Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program Pays Dividends

From the USDA:

Posted by Kelly Flynn, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, on January 27, 2015 at 2:00 PM

The Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program helps vets repay qualified student loans for service as food animal veterinarians in selected areas of the country. (iStock image)

This post is part of the Science Tuesday feature series on the USDA blog. Check back each week as we showcase stories and news from USDA’s rich science and research portfolio.

A solid education is crucial to those seeking careers in animal science. However, many student loans can be burdensome. But a student loan payment the size of a mortgage couldn’t stop someone who has wanted to be a veterinarian since they learned to talk. Dr. Annie Bowes is one of those people.

After acquiring the knowledge to begin her dream career, Dr. Bowes was left with overwhelming debt.  Luckily for this Idaho-based veterinarian, she wasn’t left alone to repay it. In 2011, she received assistance through the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP) a program funded by USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).

Through VMLRP, NIFA may repay up to $25,000 each year of student loan debt to eligible veterinarians.  In return, qualified veterinarians must agree to provide food animal medical care for three years in certain high-priority veterinary shortage situations.  VMLRP has helped 245 veterinarians since the program’s inception in 2010.

“I am thankful for this assistance,” Bowes said. “It allowed me to establish myself in a rural area where it’s difficult to be successful. I am now able to treat animals at six to eight different farms per day and have more than 600 repeat clients.”

Veterinarians are critical to America’s food safety, food security, and to the health and well-being of both animals and humans. Studies indicate there are significant shortages of food animal veterinarians in certain areas of the country. A leading cause for the scarcity in this profession is the heavy price tag that four years of professional veterinary medical training carries, which leaves current graduates of veterinary colleges with an average debt of $162,000.

Bowes owns Aspen Veterinary Service, a mobile service treating large animals, as well as an Emergency Clinic with a staff of 15 and more than 10,000 repeat customers.

Dr. Tim VanDerPloeg is another veterinarian using USDA’s assistance to expand rural veterinary services. VanDerPloeg will open Veterinary Center of Somerset, in Kentucky, soon. Pulaski County, where the clinic will be located, is the third largest cattle county in the state of Kentucky.  The clinic will have a 2,300-square-foot large animal facility in addition to the 3,400-square-foot small animal facility.

“Although recipients of the loan repayment assistance are only required to commit to three years of veterinary service in a designated shortage area, veterinarians like Bowes and VanDerPloeg suggest that the impacts from this funding and connections to their service areas go well beyond three years,” said Gary Sherman, VMLRP national program leader with NIFA.

Through federal funding and leadership for research, education, and extension programs, NIFA focuses on investing in science and solving critical issues impacting people’s daily lives and the nation’s future. For more information, visit www.nifa.usda.gov.

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The USDA Climate Hubs: Almost One Year Old and Making Progress

From USDA:

Posted by Randy Johnson, Ph.D. National Leader, USDA Climate Hubs, on January 6, 2015 at 3:00 PM

The USDA Climate Hubs are almost one year old!  Since February of 2014, we have made considerable progress by developing networks that connect researchers to landowners; by evaluating available tools that can help land managers with management decisions regarding risk management; by synthesizing regional risks and vulnerabilities; and we have learned a lot along the way.

The Hubs are about developing and delivering science-based, region-specific information and technologies, with the help of USDA agencies and partners, to agricultural and natural resource managers and communities.  Land managers and communities desire healthy, resilient, productive, and profitable agricultural or natural ecosystems that are sustainable over time. The Hubs’ role is to work with (and as) advisers to land managers by providing information and tools to help them achieve their goals in an environment filled with climate-related stresses and risks.  The Hubs’ initial focus is on communicating with our stakeholders and developing networks with our partners. This includes communicating research to Certified Crop Advisors, relaying stakeholder needs to science organizations, or just making sure the lines of communication are open among the respective science and information providers and managers of working lands.

As part of our mission, we work with our USDA agencies and partners (e.g., Cooperative Extension, certified crop advisors, universities, federal agencies) to deliver science-based, region-specific information and tools to farmers, ranchers and forest land owners to enable them to make wise risk-management decisions.   With regard to a variable climate, the risks/stressors include drought, floods, extreme weather events, increased pests, diseases and forest fires, and changing growing seasons.

While there are a number of networks providing research and information to managers, none focus on the working land mangers – those that produce our nation’s food, fiber, and forest products every day.  That’s why we need the Hubs.  They work with other Federal climate networks (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments (RISA) program, U.S. Geological Survey Climate Science Centers, Fish and Wildlife Service Landscape Conservation Cooperatives, NOAA Regional Climate Centers, and others) to make science available to managers over a broad range of sectors. The different networks work together to coordinate and complement each other’s efforts. While considerable research examines the impacts and risks associated with climate variability, only a small percentage of this research is in a form that a land manager can use.  The Hubs were formed to help transform complex research results into easily accessible products and then to provide these products to land managers.

A climate hub chart showing communication between research and landowners.

We do this through partnerships. There are a number of organizations and programs that already do some of the activities the Hubs hope to accomplish. Keys to the hub’s success include: 1) establishing partnerships with existing research and outreach organizations, 2) coordinating USDA climate-related efforts, and 3) establishing a pathway that runs from the researcher to the land manager and back.

