.65M for Plant Breeding
Lab worker holding beaker containing plant. Courtesy of Getty Images. KANSAS CITY, Mo., April 26, 2021 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) invested over $8.65 million in 22…
Impact
Golf Course Turfgrass Species 'Remembers' if it was Mowed, Develops Differently
Greens-type Poa annua surrounded by creeping bentgrass (notice how the bentgrass grows so much taller than the greens-type Poa). Image courtesy of Penn State’s Dave Huff. Poa annua, or annual bluegrass, a turfgrass species commonly…
Press Release
NIFA Invests Over $14.3M for Ag Workforce Training and Rural Economic Development
Farming instructor with apprentice in agricultural field. Courtesy of Adobe Stock. KANSAS CITY, Mo., April 12, 2021 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) recently awarded $9.44…
Press Release
NIFA Invests Over $9.5M for Food, Nutrition, and Human Health Promotion
Scientist looks at food genetic sequence on laptop. Courtesy of Adobe Stock. KANSAS CITY, Mo., April 9, 2021 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) recently awarded $5.82…
Blog
Investing in U.S. Food Supply Chain Resiliency
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, shutdowns caused the U.S. food supply system to face a sudden shift from food consumed away from home to food consumed at home.
Press Release
NIFA Invests $10.77M in Agricultural Animal Reproduction, Welfare and Wellbeing Research
KANSAS CITY, Mo., April 8, 2021 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) recently awarded $6.72 million in funding for 15 grants to enhance animal reproduction, and $4.05 million in…
Impact
OSU Forms Food Industry Consortium to Advance Commercialization of Ultra-Shear Technology
Food quality control expert inspecting specimens of groceries in the laboratory; image courtesy of Getty Images Researchers at The Ohio State University’s (OSU) College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) have…
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New “Cover Crops and Soil Health” Video from SARE
The newest episode of SARE’s “What is Sustainable Agriculture” animation series illustrates how producers can use cover crops to improve productivity and sustainability. In just a few short minutes, “Cover Crops and Soil Health”…
Press Release
NIFA Invests $15.5M in Food and Agriculture Cyberinformatics Tools to Boost Agricultural Production
KANSAS CITY, Mo., April 5, 2021 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) invested a total of $15M in two key programs awarded through its Agriculture and Food Research Initiative …
Impact
Genome Sequenced for Pesky Pumpkin Pathogen
Rikky Rai waters pumpkin plants in a University of Illinois greenhouse. Photo courtesy of Montgomery Flack. Pumpkin growers dread the tiny tan scabs that form on their fruit, each lesion a telltale sign of bacterial spot disease. The…
Blog
Hispanic-Serving Institutions Spotlight: Puerto Rico Natural Resources Career Tracks
The Puerto Rico Natural Resources Career Track (PRNRCT) is a collaboration among four Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) in Puerto Rico and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The primary objective is to diversify…
Impact
Exercise is Key to Strength and Function in Older Women
Seniors exercising, photo courtesy of Getty Images. In the U.S., 70 percent of women over 65 years old are considered overweight or obese. Exercise and eating higher protein diets are known to help people lose weight and increase…
