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Impact

NIFA Celebrates Disability Pride Month

A collective case study of Land-grant University leaders discovers strategies for the retention of students with learning disabilities. Such outcomes could prevent bullying on campuses and in the workplace. These strategies might also…

Impact

Land-grant Universities Conducting Agricultural Safety and Health Research and Extension

Agriculture is one of the most hazardous industries in the U.S. Across the nation, people who work or live on farms and ranches are regularly exposed to dangerous machinery, sharp tools, toxic chemicals, biological pathogens, confined…

Impact

Reducing Runoff to Save Farmers Money and Protect Water Quality

University of Maryland researchers are tracing the different types of nitrogen and phosphorus flowing into drainage ditches, tile drains and overland flow at the edges of farm fields during rainfall events. The goal of this NIFA…

Impact

Research Makes National Strawberry Month Sweeter

Five pounds of strawberries might seem like a lot, but that is approximately how much each person eats each year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Given that much consumption, it’s good that strawberries are grown in…

Impact

The Extension Disaster Education Network Helps Prepare Nation for Hurricane Season

June 1st marks the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season in the United States. This year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts an above-average hurricane activity this year — which would make it…

Impact

New CRISPR-Combo Boosts Genome Editing Power in Plants | College of Agriculture & Natural Resources at UMD

Ten years ago, a new technology called CRISPR-CAS9 made it possible for scientists to change the genetic code of living organisms. As revolutionary as it was, the tool had its limitations. Like the first cell phones that could only…

Impact

University of Connecticut Supports Connecticut’s Greenhouse Industry – An Integral Part of Agriculture

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…

Impact

Nanotechnology in Agriculture and Food Systems 

By Sara Delheimer, Program Coordinator, Multistate Research Fund Impacts Program. This article was originally published by the Multistate Research Fund Impacts Program. It is reprinted here with permission. Nanotechnology…

Impact

Yes, Allergy Seasons Are Getting Worse. Blame Climate Change

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…

Impact

Horticulture Champion

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…

Impact

Hope to Dream: Mobile County SNAP-Ed Educator Facilitates Bed Donation

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…

Impact

Building Legacy Together: Our Communities’ Journey of Strength and Resilience

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…

Impact

Illinois Program Turns Cowgirl Dreams into Livestock Research Reality 

The moment 4-year-old Sarah Graham sat in a saddle for the first time, she announced she wanted to be a cowgirl. For the suburban Chicago preschooler, it was an unlikely dream. But it stuck.

Impact

From Pests to Protein: Edible Insects Emerge as a Sustainable Food Source

Bugs. They get a bad rap. Some bite. Some sting. Some stink. But what if they could be considered beyond their pesky traits? What if certain insects could actually benefit the health of humans, of animals, of the entire planet?…

Impact

Texas A&M AgriLife Tick Research Gets $1M Boost

Two NIFA-funded projects by Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists aim to protect the U.S. cattle industry from the emerging and significant threat of pesticide-resistant cattle fever ticks. The projects aim to create new ways to…

Impact

Solving the Honeycrisp Apple Ancestry Mystery

Ancestry tests aren’t just for people or pets anymore.

Impact

University of Nebraska Continues to Assist with 2019 Flooding Recovery

When the COVID-19 pandemic descended on the world in March 2020, Nebraska and its neighboring states already had been reeling for a year from a previous, record-setting, climate disaster.

Impact

Nebraska Faculty Lead National Cover Crop Course

With a lot of time, planning, collaboration with other institutions and a $10 million NIFA Coordinated Agricultural Project grant, an idea from two University of Nebraska professors became a reality and they were able to offer a cover…

Impact

Genomics-Assisted Breeding Tools Improving, Gaining Users and Uses

Thanks to the development and adoption of specialized computational tools, the past several years have seen major advancements in the breeding of “polyploid plants” — plants with more than two sets of chromosomes in their cells.

Impact

How Toddler-Mother Attachment Impacts Adolescent Brain and Behavior

Interpersonal trust is a crucial component of healthy relationships. When we interact with strangers, we quickly gauge whether we can trust them. And those important social skills may be shaped by our earliest relationship with…

Impact

NIFA Celebrates Women's History Month

In celebration of Women’s History Month, USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is highlighting leading women helping advance agriculture-related sciences.

Impact

NIFA-Funded Program to Integrate Indigenous Perspective into Ag, Science

Matte Wilson, director of the Sicangu Food Sovereignty Initiative, shows off seedlings which will be planted, harvested and then sold at the local farmer’s market. Photo courtesy of South Dakota State University.A NIFA-funded program…

Impact

Helping the Honey Bee at the Honey Bee Lab

With support from NIFA, Oregon State University (OSU) Extension researchers are making sure that bees are healthy and thriving. The OSU Honey Bee Lab is estimated to save Oregon's beekeepers about $5 million a year in reduced colony…

Impact

A Century of Farming: Black Farmers Partner with VSU to Help Family Operation Thrive

Virginia State University has worked with Virginia Cooperative Extension to generate ideas on how to improve the profitability of Black farmers. Although small-scale farms operated by producers of all races have fallen into bankruptcy,…

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