The Hubs are being designed to facilitate communication between research and landowners.  This two-way “conversation” brings research to the landowner and also brings input back to the research community regarding the usefulness of the tools and information being provided and the unmet needs that require additional research and tool development.

USDA funds foundational and applied research  that examines vulnerabilities and risks to agriculture and forestry.  The purpose of this research is to understand climate-induced risks, and to develop management solutions to deal with drought, flooding, pest pressures, forest fires, altered water availability, changing growing seasons and other stressors.  The Hubs take advantage of all available research and will leverage existing results that can contribute to our mission.  Our role is also to inform research organizations (USDA and others) of landowner concerns so that research can address priority needs.  This feedback will come from our interactions with landowners, landowner organizations, and our partners.

Often, packaging research is the bottleneck in moving science to the land owner.  For the agriculture sector, the State Agricultural Experiment Stations are primary producers of useable science information and tools, and are important partners in this effort. The USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s (NIFA) Coordinated Agricultural Projects (CAP) support large-scale regional projects that also provide tools and information for land owners.  Other organizations, such as NOAA RISAs and the Nature Conservancy, also develop tools, and we are trying to evaluate all the available tools we can find and make them available on our web site.

Land managers often depend on trusted advisors to supply them with the information they need to find solutions to challenges they are facing. It’s that person-to-person contact that drives changes to land management practices.  While the Hubs do reach out to land owners directly, the major way we will engage landowners on a person-to-person basis is to capitalize on existing networks.  Two primary networks are Cooperative Extension and the USDA Service Centers.  These organizations have been helping farmers, ranchers and forest land managers for decades (100 years for Cooperative Extension!).  On the forestry side, the Forest Service Threat Centers and the Climate Change Response Framework provide outreach to forest land managers.

So what’s next?  This first year has been more about coordination than production.  It is crucial that we understand all the players in the game so that we can concentrate on areas and projects that will have the greatest impact on providing risk-management tools and resources to America’s farmers, ranchers and forest land owners.  This requires that we coordinate with other research organizations, work closely with Cooperative Extension and the USDA Service Centers to understand their needs, and also to establish a working relationship with those private advisors that work with landowners (see figure below).  These private advisors include the Certified Crop Advisors (CCAs), forestry consultants, and seed and fertilizer dealers.  By better understanding the needs of the agricultural community and documenting the currently available resources we can prioritize the gaps in the research-to-field supply chain and more effectively direct USDA resources to help the Nation’s farmers, ranchers, and forest land owners.

A climate hub chart showing the Climate Hub, stakeholders and providers.

Spraying Smarter Strengthens Strawberry Production

From USDA:

Posted by Amanda M. Hils, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, on January 6, 2015 at 10:00 AM

Thanks to a USDA NIFA grant, strawberry growers in Florida are benefiting from a smart system that helps them time spraying to prevent diseases – saving the farmers money while minimizing the environmental impacts. The system is being adapted for growers in other states.

This post is part of the Science Tuesday feature series on the USDA blog. Check back each week as we showcase stories and news from USDA’s rich science and research portfolio.

With the U.S. being the world’s leading producer of strawberries, the success of these tart and sweet treats is essential to the economy of a state like Florida. In fact, with a $366 million-per-year industry, the state comes second only to California as the nation’s largest strawberry producer. Naturally, strawberry growers are looking for ways to sustain their harvests and profitability.

Enter Natalia Peres, University of Florida Gulf Coast Research and Education Center professor of plant pathology.  With funding from the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), Peres and her research team developed an online web tool, the Strawberry Advisory System (SAS), which helps farmers spend less money on fungicides yet achieve better results with what they do spray.

Peres and doctoral students performed thorough testing before releasing SAS. Traditionally, Florida strawberry farmers spray crops once each week from November to March to prevent attacks of botrytis and anthracnose, the two most deadly fruit rot diseases for strawberry. Peres’ monitor communicates with farmers through their computers and mobile technology to alert them of an adverse disease index; meaning that the combination of leaf wetness, air temperature, and other factors have combined to create a perfect environment for disease. Once alerted, farmers can spray their crops and then log the information onto a website where each spray is tracked, the indexes are logged, and spray advisories given.

“This system is a prime example of something we like to call the ‘Internet of Agriculture Things.’ It is showing how Internet-enabled technologies can be used to achieve the kind of healthy, cost-effective, high-yield crops we will need to feed the burgeoning global population while ensuring competitiveness of the American farmer,” said Sonny Ramaswamy, NIFA director.

With 96 percent of Florida strawberry producers reporting cases of botrytis, 40 percent with yearly cases of anthracnose, and 30 percent with anthracnose every 3-4 years, fungicides are a necessary – and hefty – bill. However, SAS may be just what Florida’s farmers are looking for.

“The impact it has in Florida is already clear in the profits—spraying less and getting the same effects helps the economic situation, as well as positively impacting environmental causes,” said Peres. “The reduction in spraying also means that producers are preserving the chemicals they still have. Resistance caused by over-spraying is lessened, so chemicals are available for use longer when producers really need them.”

