Research is the foundation for growth – in agriculture as in many other industries. On Tuesday, May 16, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced 47 grants totaling $17.5 Million for research projects to improve sustainable agriculture in rural communities. These grant recipients applied for funding through NIFA’s […]
AFRI
New Opportunities for Sustainable Agriculture Research
Overview All farmers know that success in agriculture requires more than just a green thumb and a little luck. Farmers rely upon experimentation and research to ensure their lands, crops and animals stay healthy and viable, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is a primary source of support for this critical work. Last […]
$34 Million Available for Projects that Enhance Sustainable Usage of Water on Farms
Water is one of the building blocks of life. No one knows that better than farmers and ranchers for whom access to a consistent and clean water supply is critical. Last week (the same week that the United Nations celebrated “World Water Day”), the National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s (NIFA) Agriculture and Food Research […]
Farm Bill Hearing Explores the Role of Agricultural Research
Agricultural research is little understood, but an incredibly important part of our food and agricultural economies. It is through agricultural research programs that we are able to develop more resilient seeds and crops, learn more about how to manage soil health, and conduct on-farm research experiments that help farmers and ranchers be more effective and […]
New Report Highlights Need for Organic Seed Breeding
The fresh produce from your local grocery store or farmers’ market may be certified organic, but anywhere from 25-80 percent of it might not have started out that way. A recent report from the Organic Seed Alliance (OSA) reveals that the organic seed industry is far from keeping pace with the growth in demand for […]
A Breakdown of the Senate’s Annual Food and Farm Spending Bill
Each year, Congress debates and makes key decisions about federal funding priorities for all government agencies, programs, and initiatives – including programs and resources that support our nation’s farmers and ranchers. This week marks an important step in that process (known as appropriations), as the Senate Appropriations Committee approved a bill to fund the U.S. […]
$100 Million Available for Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Grants
More than $100 million in grant funding is now available to support farm and food research, education, and extension projects that address key challenges, including those facing sustainable and organic farming systems and rural communities. This support is made available through the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) – USDA’s largest federal competitive research grants […]
USDA Awards $32 Million for Rural Development and Food Security Research
Success in agriculture requires not only hardworking farmers and ranchers, but also innovative researchers, agronomists, and other scientists. As the U.S Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) largest competitive grants research program the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program awards grants for experiments and research projects that address a variety of challenges faced by farmers, rural […]
A Need for More and Better Targeted Plant Breeding Research Grants
A sustainable, localized, and resilient food system depends on the availability of seeds that are compatible with a variety of unique growing systems and climates. Organic farmers, for example, have different approaches to managing weeds and pests on their farms than traditional producers and therefore require seeds that are bred for their particular type of […]
Opportunity to Give Input on AFRI RFA
The USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is accepting public comments on its Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) to help guide the development of the 2011 Requests for Applications (RFAs). NIFA will also host a public meeting on Wednesday, June 2, 2010 from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm at One Washington Circle […]
Research Grants Drilldown: Conventional Breeding and Climate Adaptation
This is the third in a series of articles drilling down into some sections of the six Request for Applications (RFAs) recently released by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) for the 2010 Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI). Check out the second post about Integrated Projects on Local and Regional Food Systems. […]
Research Grants Drilldown: Integrated projects on Sustainable Food Systems
This is the second in a series of articles drilling down into some sections of the six Request for Applications (RFAs) recently released by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) for the 2010 Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI). Check out the first post about Small and Medium-Sized Farms and Rural Community Prosperity. […]
Research Grants Drilldown: Small and Medium Farms and Rural Communities
This is the first in a series of articles drilling down into some sections of the six Request for Applications (RFAs) recently released by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) for the 2010 Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI).Look out over the course of this week for more information on other opportunities in […]
2011 Budget Drill Down: Sustainable Ag Research
This post is the fourth in a series of commentaries by NSAC staff on the President’s 2011 budget, released on February 1st. Read the overview by Executive Director Aimee Witteman. Look out in the following days for more budget analysis on research programs, conservation, rural programs and more. The President’s Fiscal Year 2011 Budget Request […]
Weekly Update – January 2, 2009
THIS WEEK Payment Limitation Loophole Remains: Sadly, after vetoing the 2008 Farm Bill twice under the banner that it did not include enough reform to commodity programs, the Bush Administration punted on its opportunity to administratively enact real reform. As we reported in the December 19 version of the Weekly Update, USDA issued a press […]
Weekly Update — Special Edition
Even as Congress tries to figure out how it will try to deal with the financial market bailout, extension of expiring tax breaks, emergency disaster relief, and other year-end measures as it comes to the close of this congressional session, there have been some breakthroughs on the agriculture legislative front leading us to issue this […]