WASHINGTON, D.C. Nov. 9, 2017 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) today announced grants to bring safer, more effective pest management approaches to farms and communities.
"Insects, weeds, and diseases are ever-evolving challenges for U.S. agriculture," said NIFA Director Sonny Ramaswamy. "NIFA is making investments to develop sound scientific approaches to increase production and provide continued food security in the face of these threats."
These grants are awarded through three NIFA pest management programs. The Crop Protection and Pest Management program supports research and extension projects that address critical state, regional, and national pest management challenges and help ensure food security. The Minor Crop Pest Management (IR-4) program supports pest management solutions primarily for specialty crops, such as fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, and nursery crops (including floriculture). The Methyl Bromide Transition program supports research for new, effective pesticides and approaches to managing pests that can replace methyl bromide, an older, ozone-depleting treatment used in farming, storage, shipment, and quarantine.
Among the newly awarded projects is a Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University project that will evaluate the potential of vacuum and steam treatment as an alternative to methyl bromide fumigation of hardwood and softwood logs. Fumigation of imported and exported whole logs accounts for nearly a quarter of all methyl bromide use. At Michigan State University, more than 75 Extension educators and specialists will share integrated pest management (IPM) and pollinator research to help growers adopt IPM practices and reduce pesticide use.
In fiscal year 2017, 77 awards totaling $27.6 million were made by the following programs to support IPM projects. The awards were selected based on a competitive peer review panel process.
Crop Protection and Pest Management Program/Applied Research and Development Program Area:
Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, $279,043
Arizona Board of Regents, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, $323,493
University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, $195,456
University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, $324,449
Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, $325,000
University of Kentucky Research Foundation, Lexington, Kentucky, $324,992
The Curators of the University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, $321,957
Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, $199,997
North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, $324,997
Board of Regents, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska, $325,000
Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, $199,966
Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, $199,532
Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, $325,000
Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, $324,999
Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, $195,711
More information on these projects is available on the NIFA website.
Crop Protection and Pest Management Program/Extension Implementation Program Area
University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Alaska, $150,129
Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, $271,827
University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, Little Rock, Arkansas, $179,445
Arizona Board of Regents, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, $255,000
The Regents of the University of California, Davis, California, $180,000
Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, $150,471
University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, $179,940
University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, $164,468
University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, $164,008
Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, Florida, $124,500
University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, $180,000
University of Guam, Mangilao, Guam, $67,800
University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii, $94,500
Iowa State University of Science and Technology, Ames, Iowa, $273,000
The Regents of the University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, $179,092
Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois, Champaign, Illinois, $179,942
Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, $268,565
Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, $246,146
University of Kentucky Research Foundation, Lexington, Kentucky, $128,889
Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, $354,000
University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, $270,542
University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, $273,000
University of Maine, Orono, Maine, $171,413
Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan,$190,500
The Regents of the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, $183,000
The Curators of the University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, $163,582
Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi, $146,738
Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, $273,000
North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, $272,995
North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota, $172,134
Board of Regents, University of Nebraska Lincoln, Nebraska, $187,484
University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire, $130,948
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, $351,000
The Regents of New Mexico State University Las Cruces, New Mexico, $196,071
Board of Regents, University of Nevada Reno, Nevada, $203,999
Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, $254,919
The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, $237,306
Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, $99,807
Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, $272,217
Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, $221,077
Puerto Rico Agricultural Extension Service, San Juan, Puerto Rico, $171,263 2
University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, $116,132
Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, $172,125
South Dakota State University, Brookings, South Dakota, $358,000
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, $182,067
Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, $180,000
Utah State University, Logan, Utah, $113,622
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia, $180,000
University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, Burlington, Vermont, $254,195
Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, $272,998
The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System, Madison, Wisconsin, $225,000
West Virginia University Research Corporation, Morgantown, West Virginia, $82,916
University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, $150,690
More information on these projects is available on the NIFA website.
Minor Crop Pest Management Program (IR-4)
The Regents of the University of California, Davis, California, $3,191,910
University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, $2,320,413
Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, $1,978,284
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, $2,780,635
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, $799,046
More information on these projects is available on the NIFA website and IR-4 website.
Methyl Bromide Transition Program
The Regents of the University of California, Davis, California, $499,749
The Regents of the University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, $499,998
Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi, $498,387
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia, $393,049
More information on these projects is available on the NIFA website.
Among past projects, Rutgers University collected field and laboratory data on the safety of 1,000 pesticides for use on specialty crops and provided the data to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for use in the approval process. These regulatory approvals have helped specialty crop growers nationwide protect their crops from numerous pests, reduce food waste, and stock grocery store shelves with an abundance of high-quality American grown fruits and vegetables. Texas A& M University created a software tool to help farmers choose effective methods of combatting palmer amaranth - a serious invasive weed that lowers yields of corn, soybeans, and cotton. The decision tool can help farmers evaluate the effectiveness of their palmer amaranth management program, analyze overall economic profitability, and determine whether the weed may become resistant to herbicides.
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NIFA's mission is to invest in and advance agricultural research, education, and extension to solve societal challenges. NIFA's investments in transformative science directly support the long-term prosperity and global preeminence of U.S. agriculture. To learn more about NIFA's impact on agricultural sciences, visit http://www.nifa.usda.gov/Impacts, sign up for updates, and follow us on Twitter @USDA_NIFA, #NIFAImpacts.
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