Peres received a $2.9 million Specialty Crops Research Initiative award in 2010 and another in 2014 for $1.3 million. She plans to expand SAS into South Carolina in the spring of 2015 after proving it also works successfully in Iowa, North Carolina, and Ohio.

Through federal funding and leadership for research, education, and extension programs, NIFA focuses on investing in science and solving critical issues that impact people’s daily lives and the nation’s future.

Providing the Gift of Water for Poinsettias and Other Ornamental Crops

From USDA:

Posted by Scott Elliott, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, on December 12, 2014 at 10:00 AM

How much do you know about this iconic plant that brightens lots of homes this time of year?

Happy Poinsettia Day!

Of the countless iconic holiday season images in American homes, perhaps the most popular and colorful of them started off as a humble bush from our neighbors to the south.

The poinsettia was introduced to this country in the late 1820s by Joel Poinsett, the first American ambassador to Mexico, but only started on the path to holiday season superstardom in the early 1900s.  By 2013, poinsettias accounted for 23 percent of sales for flowering potted plants – to the tune of $146 million.

Floriculture, the aspect of horticulture than relates to ornamental crops, ranks fifth in U.S. agriculture.  Production of these crops – which includes cut flowers, both potted and landscape plants, and green roofs – occurs in open fields, nurseries, greenhouses, and high tunnels.

The high demand of these crops for irrigation water is a major challenge for growers, with household use and traditional agriculture as the major competitors for water.  This competition is especially severe when coupled with drought.  Growers must have effective and efficient ways to both provide the quality and quantity of water they need to ensure the health of their plants and to limit the flow of nutrients and chemicals through runoff into watersheds.

That’s where USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) comes in.  NIFA has provided funding for several floriculture research projects that address a variety of irrigation concerns.  One example is a $2.7 million project in which researchers from Virginia Tech have developed protocols to manage pathogens in reclaimed water sources.  As of August 2014, researchers have categorized nine new species of Phytophthora – a primary cause of plant root and crown rot – from nursery irrigation systems in Virginia and Mississippi.

Right outside of our nation’s capital, University of Maryland researchers are using a NIFA-administered grant of more than $5.1 million to develop a wireless sensor network capable of supporting the intensive production system requirements of field nurseries, container nurseries, greenhouse operations, and green roof systems.  After only three years, the system has helped growers make more informed irrigation scheduling decisions and reduced average water applications by more than 50 percent.  Smarter scheduling decreases runoff and means better production with less water.

Better production means more flowering plants, including the pink, white, red, or multicolored beauties that bring so many added holiday cheer.   The next time you gaze at a poinsettia, you can thank Joel Poinsett, America’s nursery industry, and NIFA for adding color to the season, reducing the demand on U.S. water supplies, and protecting the nation’s waterways.

Through federal funding and leadership for research, education, and extension programs, NIFA focuses on investing in science and solving critical issues impacting people’s daily lives and the nation’s future. For more information, visit www.nifa.usda.gov.

The Grass is Cleaner on the Other Side

From USDA:

Posted by Kelly Flynn, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, on December 9, 2014 at 2:00 PM

Research suggests that sorghum can be beneficial as both a fuel source and as a sinkhole for greenhouse gas. (iStock image)

This post is part of the Science Tuesday feature series on the USDA blog. Check back each week as we showcase stories and news from USDA’s rich science and research portfolio.

Liquid fuel, charcoal, and electric power are all possible byproducts of biomass feedstocks. But what if there was a feedstock that not only produced bioenergy, but acted as a greenhouse gas “sink” as well? According to Texas A&M’s AgriLife Research, there is: bioenergy sorghum.

Each region contains locally generated biomass feedstocks, ranging from grains to animal byproducts. Sorghum is a group of grasses with about 30 species, which can be used in a variety of bioenergy production processes, like starch-to-ethanol, sugar-to-ethanol, and plants-to-bioenergy.

Researchers from the university’s soil and crop sciences department made this discovery while measuring greenhouse gases from biofuel production lab experiments. The research helped quantify the carbon footprint of a bioenergy cropping system as part of the study, “Impacts of Biomass Sorghum Feedstock Production on Carbon Sequestration and Greenhouse Gas Emissions,” partially funded by the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).  The project received an Agriculture and Food Research Initiative grant in 2012.

According to the study, sorghum may play a significant role in future biofuel production as a high quality source. However, no studies have measured life-cycle greenhouse gases from bioenergy sorghum.

Analyzing the effects of crop rotation, nitrogen fertilization, and residue management were the main objectives. Researchers collected soil samples when the study began in 2008 and each spring to analyze the soil carbon storage and nutrient availability.

Annual accrual rates of soil organic carbon were much higher than expected. While promising, researchers said these rates may be due to the carbon-depleted soil where the experiments were conducted; severe drought conditions in 2010 and 2011 may have resulted in greater carbon production to aid roots searching for water.

“These results have significant implications for net greenhouse gas emissions, soil organic carbon sequestration and life-cycle analyses,” said Dr. Frank Hons, professor of soil science and AgriLife Research Faculty Fellow. “Few studies have quantified greenhouse gas emissions and below-ground carbon inputs from bioenergy sorghum, and further investigation is warranted.”

