 Have you Herd? It's National Dairy Month For National Dairy Month, we are highlighting Land-grant Universities conducting research aimed at improving dairy production. National Dairy Month graphic, courtesy of NIFA. |  Protecting Pollinators Critical to Food Production Pollinators help ensure the world eats. Scientists estimate that about 75% of the world's flowering plants and about 35% of the world's food crops depend on animal pollinators to produce. Despite their importance, many pollinators are declining in numbers, posing a threat not only to the world's ecosystems but to global food security as well. To help address overall pollinator decline, NIFA partners with Land-grant Universities, U.S. government laboratories, and private and nonprofit organizations to support research, education and Extension programs advancing pollinator health. National Pollinator Month graphic, courtesy of NIFA. |  Improving the Quality of Fruits and Vegetables June is National Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Month, and NIFA supports projects that are finding innovative ways to meet growing global food demand, fight hunger and food insecurity in vulnerable populations, and ensure that nutritious foods are available at affordable prices. From stronger disease resistance to longer shelf life, NIFA supports research that is working to improve the quality and availability of fresh fruits and vegetables. National Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Month graphic, courtesy of NIFA. |  NIFA Career Opportunities We are hiring! NIFA recruits a diverse group of talented, creative, motivated professionals who are invested in shaping the future of food and agricultural science. We offer a variety of benefits and services to our employees that focus on work-life balance, career enhancement, and health and well-being. NIFA has career opportunities in a variety of scientific disciplines covering engineering, food science, forestry, education, animal and crop sciences, and many other agriculture-related disciplines. NIFA job openings are listed on USAJobs.gov. Current NIFA job openings are for Kansas City, Missouri, or a location negotiable after selection, unless otherwise noted below. Associate Director for Operations (ES-00)
Closing Date: June 23.
View the job announcement. Career Opportunities graphic, courtesy of NIFA. |  Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young Sworn in as Under Secretary of Agriculture for Research, Education and Economics On June 13, Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young was sworn in as the Under Secretary of Agriculture for Research, Education and Economics (REE). Most recently, she served as Administrator for USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS). Dr. Jacobs-Young also served as the Acting Deputy Under Secretary of the REE mission area. Previously, she served as ARS Administrator for National Programs. Additionally, Dr. Jacobs-Young led the Office of International Research Programs, which is responsible for ARS' liaison with its international partners. Prior to moving into her role at ARS, Dr. Jacobs-Young helped establish and served as the Director of the Office of the Chief Scientist at USDA in 2009. She facilitated the coordination of scientific leadership across the department to ensure that research supported by, and scientific advice provided to, the department and external stakeholders were held to the highest standards of intellectual rigor and scientific integrity. She has also served as the Acting Director for USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Dr. Jacobs-Young was a Senior Policy Analyst for Agriculture in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, where she supported the President's science adviser and others within the Executive Office of the President on a variety of agricultural scientific activities and worked across the federal government to improve interagency cooperation and collaboration on high-priority scientific issues. Dr. Jacobs-Young is a native of Georgia. She holds M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in wood and paper science and a B.S. degree in pulp and paper science and technology from North Carolina State University. She also is a graduate of American University's Executive Leadership in Public Policy Implementation Program. |  USDA Strengthens Partnerships with 1890s Universities Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Dr. Paul Jones, Chair of the 1890s Presidents Council — an organization comprised of presidents and chancellors of Historically Black Colleges and Universities — signed a Memorandum of Understanding to reaffirm and strengthen the ongoing relationship between the 1890s community and USDA through cooperation and partnership. The Secretary and Chairman Jones were joined by Deputy Secretary Dr. Jewel Bronaugh and REE Under Secretary Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young. USDA graphic symbol. |  How Much Spring Nitrogen to Apply?
Pre-Planting Weather May Provide a Clue With the rising cost of nitrogen fertilizer and its impacts on air and water quality, University of Illinois researchers want to help farmers make more informed fertilizer rate decisions. Their latest modeling effort, which is supported by NIFA, aims to do that by examining the role of pre-growing season weather on soil nitrogen dynamics and end-of-season corn yield. University of Illinois scientist Ziyi Li analyzing leaf tissue in the field.