Through federal funding and leadership for research, education, and extension programs, NIFA focuses on investing in science and solving critical issues impacting people’s daily lives and the nation’s future. For more information, visit www.nifa.usda.gov.

Researcher with NIFA Roots Earns International Prize

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Scott Elliott, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, on April 25, 2014 at 3:00 PM

Jorge Dubcovsky, professor of plant sciences at University of California–Davis, is co-winner of the 2014 Wolf Prize in agriculture. Photo courtesy of Jorge Dubcovsky

During the month of April we will take a closer look at USDA’s Groundbreaking Research for a Revitalized Rural America, highlighting ways USDA researchers are improving the lives of Americans in ways you might never imagine.  Today we look at USDA support for a researcher striving to improve wheat through developing better disease resistance, nutritional value, and yield.

One of America’s most renowned agricultural researchers, a man who has already collected two of the USDA’s top honors, has now earned international recognition with the Wolf Prize in Agriculture.  The Wolf Foundation began awarding six prizes – agriculture, the arts, chemistry, mathematics, medicine, and physics – in 1978 to recognize outstanding scientists and artists for achievements in the interest of mankind and friendly relations among peoples.

Jorge Dubcovsky, a professor of plant sciences at the University of California–Davis and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute–Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation investigator, is sharing the Wolf Prize with Leif Andersson, from Uppsala University in Sweden.  Dubcovsky’s previous awards include USDA’s National Research Initiative Discovery Award and the USDA Secretary’s Honor Award.  Dubcovsky will receive the Wolf Prize June 1 at Knesset Israel (the Israeli Parliament) from Israeli President Shimon Peres.

Dubcovsky is a plant geneticist who works with wheat to improve disease resistance, nutritional value, yield, and adaptability to a changing environment.  Over the years, USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has provided more than $15 million to fund more than 20 of Dubcovsky’s research projects.

“NIFA funding has been the central pillar in the support of my research,” Dubcovsky said.  “These grants support critical crop research and crop improvement and provide valuable resources for the public breeding programs to organize themselves at a national level through Coordinated Agricultural Project (CAP) grants.”

One of his recent NIFA grants is a $5 million Triticeae CAP (TCAP) project to improve barley and wheat germplasm.  Triticeae is from the family of grasses that includes wheat, barley, and rye.  Wheat products alone account for about 20 percent of calories consumed by humans.

Dubcovsky’s TCAP team used markers to identify the gene variants that control the most desirable of the plant’s traits.  They then created a “Triticeae Toolbox” to provide this information to plant breeders so they can develop improved wheat and barley lines.  Further, the team is developing a national education network to train 29 doctoral candidates in plant breeding.

TCAP also features collaborations with minority-serving institutions to attract new students to the agricultural sciences, which is important to the professor.  “I hope (that the Wolf Prize) will help my program attract brilliant and enthusiastic young researchers,” he said.

As a side benefit, growers of follow-on crops may also profit from Dubcovsky-led wheat research.  According to an article published May 14, 2013, in Crop Science, three bread wheat varieties created by TCAP carry a gene that is resistant to root-knot nematodes (plant-parasitic worms).  The wheat encourages the nematodes to grow, but the worms cannot eat the wheat.  As a result, they starve, do not reproduce, and die out – which allows the next crop to grow in a relatively nematode-free field.

Looking to the future, Dubcovsky – who was born and raised in Argentina and received his bachelors and doctoral degrees in biological sciences from the University of Buenos Aires – is enthusiastic about employing new high-throughput sequencing technologies.  “We will continue pushing hard to complete the sequencing of most wheat genes across our mutant populations,” he said.  “We expect to have a public database where people can search for available mutations and then request the seeds.  We think this will be a fantastic resource to study gene function in wheat.”

Through federal funding and leadership for research, education, and Cooperative Extension programs, NIFA focuses on investing in science and solving critical issues impacting people’s daily lives and the nation’s future.

Farm Bill Listening Session: New and Expanding Opportunities for the Organic Industry

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Anne L. Alonzo, Agricultural Marketing Service Administrator, on April 18, 2014 at 1:00 PM

Steve Etka with the National Organic Coalition provides input during the listening session. The session gave USDA the opportunity to hear from stakeholders about their priorities during the implementation process and the impact that the new provisions will have on their communities.

Organic agriculture serves as an engine for rural development, representing a $35 billion industry in the United States alone. USDA is committed to protecting the integrity of organic products, and ensuring that all of our agencies work together to help the organic sector continue to grow.

Members of the organic community are important partners in these efforts. As Administrator of USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), which includes the National Organic Program, I have had the privilege of getting to know our organic stakeholders – visiting their farms and talking to them about their priorities – and I have been very impressed. Thanks to the recently passed Agricultural Act of 2014 (Farm Bill), USDA is now even better equipped to support the success of organic operations.

Just this week, USDA hosted a stakeholder listening session on the organic provisions of the Farm Bill. The session gave us the opportunity to hear from stakeholders about their priorities during the implementation process and the impact that the new provisions will have on their communities. We had a great turnout with over 80 participants, ranging from researchers to consumers.

At the listening session, representatives from ERS, NASS, RMA, FSA, NRCS, NIFA, and AMS, as well as the Office of the Secretary, gave an overview of the new provisions and our implementation plans before opening the session to participants.  We got some great feedback with a common theme – the importance of communication, outreach, and strategic partnerships.  Stakeholders also noted the benefits of interagency coordination and urged USDA to continue supporting the Organic Working Group which is led by Mark Lipson.

Many stakeholders were excited about the Farm Bill’s expanded funding for the Organic Certification Cost-Share Programs, which help organic producers and handlers cover the cost of organic certification, making organic certification more accessible to small producers.  Listening session participants also emphasized that for the program to be successful, USDA needs to educate the organic community about the opportunity for assistance and partner with stakeholders to get the word out – we couldn’t agree more!

We also heard from stakeholders about the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI).  They were thrilled that the Farm Bill provides additional research grant funds to address issues that affect organic production, and they again asked that we conduct outreach and training on this program.

This exciting Farm Bill provision will allow USDA to expand and improve on our economic and market data about organic agriculture. Some participants asked that we conduct more organic production surveys. USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) reported that more frequent production data is in the works, and that the agency hopes to provide annual updates thanks to a partnership with USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).  Stakeholders were especially appreciative of the collaboration between AMS, ERS, NASS, and the Risk Management Agency to provide additional price elections that will improve crop insurance options available to organic growers.

As we work to efficiently and effectively implement all of the new programs and policies, we will keep reaching out to our stakeholders and encouraging partnerships.  In the cases where we need to do notice and public comment, I hope you’ll all pay close attention and give us your constructive thoughts on how we can all work together to support organic agriculture.

Microwave Pasteurization: A New Industrial Process Producing High Quality and Safe Food

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Hongda Chen, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, on April 18, 2014 at 2:00 PM

A Washington State University-led research team member works on the prototype microwave assisted pasteurization system (MAPS) unit. MAPS allows packaged foods to be safely processed more quickly and at lower cost than conventional processes. Photo courtesy of Washington State University.

During the month of April we will take a closer look at USDA’s Groundbreaking Research for a Revitalized Rural America, highlighting ways USDA researchers are improving the lives of Americans in ways you might never imagine, like innovative ways to make food safer.

More than 90 percent of American households have microwave ovens where people heat their food, yet this same technology is seldom used for large-scale production in the food industry.

As home cooks know, microwave ovens do not excel at heating food evenly.  The lack of commercial-scale microwave processing technology is, in part, due to the challenge of designing equipment that is capable of pasteurization – heating all of the food evenly to a predetermined temperature for a certain length of time.  Pasteurization makes food safe to eat, by inactivating bacterial and viral pathogens that can make people sick.

Food safety is the top priority for the food industry and has long been one of the priority research areas for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).  With the help of a $5 million grant from NIFA, a team of scientists and engineers led by Washington State University (WSU) have developed an innovative, pilot-scale microwave assisted pasteurization system (MAPS) to rapidly and evenly heat packaged food products.  The team included University of Tennessee, North Carolina State University, the U.S. Army Soldier Systems Center, and USDA’s Agricultural Research Service Eastern Regional Research Center.

The prototype is a 915 MHz microwave that processes foods that are both safe and of high quality.  Initial results show that the quality of microwave-pasteurized foods, such as mussels, shrimp, and tofu, is better than using conventional thermal processing methods.

An additional benefit to this technology is that microwave heating time is shorter than conventional thermal processing, and the shorter time means producing higher food quality at lower energy output and cost.

Food companies can now use MAPS to test a wide range of food products and adapt the technology to suit their needs. WSU anticipates licensing this technology to a start-up company, Food Chain Safety, for commercialization in the coming months.

Through federal funding and leadership for research, education, and extension programs, NIFA focuses on investing in science and solving critical issues that impact people’s daily lives and the nation’s future.  More information is available at www.nifa.usda.gov.

Celebrate Extension's Centennial by Sharing Your Extension Story!

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Jennifer Martin, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, on April 16, 2014 at 1:00 PM

If you are a 4-H’er, a farmer or backyard gardener who works with your local Extension agent, or a part of a Land Grant University – tell us how Extension has helped, improved or even changed your life using #Ext100Years!

One hundred years ago, Congress passed the Smith-Lever Act, expanding on the federal government’s partnership with the Land-Grant University System to create the Cooperative Extension System. This is 100 years of Extension making a positive impact in the lives of Americans.

Today, USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) partners with more than 100 land-grant universities in pursuit of openness, accessibility and service through Cooperative Extension. NIFA’s support of Extension allows these universities to take their science and knowledge to the local level – to the farmers, ranchers, families and consumers who need it most.

This year, NIFA is celebrating 100 years of Extension by acknowledging the people Extension helps the most – YOU! There are countless stories across the country of how this organization has contributed to the success of individual farmers and ranchers, families and youth. I can personally attest to this as Extension has played a role in my life since I joined 4-H in elementary school, worked for Extension during college at Iowa State University and now at NIFA.