Photo courtesy of the University of Illinois. |  UAF Team Lauded for Innovative Home Design Using shipping containers and energy-efficient techniques, a team of University of Alaska Fairbanks students has created a prize-winning new design for rural Alaska housing construction with support from NIFA. The four students in the Solar Design Challenge class offered through the UAF Bristol Bay Campus were among the top entries at an international competition sponsored by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in April. Later this summer, they hope to convince officials that their design could ease a housing shortage in Nome. A graphic illustration shows Team Asriavik's entry in NREL's Solar Decathlon. Illustration courtesy of Deilah Johnson with University of Alaska Fairbanks. |  Elementary School Students Explore Water's Role in Life "I found so many things! I found a hermit crab, a starfish and a sea anemone," exclaimed a Cherryland Elementary School student, his voice trailing off as he ventured back to the tide pools to explore more. The fifth grader from Hayward was participating in a 4-H Water Wizards course during a UC Cooperative Extension-sponsored field trip to Pescadero State Beach in San Mateo County. In May, University of California Cooperative Extension bused 120 fifth and sixth graders from Hayward's Cherryland Elementary School – where the student population is 86% Hispanic and 6% Black – to UC Elkus Ranch Environmental Education Center in Half Moon Bay to learn about different aspects of water. University of California (UC) Cooperative Extension specialist Sam Sandoval Solis demonstrates how surface water flows into ground water to fifth graders.
Photo courtesy of UC Cooperative Extension. |  Morning Ag Clips: Leap in Tech for Forest Inventory, Management Through integration of aerial and ground-based mobile mapping sensors and systems, a team of Purdue digital forestry researchers has used advanced technology to locate, count and measure over a thousand trees in a matter of hours.
Songlin Fei leads Purdue University's Digital Forestry initiative.
Photo courtesy of Tom Campbell, Purdue University.
| NIFA Invests in Plant Biotic Interactions NIFA has invested over $6.6 million in 10 projects as part of the 2021 Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Plant Biotic Interactions program. This joint NIFA and National Science Foundation (NSF) program supports research on the processes that mediate interactions between plants and their viral, bacterial, oomycete, fungal, plant, and invertebrate symbionts, pathogens and pests. This NIFA-NSF program supports projects focused on current and emerging model and non-model systems and agriculturally relevant plants. The 10 awardees for FY 2021 are: University of California, Riverside ($700,000); University of California, Los Angeles ($800,000); Indiana University ($600,000); Kansas State University ($600,000); Oregon State University ($650,000); University of California, Berkeley ($880,844); Texas Tech University ($514,102); University of Georgia ($600,000); Colorado State University ($481,482); and the College of New Jersey ($800,000). NIFA also has invested over $6 million in eight projects as part of the 2022 AFRI Plant Biotic Interactions program. FY 2022 awardees are North Carolina State University ($700,000); University of Minnesota ($767,900); Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Missouri ($375,000); University of Nebraska ($1,193,000); Oregon State University ($800,000); University of California, Riverside ($888,000); University of Miami, Florida ($875,000); and Oregon State University ($500,000). NIFA Invests Nearly $4M in Capacity Building Grants for Non-Land-grant Colleges of Agriculture NIFA has invested nearly $4 million in nine capacity building grants for Non-Land-grant colleges of agriculture. The purpose of this Capacity Building Grants program is to assist Non-Land-grant Colleges of Agriculture (NLGCA) Institutions in maintaining and expanding their capacity to conduct education, research and outreach/Extension activities relating to food, agriculture, natural resources, and human (FANH) sciences; enhance the ability of faculty members to engage in agricultural professional development opportunities; and increase the number, quality and diversity of qualified graduates entering the food and agricultural workforce. NIFA's NLGCA program supports the economic vitality of rural communities by funding new degree programs in FANH sciences that emphasize new and emerging employment opportunities. The nine awardees for FY 2021 are: California State University Fresno Foundation (two awards: $750,000 and $149,943); Southern Illinois University ($149,960); Western Kentucky University ($749,724); University of Central Oklahoma ($149,943); Tarleton State University, Texas ($749,923); Texas Tech University ($299,709); University of Wisconsin - Platteville ($749,815); and University of Wisconsin - River Falls ($149,086).  The USDA recently announced a $1.92 million investment to establish an Agriculture Business Innovation Center at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, a Historically Black College and University. |  Meet Maggie Lawrence Maggie serves as the science writer in NIFA's Office of Communications. "As a former Land-grant communicator, I understood how important NIFA funding is to ensure Land-grant Institutions fulfill their mission of education, research and Extension. The prospect of being able to tell that story really lured me in. Also, the opportunity to tell the stories of researchers and Extension professionals supported by NIFA funding was very appealing to me. These people are the ones whose work create a better life for people, and I believe it's important for more people to hear their stories." – Maggie. Interested in joining NIFA's team? Check out our Career Opportunities page for current openings. | |
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