Share your Extension story! Using Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube or your blog, I invite you to help us share the important role Extension plays all across the country. Use the hashtag #Ext100Years and tweet it to us at @usda_nifa. Creativity is encouraged and we’ll share some of our favorites.

The successes of Extension in the past 100 years lay the groundwork for another 100 years of extending knowledge and changing lives.

USDA-Funded Researchers Map the Loblolly Pine Genome

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Scott Elliott, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, on April 4, 2014 at 1:00 PM

During the month of April we will take a closer look at USDA’s Groundbreaking Research for a Revitalized Rural America, highlighting ways USDA researchers are improving the lives of Americans in ways you might never imagine, including research into trees that could fuel new energy solutions.

A team of researchers led by the University of California–Davis has mapped the complete genome of the loblolly pine. And if you don’t think that understanding the genetic makeup of loblolly pine is a big deal, perhaps you cannot see the forest for the trees.

Loblolly pine, the most commercially important tree in the United States, is the source of most paper products in this country and 58 percent of timber. On the surface, that might be reason enough for the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to invest $14.6 million in 2011 toward science that could increase the productivity and health of American forests.

Loblolly pine also looms large on the horizon as a feedstock for the next generation of American biofuel.  President Obama’s goal of reducing the United States’ dependency on foreign oil by 30 percent by the year 2030 will be met, in large part, by producing home-grown biofuel. According to Genome Biology, approximately 75 percent of that biofuel will have to come from non-grain, non-food sources called lignocellulosic biomass – and loblolly pine could be a major contributor to filling that need.

Mapping the loblolly genome, then, became an important part of the plan in terms of improving the health and sustainability of this important plant. But, mapping a genome is no easy task, and the loblolly pine proved to be the greatest challenge to date for this type of research. The loblolly genome is the largest ever sequenced and is about seven times larger than the human genome.

To sequence a genome, scientists must first examine the DNA of their subject and then “map” the location of each nucleotide (the “A, C, T, and G” bases) of the entire DNA chain. Scientists use this information to find the best traits, such as disease resistance, and develop better future generations.

The challenge of overcoming the sheer volume of loblolly data is a triumph of its own for the research team.  According to David Neal, team leader and professor of plant sciences at UC–Davis, the team could “read” the nucleotide letters, but only in short batches. The problem was putting together the 16 billion fragments in a way that would allow them to read the complete story of the loblolly pine.

Researchers met this task by employing a new technique developed at the University of Maryland.  Team members overlapped smaller sections of data to form larger chunks and then threw away the redundant information. The process eventually meant the computer had 100 times less sequence data to deal with. The success of this process may help speed up future genome-mapping projects.

The loblolly project team consisted of UC–Davis, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Maryland, Indiana University–Bloomington, Texas A&M University, Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute, and Washington State University.

Their complete articles of this research were published in the March 2014 issues of GENETICS and Genome Biology.

A New World-Old World Problem and How Genetic "Fingerprints" May Help

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Dennis O’Brien, Agricultural Research Service, on September 3, 2013 at 11:00 AM

ARS scientists and NIFA-funded researchers work to improve the tools and processes to develop better grapes and grapevines. Their discoveries will make it easier for grape breeders to identify vines that combine the most desirable traits.

This post is part of the Science Today feature series on the USDA blog. Check back each week as we showcase stories and news from USDA’s rich science and research portfolio.

When it comes to grapes, there’s a New World-Old World dichotomy. Grapevines originating in the Americas (e.g. Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia) can resist pests and diseases, but they generally don’t have the taste or aroma of grapes with European origins (Vitis vinifera).  But European grapes are more susceptible to pests and disease.

Grape breeders try to combine the best of both worlds, but here’s the problem: if you cross one grape with another, there is no guarantee your progeny will inherit the desirable traits. And because it takes so much time to grow a grapevine, produce grapes from those vines, and for those grapes to be evaluated, bringing a new grape to market can take 20 years or more. Scientists can speed things up by identifying genes that give grapes the right blend of the best characteristics. Identifying the genes will tell you the characteristics of the vine without having to wait for it to grow.

VitisGen, a project partially funded by USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture Specialty Crop Research Initiative, is helping scientists pick up the pace. The $9 million project, which is supported with matching grants from the grape industry, brings together scientists from 11 research institutions across the United States. They’re focused on improving the tools and processes used in traditional breeding. As part of the project, scientists at Cornell University, South Dakota State University and the USDA Agricultural Research Service operate three “Phenotyping Centers,” where breeders can send vine samples for laboratory evaluations and genetic analyses. Breeders usually send samples from “families” of 100 to 200 vines, and each center is equipped to screen one of three key traits: fruit quality, cold tolerance or resistance to powdery mildew.

The project started in 2011 and is slated to run until 2016. In its first two years, scientists have created the largest genetic database for any specialty crop in the United States, according to Lance Cadle-Davidson, the USDA-ARS scientist who helps oversee the effort.  They have developed genetic fingerprints of 8,000 grapevines, identified 1.2 million DNA markers and discovered linkages between these markers and the traits. These discoveries make it faster and easier for breeders to identify vines combining the most desirable traits.

Finding the Future of Agriculture

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USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Ed Avalos, Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, on August 26, 2013 at 10:30 AM

During the North American Indian Days Celebration in Montana, Under Secretary Ed Avalos (foreground), witnessed the pride and commitment of youth as they celebrated their cultural and agricultural roots.

Agricultural producers in rural America represent less than 1% of the U.S. population, yet they produce almost 75% of the food we eat in this country and much of the food eaten throughout the world. Among that 1%, the average age of the American farmer is 57 years old—making it imperative for us to engage and encourage young people to pursue agricultural careers.

Earlier this summer, while visiting Browning, Montana, I had the opportunity to meet with Dr. Billie Jo Kipp, President of the Blackfeet Community College (BCC) and Mr. Terry Tatsey, Director of Agricultural Programs at the college.  Their efforts and commitment to educate local students and keep young people in agriculture is inspiring.

At BCC, programs like the Native Science Field Center use outdoor classrooms to give students hands-on experience in cataloging native plants and their relationships to nearby water sources.  The experience, supported through the Blackfeet Community College Extension, is a marriage of cultural and agricultural studies. It passes knowledge between generations and encourages young people to pursue a future in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers as well as agricultural fields.

The trip also gave me a chance to participate in the North American Indian Days Celebration. Here I met with tribal members, attended a 4-H livestock sale, participated in the rodeo and witnessed the pride and commitment of the young people as they showcased both their cultural and agricultural traditions.  At USDA, we are committed to providing American Indians and Alaska Natives equal access to all of our programs.  Our Office of Tribal Relations works with Indian Country, providing support across all USDA programs for tribal consultation, sacred site efforts, cross-agency federal programs and the recently created White House Council on Native American Affairs.

On my recent visit to Wisconsin, I had the honor to attend the opening day festivities at the Wisconsin State Fair.  Originating in the early mid-1800s, state fairs are a celebration of foods and the rural communities that produce them.  They are a showcase of rural America—shining a spotlight on farmers, ranchers, dairy producers, agribusiness and the communities that surround them.

Having been in agriculture in one form or another all of my life, going to the state fair is still exciting and fair season is one of my favorite times of the year. Along with attending a dairy show, touring the agriculture pavilion—not to mention stopping to enjoy some potato pancakes, sweet corn and a traditional crème-puff—I was able to attend the Wisconsin fair’s lamb show.  This gave me an opportunity to visit with some of the state’s young producers who were striving to win their class and make the sale.

These young people represent the future of agriculture, and are just one example of the up-and-coming farmers and ranchers who will feed our nation in the years ahead. Through programs like USDA’s Start2Farm initiative, funded through the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA),  and opportunities like the Specialty Crop Block Grants (SCBG) and Farmers Market Promotion Program, managed by theAgricultural Marketing Service (AMS), we are committed to creating opportunities in rural America.

By cultivating a passion for agriculture in students and supporting beginning farmers and ranchers, we will help build the future of agriculture and show that we do not take for granted the work they do to feed us all. We are dedicated to keeping families on the farm and creating opportunities for future generations.

When visiting the Wisconsin State Fair, Under Secretary Avalos (third person, back row) attended a lamb show and had the opportunity to meet with some of the farmers and ranchers who will feed our nation in the years ahead.

Taking the Summer On: AMS Interns Gain Valuable Experience

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USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Anne Alonzo, AMS Administrator, on August 21, 2013 at 2:40 PM

AMS interns at the USDA Internship Meeting at USDA Headquarters. During their internship, they met with senior USDA officials, including AMS Administrator Anne Alonzo (first row in the center with black coat and white dress).

Without farmers and the agricultural businesses that support them, no one can eat. This is a simple concept, but it implies that people will continue to choose careers in agriculture. Here at USDA, one of the ways that we encourage younger generations to choose these careers is offering grants to institutions that offer agricultural curriculums. 

Through the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), USDA enables students to expand their knowledge of the agricultural industry. NIFA provides grants to schools such as the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez (UPRM) through the Hispanic Serving Institutions Program. This allows these institutions to offer top-notch agricultural curriculums.

This year, six students from UPRM’s Center for Education and Training in Agricultural Related Sciences (CETARS) Program interned with my agency, the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). The program, which is directed by Dr. Felix Roman, offers research assistantships and other support to students in agriculture and related fields. The goal is for the students to land a position at USDA or other agriculture businesses after they graduate. These talented undergraduate and graduate students had a busy summer. I would like you to hear what they said about their internship:

Ruben Morales, Junior at UPRM studying Agricultural Engineering, interned with AMS Dairy Programs Marketing Order Operation Branch

I enjoyed going to Capitol Hill for the Future Leaders Conference hosted by the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute (CHLI). It was awesome to be among hundreds of young people who are aspiring to be leaders in the government and private sector. We heard about job opportunities from large corporations like Ford, Google, and several government agencies. We got a chance to take a picture with US House Representative David Valadao, a first generation Portuguese dairy farmer from California. This moment inspired us all, showing that the sky is the limit if you put forth a lot of hard work and are dedicated to whatever you do.

Elena Flores, PhD Student at UPRM studying Applied Chemistry, Interned with AMS National Science Laboratory

I really enjoyed getting a chance to work in the chemical residue, food and dairy, and microbiology labs. I helped verify that food labels are correct and that the foods are of an acceptable quality. I really think that my experience will help me out in my research project at school, which is analyzing local foods. 

In addition to this great experience, I really enjoyed getting a chance to visit with Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration (PRFAA) Executive Director Juan E. Hernandez Mayoral. During our meeting, we told him that CETARS does a lot of work to incorporate foods from gardens into the School Lunch Program. Mayoral told us that he would put us in contact with the First Lady of Puerto Rico, who is interested in these types of projects. Working on a project like this with the First Lady would make a real impact on my community in Puerto Rico.   

Andrea Lopez-Rodriguez, Senior Student at UPRM studying Agricultural Science and Mechanical Engineering, Interned with AMS Seed Regulatory Testing Division

This was my first internship and it really blew away all of my expectations. One of the highlights of the summer was meeting Deputy Chief of Staff Oscar Gonzales and Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Ed Avalos. Both of these officials took time out of their busy schedules to meet with us. They shared some stories about how they got to their current positions, telling us to work hard and follow our dreams. This meant a lot to us.

Wesley Cuadrado-Castillo, Master’s Degree Student at UPRM studying Mechanical Engineering, Interned with AMS Transportation and Marketing Program

I spent most of my time this summer analyzing the heat and ventilation system of a food hub. Ultimately, the information that we find out can be used as a model for other food hubs preparing to become operational. It was great to apply some of the concepts that I am learning in school.

Jenifier Olavarría-Fullerton, PhD Candidate December 2013 at UPRM studying Applied Chemistry, Interned with AMS National Science Laboratory

The entire summer was a great experience where I learned a lot: from receiving samples to preparing them and going through analysis. The food analysis we were performing helps make sure that products purchased in the supermarket are within acceptable standards, valuable information for the companies using AMS services and for the consumers buying these products.

Susej Maldonado, Junior at University of UPRM studying Agricultural Science, Interned with the AMS Science and Technology Program Plant Variety Protection Office

During the summer, I got a chance to help make sure that new plant varieties entered into our database were distinct and I also really enjoyed meeting AMS Administrator Anne Alonzo. In addition to her current position, she has been an executive at Kraft and a Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Commerce Department, but she is still very personable. It meant a lot to see how much she cared about us interning with the agency.

Back in Puerto Rico, CETARS students are already helping cultivate the next generation of agricultural leaders. As part of the program, many of the students engage in outreach activities that encourage kids to choose agricultural degrees. We hope that they continue in their endeavors and that others will follow in their footsteps.

I am thankful for all their valuable contributions this summer and hope that they will consider positions within the agency when they finish their studies.

AMS interns at Capitol Hill with US House Representative David Valadao during the Congressional Hispanic Institute Future Leaders Conference.

Farmers in Alabama Reach More Customers with Electronic Benefit Transfer

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USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Erin Swanson-Hall, Southeast Region Deputy Regional Administrator and Aaron Wiley, Southeast Region Public Affairs Specialist, USDA Food and Nutrition Service, on August 9, 2013 at 1:07 PM

Bartenfelder Farms at Baltimore’s Farmers Market and Bazaar in Baltimore, MD. Vendors now accept Baltimore Farmers Market and Bazaar tokens, thanks to the new wireless connected electronic card reader that accepts the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Nutrition Service’s (FNS) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards, Baltimore Bucks, and debit cards. USDA Photo by Lance Cheung.

What Agriculture Under Secretary Concannon calls a win-win situation, is taking root in rural Alabama with help from USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service and state officials.  Local farmers’ markets are getting authorized to accept Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards which will allow them to expand their customer base and offer Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants healthy and local produce.

With federal grant money provided to states through September 30, 2013, eligible farmers’ markets and now direct marketing farmers are receiving free wireless point-of-sale (POS) devices. As part of the Food and Nutrition Service’s (FNS) StrikeForce efforts to reach out to communities in persistent poverty stricken areas, its Southeast Regional Office recently offered three farmers’ market sign-up days in Madison, Selma, and Robertsdale, Alabama.

Sign-up days were a collaborative effort between FNS, the Alabama Farmers Market Authority and the Alabama Department of Human Resources, with a primary goal to serve as a one-stop shop for farmers in StrikeForce counties. FNS staff was on hand to provide one-on-one assistance to farmers with electronic applications. FNS approved markets, and EBT providers approved applications for POS devices onsite.

We’re pleased to report that efforts resulted in 40 farmers now authorized and plus seven pending to accept SNAP EBT. Alabama will soon have more than 100 farmers’ markets and direct marketing farmers that accept SNAP EBT. That means much more access to fresh fruits and vegetables for SNAP clients in the State. Before, Alabama had 60 SNAP EBT approved farmers markets and direct marketing farmers—that’s a 70 percent increase!

All of the markets hope to have their devices in a few weeks so they can begin accepting SNAP benefits. The list of authorized farmers’ markets and direct marketing farmers will be shared with the Alabama Department of Human Resources’ county office directors to help spread the word to Alabama SNAP participants of the new locations they’ll have to purchase fresh produce.